Eien no Shasai
by Ookami Tsubasawa
Summary: *PLEASE READ EDITED VERSION* A bond is a thread sown by a needle that pierces two hearts and weaves them together. The thicker and tighter the thread, the more it hurts to rip out. And bonds of love? What do shinobi know about love?
1. In The Forest Where She Lay

In The Forest Where She Lay

**In The Forest Where She Lay**

_1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... crap._

The last two kunai hit at the wrong angle, causing one to fall to the ground in front of me, and the other to go whizzing off into the forest somewhere.

_Stupid kunai knives..._

The other six kunai had hit dead center. I must've done this a hundred times and I still make mistakes? I need to get stronger...

Where did it go wrong? I held a kunai between each finger in each hand, and a kunai between my thumb and finger in both hands...

_Ah I see... One of the kunai had left my hand the slightest bit later than the others... _

_In battle that could be a deadly mistake... _

_Against my brother I wouldn't stand a chance..._

I scowled. I hated failure. The other six perfectly thrown kunai didn't matter.

_The last two were a failure._

I picked my kunai up off the ground and proceeded to pull out the others from the targets.

I looked out into the forest. Should I bother going to get the other one? It's not like I have anything else to do, besides, I need as much weaponry as possible.

The forest was dark and silent. That's why I like it here. No annoying interruptions. No one to bother me. No team mates to distract me.

There was a rush of leaves and I immediately tensed. Just in case...

_Just in case it was him..._

But it wasn't him. It was just an owl, staring intently at me. I glared back at it, before continuing on my way to get my kunai. The owl's eyes following my every movement, until it disappeared from sight.

_Where the bloody hell is that thing?_

My lips tightened in annoyance as I increased my pace. It can't be much further. I saw the moonlight reflect off something metallic in the near distance.

_Finally..._

I walked through the bush blocking my path, heading to get the damn thing and go back to where I live. I don't particularly think of it as home.

I have to stay in an apartment on the orders of the Hokage. 'Too many bad memories' as he put it. The Uchiha compound is where I grew up and it's where I will revive my clan, and where I shall return to living as soon as I kill my brother and feel at peace.

I stopped. My kunai was embedded in a tree, and a girl lay at the bottom of that tree, seemingly unconscious.

_Did I hit her?_

She doesn't look to be bleeding, I don't see any rips in her clothes. Heck she's probably asleep.

I bent down and shook her shoulder.

"Are you gonna stay out here all night?" I said.

_No response... _

_Baka girl..._

I pulled my kunai out the tree and put it back in my kunai pouch. I looked back down at the unconscious girl.

_Should I just leave her?_

I don't know her, she could be a spy, and she might be annoying...

_Or should I take her with me?_

If I leave her and she dies the ANBU Black Op's will haul me in for questioning, they'll find my DNA or something...

_Stuff it I'll take her with me._

I grimaced as I put a hand to my burning forehead.

_Geez that's a killer migraine..._

I forced my eyes open. Everything was a huge blur as light burned into my eyes.

_Ouch..._

I groaned and sat up, putting my head in my hands. The excruciating pain in my head eased, leaving a slight feeling of light headedness behind.

Reopening my eyes, I looked around.

This wasn't my house. It wasn't any of my friends' houses either. So... Where the hell was I? I was on a bed. In a relatively large room. That's where I was.

"Awake?" came a boy's voice. I jumped out my skin.

"FLIPPING HELL!" I cried holding my heart.

"What's your name?" the boy demanded coldly.

I looked away from him as a heated blush rose to my face.

I was shy when meeting new people... I couldn't help it, it was my nature... I only felt confident if my friends were with me.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke" he said, obviously wanting me to answer with my own name.

_Wait a minute... Sasuke Uchiha? Wasn't he a character in the anime 'Naruto' that had started showing a few days ago?_

My mind wandered to what my friends would do in this situation. A smile threatened to spread across my face but I managed to hold it in.

"What's your name?" he repeated, more of an order than a question.

"I... I don't know, all I remember is that it began with 'K'" I answered truthfully.

He stared at me as though trying to read my mind and see if I was lying.

"I found you in the forest outside the village, where did you come from?" he interrogated asked.

"Somewhere far, far away... I don't know how I got here... and I don't know how to get back" I said quietly. It was probably best to be truthful... I didn't like being stared at it made me feel really uncomfortable... and all this guy was doing was staring...

I sighed and looked down. "I wish Gemma was here" I whispered to myself.

"Who's Gemma?" Sasuke asked.

_Whoa he's got good hearing..._

"A very close friend" I replied as a smile appeared on my face.

His eyes seemed to soften the slightest bit. He sat on the bed beside me.

"Do you miss your home?" he asked.

"In some ways, I miss my friends and my family" I said.

_It was weird being interrogated by a stranger. _

_A boy stranger. _

_An __**ANIME**__ boy stranger._

It was silent after that... I hugged my knees to my body and rested my head on them and sighed.

_What was I going to do now?_

There was nothing I could do really, I can't go back if I don't know how I got here.

_It's probably just a dream... I'll wake up soon..._

"You're really quiet" he said, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"That's only because I'm shy at the moment" I said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you shy?" he enquired. I shrugged.

"It's just the way I am" I said looking out the window. It was pitch black, apart from the bright full moon.

_Wasn't it a new moon yesterday?_

He followed my gaze out the window. For a while we sat there in silence watching the clouds drift past the moon creating shadows as they passed.

_How __**did**__ I get here?_

Sasuke layed down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He was probably waiting for me to bugger off somewhere and leave him in peace.

A sudden wave of tiredness rushed through my body. I layed down and almost immediately fell asleep...

**

* * *

**

I looked round at the girl to ask her some more questions, only to see that she had fallen asleep.

_On my bed._

Her breathing was very quiet and for a moment I had thought she wasn't breathing at all.

_I wonder where she came from. She doesn't seem to be a ninja, but then again, if she's not a ninja why is she carrying two katana? _

_Hm... Maybe if she stayed I'd find out._

Her long blonde hair fell over her pale face, but she didn't stir.

I didn't feel as though she was my enemy. I'll take her to my team in the morning and ask Kakashi-sensei what to do.

He'll just send her to the Hokage or something...

Some part of me wanted her to stay...

Something about her interests me.

_As long as she wasn't a fan girl, or a girl version of Naruto, I should be able to tolerate her._

Her hand had a hold of the bed sheet and she was holding on tightly. She was smiling gently.

For some reason, I started smiling too for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

I can't remember the last time I smiled usually I would smirk.

I layed there watching her, until sleep overcame me and I was plunged into my dreams.


	2. The One and Only Team Seven

**The One and Only Team 7**

I woke up but purposely kept my eyes closed. I shifted into a more comfortable position and noticed I could feel arms around me.

"Gemma get off... your hugging me in your sleep again..." I mumbled. I rolled over and fell asleep again.

Until I felt something shaking me...

"Five more minutes Mom..." I said groggily, pressing my face into the pillow.

"Wake up you've got to go see Kakashi-sensei" said a boy's voice.

_Eh? Who's Kakashi?_

I opened my eyes. Sasuke was blurry at first but then my vision sharpened.

_HOLY--!! So... it wasn't a dream?_

"Thought of a name yet?" I mumbled sleepily.

"Name?" he repeated.

"Am I supposed to walk around being called '_IT_'?" I said grumpily, mornings were not my thing, I was a major night owl.

"Kazari'll do for now" he said huffily, obviously saying the first name that came to his head.

"What does it mean?" I asked confused. Well I'm not Japanese and I only know odd words from random Anime's.

"Decoration."

_Am I a freaking Christmas tree?_

"That's nice" I said, about to fall asleep again. I am just **TOO** tired to care right now.

"Kari, you've got to go see Kakashi-sensei" Sasuke said.

_Wasn't it Kazari a minute ago? Oh well I like Kari better anyway._

"Why... and what time is it anyway?" I said, wondering how premature my rude awakening really was.

"Here's your bag get ready" Sasuke said, throwing a bag I recognised as my own at me. I managed to catch it before it hit me in the face.

"You've got ten minutes or I'm going without you" he said, completely ignoring my question.

_Miserable, idiotic, mean, anime person..._

I reluctantly got up. I don't know where my bag came from but I was sure as hell glad it was here.

I did the usual morning routine in record time, then walked over to Sasuke who was impatiently waiting for me.

"Here are your katana's" he said handing me two swords, each in a sheath. I blinked and looked at them. They were really light in weight, sheathed in a smooth...to be honest I have no idea what the sheaths was made of. They were black and looked snug around the thin blades.

_Since when did I have swords? _

_Don't they know I shouldn't be trusted with dangerous, sharp, pointy things? _

_Ah well, their loss._

"Come on already, or we'll be late" Sasuke said annoyed.

"So what time is it anyway?" I repeated.

"5am" he replied, looking at me like I was a complete and total idiot and I should know the time automatically. 5am... and I thought 10am was flipping early...

We walked for a while, Sasuke doing a brisk power walk with his hands shoved in his pockets, me dragging my feet and wistfully dreaming of going back to sleep.

After about ten excruciatingly **LONG** minutes we arrived at a... bridge. Sasuke stopped and I had an immense urge to just put my head against his shoulder blades and drift into a blissful little doze. Somehow though, I just knew he wouldn't let me.

Ten minutes or so after that, another boy arrived.

He glared in the direction of Sasuke, eyes narrowing in dislike.

"_Sasuke._"

"Loser" Sasuke replied acknowledging the boy.

The boy continued to glare at Sasuke, while Sasuke completely ignored him. Then the boy looked over at me.

At once, his annoyance disappeared and a huge, goofy grin spread across his face and I noticed three whisker-like markings on each of his cheeks, curving with his smile. He walked, well, more like bounced, up to me.

"**HI THERE I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO AND IM GONNA BE THE NEXT HOKAGE, DATTEBAYOOO!!**" he shouted lodly and proudly.

How on earth he had so much energy this early in the morning is beyond me.

"Call me Kari!" I said smiling.

Naruto seemed like a nice guy and some of his confidence and energy seemed to automatically rub off on me. So this was Naruto huh? The nine tailed fox and master of eating ramen. His personality was awesome I liked him already! I took in his appearance. He was an inch or two shorter than me, even with his spiky hair. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit with a blue stripe across his shoulders and collarbone. His collar was white an sort of ruffled looking. He had the most beautiful bright blue eyes I've ever seen, that seemed to hold a spark, which was even more noticable when he smiled. His golden hair was spiked, reminding me of the Sun. Keeping his bangs out is face was a blue headband with a silver piece of metal, just like Sasuke's which I failed to notice until now because I was so sleepy.

"**SASUKE-KUUUN!!**" cried a shrill voice. I looked round and saw a girl running towards us.

I stared horrified.

_"It's so... pink!"_ I whispered as I cringed.

That made my heart aches... A few of my friends favourite colour was pink.

Why I will never know.

Gemma and Sam like the colour pink and I... well I think pink stuff should be **burned**.

Sasuke smirked slightly and Naruto burst out laughing.

The girl stopped and looked at me, mint green eyes puzzled.

"Who're you?" she said.

"She's new Sakura" Sasuke said. The Sakura girl's face lit up with delight when Sasuke spoke to her.

"You look very nice this morning Sasuke-kun! Did you do something different with your hair?"

I just stared at her like she was the _creepiest, weirdest, freakiest_ thing I'd ever seen. She was actually rather pretty, her pastel green eyes went well with her _horribly bubble-gum pink_ rosaline hair. She wore a red dress, split up the side's to reveal dark shorts underneath. The dress had a white lining and a white circle on the front of the skirt. She wore her headband on the top of her head like a hairband. Her hair reached her mid-back. She looked an inch or two taller than me.

"Oh sumimasen! My name is Haruno Sakura" she said smiling. _Sumimasen means sorry doesn't it?_ Well at least she seems pretty nice. But she was obviously giving this _'TOUCH MY SASUKE-KUN AND DIE'_ vibe.

"I'm Kari" I replied simply.

And so I talked with the three of them as we waited for this Kakashi person. Naruto explained how he was _always _late and probably wouldn't arrive until noon. Yet he still expected all of them to be here early.

I found it really easy to talk to Naruto, though it was rather difficult to get a word in when he got really into whatever he was talking about. I tried my best to get along with Sakura too, trying _oh so hard_ to ignore the colour of her hair. She was actually really nice, friendly and talkative but not to the extent Naruto was. Heck, no one was probably as talkative as him.

Naruto explained about his Hokage dream and his passion for ramen, how he thinks Sakura-chan is really pretty but she's obsessed with Sasuke._ Sakura punched him on the head for that. _How he hadn't been a ninja that long but he was already a super cool, powerful ninja that could kick Sasuke's ass any day of the week. _Sasuke scoffed, finally making a noise and told Naruto to dream on. Sakura agreed with Sasuke, saying the raven haired boy was definitely stronger._ Naruto ignored them both and started explaining about how he used to pull the most daring pranks. Painting the sacred Hokage monument for example.

Sakura said how she'd liked Sasuke since she started the academy, though most of the girls were obsessed with him and drooled over him all the time. _She grumbled a name like Eee-noh?_ But Sasuke was really strong and really good looking so it was probably to be expected._ She blushed at this and started drawing circles in the grass with her finger._ She said Naruto was always this annoying and was a real idiot because he skipped so many classes. _Naruto cried indignantly that it was boring and completely useless._

Other than telling Naruto he was an idiot once or twice, Sasuke remained silent and ignored us all. He just stood against the bridge, arms folded over his chest ignoring everybody. When I asked if he was always like that Naruto immediately nodded and called him an asshole.

Just as I thought Sasuke was going to retaliate, a guy with silver hair appeared out of thin air, standing on the top of one of the bridge supports, while reading an orange book.

"Sasuke what does the front of that book say?" I asked him,seeing as Naruto and Sakura had jumped up, pointed at him accusingly and shouted 'YOU'RE LATE!' I tilted my head trying to make sense of the red squiggly lines that I guessed was the title. I didn't know any kanji at all. _That's really unhelpful... Thank god these people speak english most of the time._

"Icha Icha Paradise, Make out paradise" he mumbled. Yet another perverted teacher. I guess you can't escape them...

Kakashi was tall, around six foot I'm guessing, but it's difficult to tell with his oddly shaped silver hair. He must hang upside down to style it in the morning. Almost all of his face was covered, save for his dark right eye. A mask covered the lower half of his face while a headband was across his forehead, tilted to cover his left eye. He wore a strange, padded green vest over a dark long sleeved shirt. He wore dark trousers too and wore them sandal things everyone seemed to wear, which opened to reveal the toes. It would be painful if someone stood of them... The man also wore gloves with a metal knuckle guard, and bandages round the visible part of his legs.

Kakashi looked over at me with his one visible lazy eye.

"Oh? Well what have we here?" he said looking over at me. I shifted, hiding behind Naruto slightly.

"I found her outside Konoha gates in the forest when I was training yesterday" Sasuke said. Kakashi looked at me interested.

"She'll have to see the Hokage and he can decide what to do next" Kakashi said.

"Yeah! Let's go see old man Hokage!" Naruto said happily. "C'mon Kari-chan we'll get you a place to stay and I'll show you round!" Naruto grabbed my hand and steamed ahead. The others trailed behind at a slower pace.

I looked at things as we passed. We passed a training ground before we entered the village again. People were busy with their everyday lives, bustling around and entering and exiting shops. Children ran around happily, with parents telling them to be careful. Birds flew over head and ninja jumped from roof to roof speedily. _Roof to roof? Whoa!!_ It's so weird without cars and humungous buildings and technology and stuff. Still, I guess it means less pollution. The air smells so clean here.

Soon enough we arrived at a big place with a red roof, the place that I would see the Hokage. There was a sign with kanji on it, that Naruto told me meant fire. We walked up some stairs down a corridor or two until we were in front of a door. Kakashi knocked twice, the sound seeming to echo.

"Come in" came an old man's croaky voice. Naruto pushed the door open and bounced inside. _He's like Tigger. Orange and bouncy. He even has stripes on his face..._

"How may I help you?" the Hokage asked. He was seriously old... He must be near a hundred or something.

"This girl has been found outside the gates of Konoha and wishes to stay here" said Kakashi. The Hokage smiled at me as though I was his favourite granddaughter. Observing me over his folded hands.

"What's you name?" he asked. I didn't answer due to my shyness.

"She can't remember so for now she's being called Kari" Sasuke said, noticing my silence.

"And where do you come from Kari?" he asked.

"Somewhere far away..." I said quietly.

"Are you a shinobi?" he asked.

_Sheenohwbee? What the hell?_

"_Ninja_" Sasuke hissed under his breath.

"Um... I did martial arts and... stuff" I said, got to a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do if that counts and I've got my swords, though I highly doubt I can use them.

"Hm, how about a spar with Sasuke?" he asked, eyes drifting over to the raven haired boy beside me. _EH?!_

Sasuke nodded, showing he had no objections. I stood opposite him, while Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto stood against the wall giving us room.

"Begin" said the Hokage. I stood there unsure what to do. Sasuke was staring at me intently, as though waiting for me to make the first move. I watched him awkwardly, wondering if I should just charge at him and see what he does.

"**KICK SASUKE'S ASS KARI-CHAN!!**" Naruto hollered at the top of his lungs. Somehow the windows stayed intact.

I smirked, Naruto's words giving me confidence. I had a bit of a violent side to me and I was often told I was stronger than I looked. _Oh God help me, don't let me humiliate myself..._

Tired of waiting Sasuke charged at me. He threw a punch at incredible speed. I don't know how but I managed to dodge it easily. I didn't think I was this fast... My body seemed to just move on it's own, avoiding each and ever one of Sasuke's punches and kicks.

I pulled out my swords. I held them in font of me in a protective X shape. _What the hell? I don't even know how to use these things! Well, no time like the present._ Sasuke jumped higher than any normal human could, and I was reminded of the ninja jumping from roof to roof. _I have **got** to try that later._ I swung my swords at him, but he managed to block with a kunai. Seeing an opening, I kicked his leg and sent him flying into a wall. Crap! I didn't mean to kick him that hard... Or crack the wall...

"That's enough" the Hokage said putting an end to our spar. Sasuke got up looking annoyed. He folded his arms in front of his chest and humphed. The Hokage smiled, the patterns formed by his wrinkles deepening in his face. "I should've told you to spar outside, ah well my grandson..." he seemed to think better about going into a long story, or he just didn't want to go into it and changed the subject. "I believe you'd make a splendid ninja." He handed me a headband.

It consisted of a silver plate engraved with what looked like a 6 made into a leaf. The metal was attached to a light, black fabric. I smiled and tied it round my waist, feeling a sense of pride. When i asked Naruto abouthis headband incuriosity he explained how it makes him worthy of being a ninja of Konohagakure (here), worthy of fighting for his village to protect it.

"You can join team 7, as you have met with them already and seem to get along well" said the Hokage gesturing at the four ninja. Naruto grinned throwing his arm round my shoulder. Sakura smiled at me kindly and Sasuke spared me a quick glance, though he was clearly annoyed that he underestimated me.

"Finally! Someone I can have some fun with!" Naruto cried in delight. He seemed too innocent for that to sound as wrong as it did...

"Arigatou" I said. I didn't know much Japanese but I watched some Anime's and picked up random words.

"Douitashimashite" the Hokage replied. I think that long word means you're welcome? All five of us walked out the Hokage's office.

"Well we have missions tomorrow so I'll see ya then. Make Kari comfortable, you'll need to show her how things are done round here. Sayonara minna" Kakashi said disappearing in a poof of smoke. I knew 'sayonara' was good-bye. Minna... everybody?

"Wanna go get some ramen to celebrate Kari-chan?" Naruto asked. I hadn't tried ramen before and I didn't have any money. Naruto didn't wait for an answer, he just grabbed my hand and started dragging me along. Sakura and Sasuke followed behind us at a slower rate.

"Ichiraku ramen! Best ramen ever! Just wait! It's the most delicious thing you've ever tasted guaranteed!" Naruto cried excitedly. He must love that stuff... That or he's paid for advertising it. It's probably like me and cookies.

"Naruto I don't have any money" I said, slightly embarrassed.

"No, sweat! This is your first Ichiraku, your first meal in Konoha AND your first meal with the team! I'll pay for you!" Naruto cried at once.

"Aww thank you!" I cried, touched by his generosity. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a grateful hug, It was kind of a tradition for me to hug my friends and Naruto's already in that category.

A light red dusted his cheeks as he seemed slightly taken back by the friendly gesture, but he quickly adjusted as a huge grin stretched across his face. Arm round me once more we strolled towards his favourite restraunt, where his beloved ramen awaits.


	3. The Genin Gangs and Training Of Sorts

**The Genin Gangs And Training Of Sorts**

After a couple more minutes Sasuke and Sakura finally caught up.

"What took you so long slow coach?!" Naruto cried pointing accusingly at Sasuke. The taller boy ignored him, probably used to this behaviour. We took our seats and Naruto slammed his hand on the counter.

"**MISO RAMEN JI-JI!!**" Naruto bellowed. An old man looked round and smiled at him.

"Coming up!" he replied. A woman in her twenties with brown hair asked for the rest of our orders. Her brown hair was kept out of her way by a white bandana. Sakura ordered chicken ramen, Sasuke ordered miso ramen and I... I just went with what Sakura ordered. It was actually really good, though I doubt I liked it as much as Naruto, who had four bowls when I was only half finished.

"**SASUKE-KUN!!**" squealed a female voice. It reminded me somewhat of Sakura's, high pitched and very girly.

Sasuke glared at the girl that had just come dashing up. She had long light blonde hair, worn up in a high ponytail. She wore mostly violet and was mummified across her thighs and stomach and wore arm warmers identical to Sasuke's. She had bright topaz eyes and her cheeks had darkened slightly when she looked at Sasuke. Her eyes travelled over to me.

"Oh are you new? I'm Yamanaka Ino" she said smiling in greeting.

"What a drag" said a bored looking boy behind the girl. He had dark brown hair that was also up in a high pony tail. His hair was spiky and reminded me somewhat of a… pineapple? He wore a net shirt with a grey half jacket over the top. On the back was a dark no-entry sign, you know that circle with a line through it. He had a lazy expression, similar to mine when I'm listening to someone extremely boring. I also noticed he had his ear pierced.

He looked at me with the same bored expression. "Who are you?" the boy asked, in a voice that said he didn't particular care.

"Call me Kari" I said smiling.

"I'm Nara Shikamaru. This guy is Akimichi Chouji" Shikamaru said pointing at a boy behind him who was scoffing potato chips. He was rather round but smiled kindly. He wore his heaband like a bandana over his light brown hair.

"So you're the new girl?" I looked round to see a boy with very light lavender eyes with no pupil staring at me. Those eyes were beautiful... He had long dark brown hair on the verge of black, tied at the very end. He wore a beige shirt over dark brown shorts. One arm and one leg were completely bandaged, both on the same side. He stopped, having been walking past the ramen stand with his two team-mates, all three of which seemed slightly older than the others I'd met so far.

"Hyuga Neji" he said, noticing my puzzled look.

"Hey there, I'm TenTen" the girl beside him said cheerfully, waving. She had brown eyes and hair, which she wore as two buns. She wore a pink chinese style shirt and dark green capris.

"I am the Leaf Villages handsome devil my name is Rock Lee!" another guy cried excitedly. He had shiny, black bowl haircut, and the bushiest eyebrows I'd ever laid eyes on. He wore green latex with his headband round his waist and bandages on his arms from the elbows down. He looked pretty weird, but I didn't judge people for how they looked. It's what's inside that counts._ Even though he looks a lot like Elmo..._

"Kari-chan?" said Rock Lee blushing slightly. "Please be my girlfriend I will protect you with my life!" he cried. Putting his thumb up and making his teeth sparkle. I raised an eyebrow.

_Ooookkkkaaaaaayyyy..._

"She's only just got here Lee" Neji informed him.

"We have to go, nice meeting you Kari!" TenTen said dragging Lee by the ear, whisperingly scolding him, while Neji followed behind pretending not to know them.

"Whoa! Even **MORE** people!?" Naruto shouted with a mouthful of noodles, pointing over to the left somewhere.

A small puppy came bounding towards me. He was white as snow apart from his floppy ears, which were a dark brown. He jumped in my arms tail wagging madly. It made me miss my own dogs. I hugged the little puppy who barked happily in my ear.

"Akamaru!" cried a boy.

"Looks like Akamaru made a new friend" the boy said grinning. he wore a grey coat with black fur around the hood which was up. He had red markings on his cheeks, and his eyes and smile seemed slightly wild. His voice sounded confident, yet at the same time rather cocky. I blushed as I smiled back. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba and as you've probably guessed, this is Akamaru" Akamaru barked. I handed the puppy back to Kiba who went to order ramen.

"Hi... anou… my... name... is... Hyuga Hinata" said a shy looking girl. She had the same eyes Neji did, and short, dark sapphire blue hair. She wore a baggy beige coat, which along with her body language told me she was self-conscious. She had a very pale skin tone like me and wore her headband round her neck.

"People call me Kari" I said. My voice was soft when speaking to her; I could sense her hesitance and shyness, and to be honest I thought it was adorable.

"I am Aburame Shino" said the boy behind Hinata. The sunglasses reminded me of matrix for a moment... He had a dark afro for hair, and wore a high collared grey coat which reminded me of a scientist.

"Kari!" Sasuke said having escaped from Ino, who was now in a fight with Sakura. "We're going home" he said irritated. I smiled and nodded showing I had heard him.

"Ok" I turned to Hinata. "I'll see you soon." she nodded.

"Um... Kari?" she said quietly. I looked at her. "I know you're new… I was wondering, if… perhaps… maybe… um… Do you... want to be friends?" she asked shyly, her cheeks were a light pink as she pressed her fingers together nervously. I smiled happily.

"I'd love too!" I hugged her. She smiled blushing a little darker, but looking relieved nonetheless.

"Well I'm full!" Naruto cried holding his huge belly, a mountain of empty bowls in front of him. Hinata looked at Naruto and blushed while I nearly fell over in shock seeing how much he'd eaten so quickly.

_Aww very kawaii! Hinata likes Naruto!_

Another Japanese word I knew. Kawaii meant cute.

I headed back to Sasuke's walking beside him. As I walked my hands gripped the handles of my katana's. I hadn't ever seen the katana's before. I hadn't used them either.

_I wonder where they came from…_

Sasuke got inside, looking rather relieved to be away from the crowd. I wasn't too keen on crowds either, so I knew where the guy was coming from.

"I'm going for a walk I'll be back soon" I said, deciding there was still time for a little exploring before it got too late. I walked out the door and tried to retrace my steps, eventually I got to the training ground I'd seen earlier. My eyes darted left and right. No one was around...

I couldn't stop myself, I bent down and jumped as high as I could. I went zooming up. **WHOA!!** Adrenaline rush x 10! I laughed in delight. It was like a theme park ride! Then I looked down...

_**Shit.**_

I screamed as gravity grabbed hold of my ankles and made me plummet downwards. I somehow managed to land on my feet. I opened an eye. Then another eye.

_I'm still alive?_

I sensed a presence behind me. I looked round. Just bushes, tree's shadows and the eerie wind... _Geez, horror film much?_

_Ok I swear someone was there..._

"Err... Hello? No... Konnichiwa?"

"You aren't from here..." I spun round again. To see a guy standing in front of me. He was tall with a huge black cloak with red clouds on it. As the wind made the cloak ripple the clouds appeared to move. My eyes were captured by his gleaming red ones. _Wow... anime people have really pretty eyes..._

"I'm Uchiha Itachi, what is your name?" he demanded.

_He looks way too much like Sasuke his hair frames his face in the same way, his voice has that silkiness like Sasuke's does... I can only see half of his face... Wait, Uchiha? They must be related. I'll ask Sasuke later._

"I dunno" I replied. "People call me Kari"

"You're a youkai" Itachi said his eyes narrowing.

_Demon? Well that's not very nice... _

"I'm a _**WHAT**_?" I cried.

Itachi walked towards me. I backed up until I met a tree. He put his arms either side of mine blocking any escape. My eyes darted from left to right hopefully anyway. No escape.

_NOT GOOD._

"You interest me... I will train you, you could be of use to us later" he said.

_Us?? Useful??_

"It would be a good idea for you to refrain from telling anyone you've met me_. In particular, Sasuke."_

_Sooo... Is he a bad guy?_

I looked at him confused. He smirked slightly.

_Damn him for having a hot smirk._

He kissed my forehead. "Fear not Kari, I'll see you again soon" he whispered before turning round and disappearing. I slid down the tree feeling dazed.

_But is seeing you again a good thing?_

"Kari?" I jumped out my skin, jolting to my feet, causing my head to collide with a (extremely guilty) innocent tree branch. I put my hands over the rapidly swelling bump and to hold my skull together just in case it really had broken in half. _It sure as hell felt like it_. I closed my eyes, with just made the stars stand out even more as they danced before my eyes.

"Gomen, did I startle you?"

_Nooo... I frequently smack my head on tree branches for no reason._

I opened a teary eye to see who had scared the freaking hell out of me. Mr.Pretty-eyed-Hyuuga-boy.

"Oh Neji, hi" I said. "What are you doing out here?"

"Training, the Hyuuga compound isn't too far from here" he said simply. "I sensed a peculiar chakra and came to investigate… Was it you?" he asked.

"Um... I Dunno?" I said, he just asked a question out of the blue, I can't be expected to give an intelligent answer. Beside's I'm not supposed to tell anyone about that Itachi guy and I always keep secrets. My instincts also tell me I shouldn't mention it and my instincts usually know best. "I'm kinda new to the whole ninja thing, the Hokage said I had potential so gave me the headband thing."

"Hai, I saw your Hitai-ate, you're not partictularly fluent in Japanese yet are you? Want me to train you? That way you'll know what ninja-skills you need to work on so you're the same level as the other Genin." he offered.

_Why was everyone asking to train me today? _

And why were people sneaking up on me?

"Um... Sure" I replied. Heck I probably needed all the training I could get. I screamed because I flipping jumped too high... Neji smirked.

"Want me to walk you home?" he asked. _Damn hot anime guys and their smirks! Damn them to hell!!_ I walked at his side.

"You have pretty eyes" I said as I walked along beside him. He looked at me like I was retarded. "Just saying" I said simply.

"So do you" Neji replied. I blushed.

"Thanks" I said. He smirked again.

_Right... Where did Sasuke live again? __**GREAT**_

Lost.

**AGAIN.**

I looked around trying to find something I recognised.

_Why do I __**always**__ have to get lost? __**WHY?**_

I then noticed Sasuke. It was though there was light shining off him and he was the most beautiful thing in the world. No, I was not turning fan girly, he just saved me from humiliating myself in front of Neji.

"It's ok, Sasuke's over there" I said, sighing with relief.

I turned and hugged Neji. Back home I always hugged my friends, girls and guys. Neji seemed shocked, I guess he wasn't used to girls latching onto him. He blushed then placed a hand on my back.

"Bye Kari" he mumbled walking off. Bless him, ickle Neji-kins got all confused.

"Sasuke!" I shouted running up to him, I hugged him too. Hugs were my way of greeting people, so sue me. He looked at me irritated, tense inside my embrace.

"Hey! I am **NOBODY'S** fan girl I just hugged my friends a lot back home" I said letting go of him. He relaxed a little though still seemed annoyed with me.

"Where were you?" he asked, I guess he wasn't a happy bunny. I rubbed the back of my head feeling embarrassed.

"Ummm lost?" I said. He sighed, rolling his eyes at my immature idioticness.

"Come on, we have missions tomorrow" he said grabbing my hand and pulling me along. I looked at our hands and felt the heat rush to my cheeks.

_**Stupid**__ hot anime guys..._

"Are you gonna stay out here all night? We're here" Sasuke pointed out.

"Huh? Wha? Oh yeah I'm fine-- When did we get back?" I said. He let go of my hand, deciding to ignore me.

**We were home!**

_Well at his home anyway._

"Where'd I sleep last night again?" I asked straining my brain trying to remember. He blushed slightly, looking off into the corner like a guilty little kid.

"You fell asleep in my bed" he said quietly.

"You weren't naked were you?" I asked.

"Nani!? Iie!" he cried looking disgusted. They seemed to use Japanese more when they were annoyed. What and no were pretty basic, but if he get's complicated on me, I'm doomed.

"That's ok then" I said simply. He looked at me puzzled.

"What's wrong with sleeping **NEXT** to someone?" I asked "I don't mind sleeping next to my friends unless it's Alex... I don't trust him and Gemma together. If it bothers you I'll sleep on the floor" I said.

"No I err..." he mumbled awkwardly. I pat him on the shoulder, though it was hard seeing as he was so much taller than me. He looked at me like I was a complete and total idiot. Guess he doesn't like to be touched too much. Like's his personal space. I smiled and shrugged.

"I thought you were quiet and shy?" he said. I smiled.

"I am to begin with, but I got to know you people a bit, so I'm more comfortable. Plus Naruto makes me go hyper" I said. Sasuke sweat dropped.

"I'm going to bed. You can sleep where you like" he mumbled. I sighed. Then followed him.

I lay awake all night.

Insomnia?

That has crossed my mind now and again.

"Can't sleep?" I looked round to see Sasuke staring at me with those piercing black eyes. In the darkness they looked even darker. _That sounded really stupid didn't it…_ I shrugged.

"Just one of them nights" I said yawning.

"You'll be tired" he said.

"Nah, staying up all nights fun" I said. I could almost see his anime sweat drop. "Can't you sleep?" I asked.

"I don't usually get to sleep" he said.

"No wonder you're cranky" I said smiling at him. "My heads to full of thoughts, I'm too restless to sleep." I couldn't stop thinking about home. About everyone who'll be worrying about me. Whether I eventually fell asleep is a mystery. But the next thing I knew, light began to appear, illuminating the sleeping boy's face...


	4. Cat Fights and Girl Bonding

**Cat Fights and Girl Bonding**

_'Sasuke, I'm at point B'_

_'Sakura, I'm at point C'_

_'Kari here, at point D'_

_'Naruto I'm at point A Dattebayo!'_

_'Naruto you're too slow... Squad seven the target has moved! Follow it!'_

_'Over there!'_ Naruto whispered.

_'What's your distance from the target?'_ Kakashi asked.

_'Five metre's'_ Naruto replied into the headset. '_I'm ready, just give the signal'_

_'I'm ready too'_ said Sasuke.

_'Same here'_ I said.

_'So am I'_ said Sakura.

_'Ok..._ _**NOW!'** cried Kakashi._

The four of us jumped out of our hiding places.

"**I GOT HIM I GOT HIM!**" Naruto cried, having grabbed the brown tabby cat. The unimpressed cat attacked Naruto with no mercy. Sinking its razor sharp claws into Naruto's soft skin. Naruto screeched in pain, squished the cat and just infuriated it more. I took the cat out of Naruto's grasp and soothed it by stroking it gently. It growled at Naruto eyes flashing, fur on end.

"Geez Naruto, if you'd squished the cat anymore it would've exploded" I said. Naruto gave the cat a seriously dirty look. The cat quickly returned with a hiss.

_'Is there a ribbon on the right ear?'_ came Kakashi's voice.

"Affirmative, we got a positive ID" Sasuke replied.

_'Right, Lost pet Tora captured, mission accomplished'_ said Kakashi_._

_**'CAN'T WE GET A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS I HATE CATS!! **__**BEEEEEP!'**_ Naruto screamed deafening poor Kakashi to no end.

"**AWW! MY POOR TORA!** Mommy was worried about her little fuzzykins yes!" cried a lady squishing the poor cat even more than Naruto had been. The poor cat mewed loudly as the lady rubbed her face against it.

"**HAHAHA! STUPID CAT! IT DESERVES TO BE SQUASHED! HAHAHA!**" Naruto cried rubbing his scratched hands.

"No wonder it ran away..." Sakura said quietly. The lady dropped a small bag of money on the Hokage's desk and walked away with poor Tora, who was mewing helplessly. Sending a reproachful look over the lady's shoulder.

* * *

"Now for squad sevens next mission we have several available tasks" said the Hokage boredly, shuffling his many papers. "Ah, among them: babysitting the chief councillor's three year old, helping his wife do the shopping, digging up potatoes and-"

"**NOOOO!**" Naruto hollered, his arms in front of him in a defiant 'X' shape. "**I WANNA GO ON A **_**REAL**_** MISSION SOMETHING **_**CHALLENGING**_** AND **_**EXCITING**_** NOT THIS LITTLE KID STUFF! COME ON OLD MAN**!"

Me and my two other young team mates silently agreed in our heads. Kakashi sighed having known this was coming.

"**HOW DARE YOU! YOUR JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITH NO EXPERIENCE! LIKE EVERYONE ELSE YOU START WITH SIMPLE MISSION TO GAIN EXPERIENCE AND TO PROVE YOURSELF!**" shouted a brown haired man with a scar across his nose. Naruto had told me he was Iruka-sensei and he's really great because he buys him Ichiraku ramen, and that he taught them at the academy.

I knew this from the anime but I couldn't exactly tell them that could I?

"**ARE YOU SERIOUS!?**" Naruto hollered. "**BABY SITTING IS **_**NOT**_** A MISSION IT'S JUST A STUPID- AAAAAH!**"

He was cut off by Kakashi whacking him on the head, making him fall face first onto the floor.

"_Will you put a lid on it._"

Naruto whined holding the bump on his head and sat up.

"**NARUTO!** It seems you do not understand the tasks you have been given. Listen, many different tasks are given to our village every day. From babysitting to assassinations. These requests are carefully recorded, analysed, and then ranked A, B, C or D depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked by abilities Hokage at the top, Jonin, Chunnin and Genin at the bottom. At the highest level we select missions and apply them to ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience and if the mission is successful you receive a fee towards our village and our work. Since you are untried genin just starting down the shinobi path you are give D level assignments of course-- Hm?" said the Hokage.

"So I had this ramen yesterday and I was thinking miso ramen today..." Naruto said to me, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi who had not listened to a word the Hokage had just said.

"_**SILENCE!**_" the Hokage cried annoyed. Me, Sakura and Naruto jumped out of our skin. Of course Sasuke wasn't phased in the slightest.

"Heh... Gomen" Kakashi apologised, rubbing the back of his head. Knowing he was probably going to be scolded later for the behaviour of his students, and Naruto's rudeness.

"**WHY DO YOU ALWAYS LECTURE ME LIKE YOU'RE MY GRANDFATHER OR SOMTHING?! I'M NOT THE LITTLE BRAT WHO USED TO PULL PRANKS ALL THE TIME I'M A NINJA NOW AND I WANNA NINJA MISSION!**" Naruto demanded.

He then turned his back on the Hokage, sat down, folded his arms and puffed his cheeks out in annoyance. Looking exactly like a four year old having a tantrum.

The Hokage cackled.

_Ooooh, evil old man chuckle… Creepy..._

"So Naruto wants us to know he's not a brat, he's a **former** brat? Well... So be it" said the Hokage.

Naruto turned around and stared at him excitedly. While myself and Sakura exchanged surprised looks. Even Sasuke seemed interested.

"Since you are so determined I'll give you a **C-ranked** mission, you'll be bodyguards on a journey" said the Hokage.

"Really?!" Naruto cried. "**WHO? WHO?** Are we guarding a princess? Or a measly councillor?" Naruto asked bouncing up and down with excitement. His eyes wide, his grin wider.

"Don't be so impatient, I'll bring him in now" the Hokage replied. "Send in our visitor!" The door opened to reveal...

"What the? A bunch of snot nosed kids?" said the man taking a drink of the bottle in his hand.

"Well Naruto there's your princess" I mumbled.

The man was in his mid-fifties, he wore glasses and a hat on his head. His eyes were unfocused and even from here I could smell the alcohol. His voice was low and slightly croaky with age. He was tan and his arms were toned, showing he was a working man. He wasn't quite Kakashi's height, but he wasn't that far off.

"And you, the little one with an idiotic look on your face, you really expect me to believe _**you're**_ a ninja?" he said.

"**HA, HA, HA**! Who's the little one with a idiotic-" Naruto began. We stood round him.

I was a little taller than Naruto by an inch and shorten than Sakura by the same amount. Sasuke was around an inch taller than Sakura, his height increased by his spiky hair. But then again, the same could be said for Naruto, and Sakura did have a rather large forehead.

"**WHY YOU-!! I'LL DEMOLISH YOU! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!!**" Naruto screamed, arms and legs flailing around madly as Kakashi held him back.

"You can't demolish the client Naruto, it doesn't work that way" Kakashi said. Tazuna took another gulp from his bottle.

"Aah... I am Tazuna a master bridge builder. I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life" said the client guy. _Nice to know our lives matter to him… _

_"Hey…What do you think's in the bottle?"_ I whispered to Sasuke. He gave me an irritated look.

"All right Team Seven, you are excused. Oh and Kari, you should go get some ninja clothing and weaponry for your mission, Sakura will take you. Here's some money to start you off" the Hokage said handing me some money. It was different to money back home. Ryo I think it's called. "I didn't think you'd want to stay wearing Sasuke's clothes through your mission."

True, I'd had to borrow Sasuke's shirt for today and it was a _bit too big_.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama" Hey, at least I knew honorific's eh?

* * *

Naruto had run off already but Sakura, hearing her name, had stayed. I told her I needed to tell Sasuke where I was going, as he'd probably think I was useless and got lost again.

"You're really lucky Kari, most girls would kill to live with Sasuke-kun" Sakura said wistfully. I knew she'd trade with me in an instant if she had the chance.

"But he's such a misery guts!" I said. "And he's not particularly a good conversation. He just grunts and gives me annoyed looks." Sakura chuckled.

"It's the way he is, I can't believe you don't like him."

"He's alright on the appearance scale, but I need some personality and fun, and especially humour."

"Oh… He's so handsome… I'll meet you back here, ok? I need to tell my mom I'll be late" Sakura said. I nodded and chased after a long gone Sasuke.

* * *

"Hey! Hey Sasuke wait up!" I called as I spotted his spiky raven hair. He stopped and looked round at the sound of my voice.

"Nani?" Again with the Japanese? He must be annoyed for some reason, probably with me for speaking to him in public. Or even just the fact I'm speaking to him. Apart from some complaints in the morning, the interrogation and introduction we hadn't really spoken. I knew little about him, but I knew he wasn't too bad at heart.

"I need to get some ninja stuff, Sakura's going with me so I don't know what time I'll be back" I said. "Is that ok with you? Don't attack me, thinking I'm a thief or something."

"Hn, whatever. Just don't get lost again. I don't want to have to come find you again." I found myself scowling slightly but shrugged it off.

"I'll try. Catch ya later Uchiha" I said, as I ran back in the opposite direction, weaving through the crowd and heading back towards the Hokage's place.

* * *

I waited patiently for five minutes, until Sakura came into view.

"Gomen Kari, have you been waiting long?" Sakura apologised.

"Nah, just got back" I said simply, allowing the pink haired kunoichi to get her breath back. I'd gotten used to her hair colour now and couldn't imagine her any other way. We started walking along the streets, chatting contentedly.

"So what did Sasuke-kun say?" Sakura asked. A slight blush rose to her cheeks and that twinkle in her eye appeared at the mention of the dark-haired boy. It was almost like Hinata with Naruto, but not quite as adorable. Sasuke was too moody and closed off for Sakura's affectionate, fiery personality. He just seemed to find her annoying. Who knows? Maybe in time…

* * *

"We'll start here" Sakura said, stopping in front of a clothing store. I wasn't particularly into shopping. I found it quite tedious actually, but it could be enjoyable if I was in the right company. "You'll have to get measured up so that you can get the right outfit. Something that will allow you to move around freely and is comfortable and light" she said knowledgably.

I had a tape measure wrapped around various parts of my body by one of the staff, and then was taken to the section for my body type. I was one of those people that liked wearing black. Not in a gothic way, just because it was simple.

I got a sleeveless net shirt with a black tank top over the top. As my hands are naturally sensitive to the cold, and my knuckles are rather sharp, I got black fingerless gloves that went to half way between my elbow and shoulder. They had metal knuckle guards similar to Kakashi's, to protect my hands from damage. Then I got black Capri's and trademark black ninja sandals. They fit comfortably, a little tighter than my usual clothing, but Sakura said it was easy for clothes to snag when ninja jumped through trees. They felt very light, and made me feel as if I could float. Definitely a change from the jeans I'd been wearing! Sakura told me to get three of the same, as ninja tended to wear the same outfit most of the time.

"You'll blend into the shadows well" Sakura said with a giggle. I winked and spat my tongue out childishly. "Colour suits you more though. You seem to fit with most colours." Sakura had attempted to get me into a range of different outfits in a range of different colours. She hadn't succeeded very well.

We headed into a few more places to get the essentials, and some few casual clothes to relax in, as well as sleepwear. As comfortable as Sasuke's t-shirt and boxers may be, I doubt he'd let me use them much longer.

* * *

"Should we go get some weapons? You need to go get ready for the mission too you know. We're leaving tomorrow morning" I pointed out.

"Shame, we'll have to go round all the other shops another time" Sakura said, seeming a little disappointed.

"Sounds like fun" I said smiling, trying to cheer her up. Sakura was pretty perky though, and so lightened up. I got the usual ninja weaponry such as kunai, shuriken and smoke balls. I got a few metres of thin wire as well. I got the pouches for my weapons and also some bandages, which most ninja wore. I was right handed so my weapons pouch went round my right leg. I put my Katana's on my back in an X shape. The straps holding my sheaths crossing over my torso, camouflaged against my dark top. I also got basic medical equipment to be on the safe side.

* * *

"Arigatou Sakura-chan, you really helped me out" I said appreciatively, giving her a light hug. She smiled and returned the gesture.

"It was fun Kari-chan, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Bring Sasuke with you" she understood that I was his roommate and that I barely knew him. But she couldn't hide the fact she was envious of me.

After I had told her how I managed to get lost wandering around Konoha, she agreed to walk me back to Sasuke's apartment. To thank her, I bought us both an ice cream for the journey back. We passed a large gate and a shiver went through me. I looked round to see that same symbol painted on the gate that Sasuke had on the back of his shirt.

"That's where Sasuke-kun used to live before the massacre" Sakura said sadly noticing my gaze.

_Massacre? What's she talking about?_

I decided to keep silent though. It seemed to upset her and that's the last thing I wanted, after getting to know her and making friends with her.

* * *

"Here we are" Sakura said. It was rather close to the Uchiha compound, yet I never noticed before. I knocked three times on the door. _No answer…_

"Hey Sasuke! You in there? If not where'd you hide the key?" I called. The sound of footsteps sounded on the other side of the door before it flew open.

There was a glimpse of a soaking wet Sasuke with a towel draped around his waist before a shocked look spread across his face and the door slammed in our faces. Sakura was wide eyed and bright crimson, looking where Sasuke's naked torso had been moments before.

"W-well I'll see you s-soon!" Sakura squeaked before running off. I knocked again, feeling stupid just standing on the doorstep.

"She's gone! Can I come in now?" I asked. The door opened a crack and an onyx eye peaked through. Seeing I was alone, he allowed me in. With a sigh I went into Sasuke's room and dropped the bags on the floor. He looked slightly amused at my exhaustion. "You can have your shirt back, I got some stuff. Though Sakura got a little on the enthusiastic side. Konoha's got good ice cream.'

"Can I change now."

"Please do" I said covering my eyes, only now noticing he still hadn't put a shirt on. I walked out and left him to change in peace.

After a quick shower I went straight to bed, before Sasuke, absolutely exhausted. I had no trouble sleeping tonight.

Though I had a gut feeling this mission wasn't going to be as simple as it sounded. I'd have to see if Neji wouldn't mind a quick train in the morning before I went. I knew I'd need it…


	5. An Attack From Puddle Ducks

**An Attack from Puddle-ducks**

I stopped in front of a huge gate. Having wandered around the training ground for a good hour, I had finally come across what I think is the Hyuuga compound. I awkwardly played with a kunai, thinking it stupid to be waiting outside the Hyuuga compound at four in the morning hoping Neji would train me.

The sky was lightening, but had yet for dawn to break and the Sun to rise. A few birds shifted in the trees, but weren't awake enough to begin singing. It was very quiet this early in the morning. Very few people were on the streets.

"_K-Kari-chan_?"

"**GAHH!!**--Oh Hinata? You scared the life and afterlife out of me!" I cried, turning sharply and almost, accidentally smacking her across the face.

"Oh sumimasen, I... I didn't mean to startle you. I just... I couldn't sleep and... I was getting some fresh air... Anou... Can I help you?" she said shyly, pressing her fingers together as she looked at me through her lavender orbs.

"Yeah, do you know where Neji is by any chance?" I asked.

"...Onii-san? Hai, I... I'll get him for you..."

"He's your **brother**?!" I cried in shock, my eyes widening as my jaw dropped.

"Oh no, you see... he... he's my cousin. His father and... and... my father were twins..." Hinata said softly, her eyes downcast and slightly watery. My heart lurched and I wanted nothing more than to hug her until she smiled and the tears went away.

"Hey... Hina-chan, naniga okashii no desu ka?"I said softly, asking what was wrong.

"Oh, oh nanimonai Kari-chan, I'll go get him."

As I watched her run inside I knew it wasn't nothing. I could see she's upset and my heart went out to her.

* * *

"Is there any particular reason you're here?" Neji asked observing me calmly, waiting for me to give him an answer. His eyes seemed to penetrate my mind, giving him the power to read my thoughts. _Don't be stupid mind-reading is impossible._

"Well, you see I've got a mission, C-rank and was hoping for a little early morning ninja training as you are such a nice sensei?" I said hopefully. He observed me for a moment before nodding.

"I don't see why not, Lee and Gai-sensei were out running around the village on their hands last night. So we've got the first half of the day off while they're in bed. He usually has us up early, working us to the bone and pouring enthusiasm everywhere" Neji said, as we began walking.

"Doesn't sound too bad" I said, thinking to my own, lazy, constantly late sensei, obsessed with reading and interested in not much else. Neji snorted giving me a look of disbelief, it was then I noticed I was inside the Hyuuga compound, on their own private training ground.

* * *

"Well let's get started."

"Where've you been Kari, we've got to leave in an hour" a grumpy Sasuke said, opening the door. With a startled look he caught me as I fell forward.

"Tired…" I whined. Neji had worked me to the bone, physically and mentally. My head was whirring with different hand signs, and chakra information about Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, about Kekkei Genkai and strategy. Oh and so much more…

"Where were you? I woke up at six and you weren't there" Sasuke demanded, trying and failing to get me to stand on my, shaky, weak, Neji-beaten legs.

"Training… Nasty sensei-boy… No… he don't deserve sensei-ness… Oww I ache…"

"You've got an hour until we have to leave. Go… go have a shower or something. I'll get us some breakfast. You look like you need the energy" Sasuke said awkwardly.

"Arigatou… Sas-kun" I sighed gratefully, leaving him in peace, confused, but without having to put up with me for a while.

Refreshed and fed, myself and Sasuke headed to the gate with our things. Naruto and Sakura appeared a few minutes later. Surprisingly, a few minutes after that, Tazuna came with an un-late Kakashi, who chose to ignore Naruto's shock of him being on time.

We turned and walked out the gate. Naruto turned round and lifted his arms in the air.

"**YOSH!!**" Naruto cheered, grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you getting so excited about Naruto?" Sakura asked looking annoyed.

"This is the first time I've ever left the village! I'm a traveller dattebayo!" Naruto cried excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet with the hugest grin on his face.

"He grows up so fast..." I said with a slight chuckle. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You're the same age as him, he's only twelve" Sasuke said. I looked at myself.

_WHAT THE--__!? I'M TWELVE!_

Or did I just get mistaken for younger than I actually was? No, I looked exactly like my twelve year old self. Okay wasn't I fourteen coming on fifteen? When did I get two years younger? I was shorter, my hair was longer it was down to my butt instead of mid back but it was layered, even though I only had that done a few months ago.

_The really scary thing was I had my fourteen year old bust..._

"Hey am I supposed to trust my life to this runt? He's a joke!" cried Tazuna, looking at Naruto distastefully.

"Heh heh, he's with me and I'm a Jonin, you don't have to worry" said Kakashi reassuringly. Naruto sulked for a moment, and then he pointed at Tazuna.

"**HEY! **_**NEVER**_ insult a ninja it's a **big** mistake and I'm one of the **GREATEST** ninja ever! Someday I'm gonna be Hokage and you're gonna look up to me! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! _**REMEMBER IT!!**_" Naruto cried pointing at the bridge builder dramatically. Tazuna took another gulp of his drink.

"**Hokage** are _wise_, **YOU** are _**puny**_ and _**brainless**_. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly" said Tazuna.

"I wanna fly!" I cried happily. Seriously, it's a childhood dream to sprout wings and soar above the clouds. _Pshh, keep dreaming baka…_

"**AAAARGH! SHUT UP OLD MAN! I'M WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO BECOME HOKAGE! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES! AND THEN EVERYONE WILL HAVE TO ADMIT I'M THE TOP NINJA, EVEN **_**YOU**_**!!**" Naruto cried angrily.

_Anything huh? So you'd become gay and fall in love with Sasuke?_

"Heh! You can become Hokage **ten times over,** to me you'll still be _a __nobody,__ a __**loser**_!" said Tazuna.

"Dude he would be a _reeeeeeally_ rich nobody" I said as Kakashi held back Naruto who was, once again, trying to attack Tazuna.

"I told you, you have to _protect_ the client not _attack_ him" said Kakashi exasperatedly.

"Huh?" I said looking round.

_I could have sworn I heard… something..._

"Say Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked.

"What is it?" Tazuna replied gruffly.

"What's in the bottle?" I asked interrupting their conversation. Sakura gave me a scolding look which I smiled sheepishly at in apology. Tazuna handed it to me. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. I sniffed the bottle, and then drank some. Heck it was strong! I grinned, as the world took a little sway and I almost tripped over my own feet from the sudden light-headedness.

"You shouldn't drink that, you're underage" Sasuke said. I shrugged._ He's probably more of a lightweight than me…_

"Is it nice?" Naruto asked. I nodded. "Can I have some?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"No, I don't like you" Tazuna said. I giggled at Naruto's annoyed sulky expression.

"Your country is the Land of Waves right?" Sakura said getting back to her conversation.

"Yeah, what of it?" Tazuna said.

"Kakashi-sensei, there are ninja in that country too aren't there?" Sakura asked.

"No, there are no ninja in the land of waves, but in other countries, there are hidden villages with their own different customs and cultures where ninja reside. To the people of this continent the residence of shinobi villages means strength military strength. In other words, that's how they protect themselves and maintain the balance of power within neighbouring countries the ninja villages are not controlled by any government they are independent and have equal status. Now a small island like the Land of Waves has natural protection from the sea so there's no need for a ninja village. The five ancient lands that possess shinobi villages are the lands of fire, water, lightning, wind and earth. They each occupy vast territories together they are known as the five great shinobi nations. The land of fire has the village hidden in the leaves, the land of water the village hidden in the mist, the land of lightning the village hidden in the clouds, the land of wind the village hidden in the sand and the land of earth the village hidden in the stones. Only the leaders of these hidden villages are permitted the name Kage which means shadow. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage. These are the Kage's, the five great shadows that reign over thousands of ninja" said Kakashi. I took another gulp of drink.

"Wha...?" I said, lost half way through.

"Never mind Kari, it'll be a little confusing as you're new" Kakashi said simply.

"Then Hokage-sama is really important!" cried Sakura.

_Yeah right, the guys just an old man, if you poke him he'll fall over..._

"**HEY!** You all just doubted the Hokage didn't you?" Kakashi scolded. Naruto and Sakura frantically shook their heads while I simply nodded. Kakashi put a hand on my head.

"Well there are no ninja battles on a C-ranked mission. So you can relax" he said simply.

"So there's no chance we'll run into any foreign enemy ninja or anything like that" said Sakura. Kakashi chuckled.

"Not likely" Kakashi replied. I looked at Tazuna.

"You look suspicious... I don't trust that look..." I said my eyes narrowing. He snatched his bottle out of my grasp.

**"NO! NO! NO! I WAS ONLY JOKING! I LOVE YOU REALLY TAZUNA-SAN!!"** I cried hugging the poor guy while trying to reach the bottle.

A little while later we walked over a bridge. Naruto was in front, then me, then Sasuke, then Sakura, then Kakashi and finally Tazuna.

Me and the client had come to an agreement that I could have some more later.

Bored, I dropped back so I was behind Tazuna and Kakashi. Sasuke did the same. Maybe he was annoyed with Sakura, I dunno. I looked round.

_Why was there a random puddle on the ground? It was nice and sunny._

I looked round at Kakashi who nodded then kept on walking. Not that he got particularly far…

"**NANI!**" Kakashi cried as chains wrapped around him.

"**ORO!?**" Naruto gasped.

"**WHAT!?**" Sakura screamed. Kakashi was ripped to shreds. My eyes widened. Kakashi's remains fell to the ground. Sakura screamed horrified.

"**OH NO YOU DIDN'T!**" I shouted pulling out a shuriken, adrenaline overpowering my fear. My heart pounded in my chest as my eyes darted left and right. Something told me Kakashi was fine, that he was too smart to get killed so easily.

"**KA-KAKASHI-SENSEI!!**" Naruto cried. Two wild looking ninja appeared behind Naruto.

"**NARUTO!** **GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU REJECTS'!**" I shouted. I jumped up flinging my shuriken at them, pinning their chains to a tree. Sasuke speedily threw a kunai into the middle of my shuriken, trapping the chains in place.

We both landed on the two ninja. Sasuke kicked one, while I kicked the other as hard as I could.

_Thank god for martial arts training, thank god for horse riding building up strength in my legs, thank god for __**Neji!**_

_Note to self: Hug Neji until he turns blue and buy him his favourite food_

The chains came lose and the two ninja ran past me and Sasuke towards the others. One went for Naruto and the other went for Tazuna and Sakura.

"Stay behind me!" Sakura cried pulling out a kunai and taking a defensive stance in front of Tazuna. I appeared in front of Sakura, thinking that Sasuke would go for Naruto, but the Uchiha appeared in front of me. My heart froze as I turned to look at my hyperactive team mate. He was frozen with fear, staring in horror as those claws came closer and closer…

"**NARUTO!**"

Kakashi appeared at my scream with both ninja in a headlock.

"Hi" Kakashi said simply, as though he'd just gone to the bathroom quickly and had not just been ripped to pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei you live!" I cried in relief.

_What a drama queen geez..._

"Huh? But he was-? **WHAT!?**" Naruto cried noticing the sliced up log, he gawped at his sensei's substitution jutsu.

"**KAKASHI-SENSEI YOU KILLED A TREE!**" I cried. All present besides me sweat dropped.

"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away, I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that" said Kakashi. I ran over to Naruto.

"You're hurt!?" I cried worried, I took his bleeding hand in mine.

"Good job Sasuke, very smooth, you too Sakura. Not bad Kari, the Hokage was right about you" said Kakashi.

"Hey..." Sasuke said, looking over at Naruto. I was slightly surprised to see a smirk on his face. _Was he actually going to be __**nice?**_

"Yeah?" Naruto replied, looking just as surprised.

"You're not hurt are ya? _**Scaredy cat**_" Sasuke said mockingly. Enraged he had insulted my friend, I thwacked him around the head

"**WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?**" Sasuke cried holding his head and giving me the mother of all glares.

"Leave Naruto alone, you baka! It wasn't his fault! It could have happened to anyone, even **YOU**! In fact you've been cut on the shoulder Mr. High-and-mighty Uchiha!" I said over Sakura's screams of _"SASUKE-KUN! ARE YOU OKAY SASUKE-KUN! KARI HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO SASUKE-KUN!"_

"**GRRRR SASUKEEE!!**" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto! Stand still! These ninja have poison in their claws, we need to take it out of you quickly, you have to open the wound and remove it. It's in your blood, so don't move around, that spreads the poison. By the way Tazuna-san..." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, what?" Tazuna asked.

_"We need to talk"_ Kakashi said in a cold serious voice I hadn't heard him use before. He usually spoke in a light, airy, carefree tone. I glared suspiciously at Tazuna. Something was fishy and this time it wasn't Tora's breath...

"They're Chunnin from the village hidden in the mist, their speciality is relentless attack, they keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice" said Kakashi.

_Now I had Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence stuck in my head. Good thing I love Evanescence!_

"How did you know about our ambush?" one of the ninja asked.

"A puddle on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks" said Kakashi. _I noticed that!_

"In that case why'd you leave it to the genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna asked.

"I could have taken them out quickly, but then I would have learnt nothing I had to know who their target was... and... _what__ they were after_" said Kakashi.

"Hm? What are you getting at?" Tazuna asked.

"This... I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja **OR** if they were after you, the master bridge builder, when you put in your request, you asked for standard protection from robbers and highwaymen, you didn't say there were _ninja_ after you if we knew this, we would have made it a **B rank mission or higher**, our task was just to get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge, if we knew we would be fielding attacks from enemy ninja, we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B-ranked mission, apparently you have your reasons but lying to us is not acceptable, we are now beyond the scope of this mission" Kakashi said.

"We're genin, this is too advanced for our level of training, we should go back and I really think we need to go and treat Naruto's wound and get the poison out as soon as possible, back in our village we can take him to a doctor" said Sakura. She seemed to think Sasuke was indestructible.

_He was hit too Sakura... Stop making Naruto sound troublesome._

"Hm... Naruto's hand could become a problem" said Kakashi. "I guess we should go back to the village."

Angrily Naruto pulled out a kunai and stabbed it into his hand. I gasped in alarm as blood rushed down the back of his hand.

"Why am I so different! Why am I always... **GRRRR**!" Naruto cried angrily.

"Naruto stop that! What are you doing!?" Sakura cried.

"I worked so hard to get here! Pushing myself so hard until it hurt! Training alone for hours, anything to get stronger to reach my dream..." he said. I put a hand on his shoulder, hearing the emotion in his voice. "I will _**never**_ back down again and let some one else rescue me! I will _**never**_ run away and I will _**not**_ lose to Sasuke! Upon this wound I make this pledge! Dattebayo!" Naruto said. I smiled.

"You tell 'em Naruto" I said softly, knowing how much he meant what he said.

"Bridge builder, I will finish this mission and protect you with this kunai knife and Kari-chan..." I looked at him confused. "I'm going to protect you too! Don't worry I'm gonna be fine!" I smiled.

"Thanks Naruto" I said, proud to know him.

"Naruto uh... that was really cool how you took the poison out and all... demo... if you lose anymore blood you're going to die" said Kakashi.

Naruto went pale and clammy as sweat poured down his face. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now... seriously!" said Kakashi. Naruto screamed, running around like a headless chicken.

"**NO! NO! NO! I'M TO YOUNG FOR IT TO END LIKE THIS! NO! NO! HELP!!**" Naruto screamed.

"Show me your hand" said Kakashi taking Naruto's hand. I looked over Kakashi shoulder anxiously.

"Naruto you've got a self-abusive personality its called masochism!" Sakura scolded.

Kakashi gasped, noticing Naruto's hand was already healing.

"Um... Um... you have a really serious look on your face am I okay?" Naruto asked petrified. I pulled out some bandages and took Naruto's hand from Kakashi and wrapped it.

"Uhh, yeah you should be fine" Kakashi said. "Once you've done that Kari, if you could see to Sasuke quickly? We'll go on ahead" Kakashi said simply walking over to Tazuna.

"There ya go Naru-kun! You were very brave!" I said kissing his forehead. He blushed crimson. Sakura had to drag him after Kakashi and Tazuna, seeing as he kinda had... I dunno been paralyzed? Traumatised?

"Ok Mr, your turn" I sighed walking over to Sasuke.

"I don't need your help" he grumbled. "Worry about yourself" he said with a glance at the slight rip in my Capri's.

"A needle and thread'll fix the tear and it's only a little scratch. You on the other hand have a deeper wound and you can't suck the poison out, unless you have a really freaky double-jointed-ness and you know how hard it is to bandage things one-handed" I pointed out. He blushed, grumbling to himself.

"Don't tell anyone about this" he said glaring. I rolled my eyes.

"_Would I?_ Geez your adoring fans would eat me alive... Now stay still..."


	6. Land of Waves, Man of Mist

**Land Of Waves, Man of Mist**

Cool water slid through my fingers as the gentle rocking of the waves hitting the little wooden boat attempted lull me to sleep. We were on a boat that would take us to the Land of Waves.

"This fog's so thick you can't see anything" Sakura whispered, looking around at the dense whiteness. Naruto sat at the front of the boat, sniffing. Why he was sniffing? _God knows._ In fact no, here it's Kami-sama. But anyway, he's Naruto, so he's allowed to.

"The bridge isn't far now" said Tazuna's friend as he rowed. "Our destination's just ahead, The Land of Waves" We all looked up at a massive bridge.

"**WOAH IT'S HUGE!!**" Naruto shouted.

"Quiet! I told you no noise! Why do you think we're travelling like this huh? Cutting of the engine and rowing, moving through the dense fog. It's so they don't see us!" Tazuna's friend hissed scoldingly. I could've sworn the guy was gonna smack Naruto with the oar for a moment.

Everyone looked at Tazuna confused at the rowers warning. I had placed over Naruto's mouth to silence him and he had placed his hands over my fingers to doubly seal his mouth shut.

"Tazuna-san, before we reach the pier I want to ask you something. The men who are after you… I need to know why" Kakashi said.

"Sexist!" I hissed. They all looked at me. "Naruto said it not me" I whispered. _There are female ninja too you know. _Everyone turned their attention back to Tazuna.

"If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore" Kakashi said seriously.

"I have no choice but to tell you... Iie, I _**want**_ you to know the truth. Like you said this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who-"

"**NARUTO?!**" I whisperingly cried.

"Err… _**Iie**_. He is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow" Tazuna finished.

"Deadly shadow?" Kakashi repeated. "Daredesu ka?"

"Huh?" I asked, wondering what Kakashi had just said.

"'Who is it'" Sasuke muttered.

"You know him, at least, I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet _**Gato**_" said Tazuna.

"Oro? Gato? Of Gato Transport?! He's a business leader, everyone knows him" Kakashi said

"I don't" I stated. Naruto put his hands over my mouth to shut me up so we looked kind of stupid. Noticing this, or bored and wanting to talk, Naruto licked my palm with his wet slimy tongue. Recoiling in disgust, I quickly withdrew my hand and wiped Naruto's saliva on Sasuke's sleeve. Needless to say the Uchiha boy was not impressed.

"Who?! Who?! What?! What?!" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Gato is a very powerful tycoon from a business company that's true but below the surface. With the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations he sells drugs and contraband--" said Tazuna.

"_Druggie…_" I mumbled.

"--Using gangs and ninja. It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on the land of waves he came over to our Island and used his vast wealth to take total control over our transport and shipping anyone who tried to stand in his wave simply... disappeared. In an island nation a man who controls the sea controls everything, Finance, government our very lives! But there's one thing he fears the production of the bridge, when it is complete it will join us to the land and will break his control" said Tazuna he looked up at the bridge with a fire burning in his eyes. "I am the bridge builder."

"So that's it, since you're in charge of the bridge you're standing in this gangster's way" said Sakura.

"That means those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gato" said Sasuke. Naruto put his finger to his head and closed his eyes as though thinking, though it was blatantly obvious he hadn't a clue what was going on.

"I don't understand if you knew he was dangerous, he'd send ninja to eliminate you **WHY** did you hide that from us?" Kakashi asked.

"Because the land of waves is a small and poverish nation even our nobles have little money. The poor people who are building the bridge cannot afford to pay for an _A_ or _B ranked_ mission it's too expensive. If you end the mission and drop me ashore there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home. But don't feel bad about that my sweet little grandson will be upset he'll cry _'Granddad I want my granddad!'_" I muffled a giggle at his terrible impression. "And well, my daughter will condemn the ninja of the hidden leaves, blame you for leaving and abandoning her father and live her life in sorrow" he finished.

"Aww!" I cried. Sasuke gave me a weird look.

"Ah well it's not your fault forget it..." said Tazuna.

"Well I guess we have no other choice we'll have to keep guarding you" said Kakashi, smiling behind his mask.

"Oh I'm very grateful" said Tazuna, with a victorious grin.

"We're approaching the shore" said the man rowing. "Tazuna we have been very fortunate no one has noticed us so far"

"Nice going" Tazuna replied. We went through a tunnel, temporarily bathing myself in darkness, until we reached the other side and arrived at our destination.

"Yeah!" cried Naruto as we jumped off the boat and once again stood on dry land.

"This is as far as I go, good luck" said the man, turning to leave.

"Right, thank you for taking such a risk" Tazuna replied.

"Just be careful" said Tazuna's friend as he started the engine; he sped off out of site lightly spraying water over us.

"Right! Take me to my home and I mean take me there in one piece" said Tazuna.

"Right" agreed Kakashi. We all began walking through another forest.

Sasuke walked in front with Naruto close behind. Myself and Sakura were talking about back in Konoha and what we were thinking of doing once the mission was over. Sakura said she needed to get something for her mother. I on the other hand, just said how I wanted to explore Konoha a bit more. The place was huge and I had barely scratched the surface of possible discovery.

Naruto and Sasuke had been immaturely competing over who got to walk in front, when Naruto suddenly ran out ahead looking around wildly.

"**OVER THERE**!" Naruto cried flinging a kunai into the bushes. Everyone stared wide eyed, expecting a huge ferocious monster to pop out the bushes and try to eat them with it's huge fangs and wide mouth.

"Hm? Oh it was just a mouse" Naruto said smiling.

"**MOUSE!?** Yeah right Naruto, everyone can see through your stupid little act, it's so obvious it's embarrassing!" Sakura cried.

"Naruto, those are kunai knives, they're _dangerous_" Kakashi said worriedly, speaking to him as though he was a four year old child who had picked up a highly sensitive bomb. I chuckled slightly at Naruto's sulky expression.

"**GRRR! STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU SCRUFFY LIL DWARF!!**" Tazuna shouted, still with a tight hold on my shoulders. If I was him, I would've hid behind Kakashi, the Jonin, **NOT ME**.

"Huh is some one hiding over there? No over there! No no over there!" Naruto shouted, distracted once again and throwing another kunai into another bush. I looked over at the bush, sure I had heard something.

"That's it Naruto!" Sakura shouted enraged, thwacking him on the head.

"Sono tame ni naniwoshite ta no yo?! Someone really is following us I mean it!" Naruto whined. That's probably along the lines of '_what did you do that for?!'_

"Yeah right! Quit lying and acting like a dumb kid!" Sakura scolded, hands on hips as she glared down at the shorter boy. Kakashi looked in the bushes investigating, only to see a white rabbit.

"**NARUTO LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!**" Sakura scolded, pointing at the poor, traumatised bunny.

"White?" I whispered. I loved animals and knew a lot about them. Snow rabbits were only white in winter to camouflage with the snow. This one would be first to be eaten, it must have been raised inside.

"**AAAAH!!** Usagi!" Naruto cried snatching it up and huggling it tight. "Gomenasai Usagi-chan! Gomenasai!" _Rabbit-chan?_

"All this fuss over a rodent?" Tazuna mumbled.

"_Mammal…_" I mumbled.

"Look out!" Kakashi shouted. A humungous knife-like sword came flying at us. Noticing I was just staring at it, Sasuke grabbed my head and pulled me down. I felt a gust of wind as it zoomed over us. I looked up to see a ninja standing on it.

He wore grey cargo capris, and his tanned skin had a slight grey tone to it. His torso was bare save for straps similar to the ones that held the sheaths for my katana, so I'm guessing there to hold that huge sword. He had short dark hair and cold, hard eyes. He was muscled showing his huge amount of strength. He looked a little taller than Kakashi, and a good deal more bulky.

"Well, well if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, rogue ninja of Kirigakure no Sato" said Kakashi.

"Mist Village" Sasuke whispered as he got up, pulling me up with him. Naruto immediately ran towards the Zabuza guy raring to go, but Kakashi put out his hand. "You're in the way. Get back" Kakashi ordered.

"Demo, nande desu ka!?" Naruto whined. There's a why to everything with you Naruto, this guys flipping huge!

"He's not like those other ninja, he's in a whole other league, if he's our opponent I'll need this" My team mates gasped. "This could be treacherous" said Kakashi in a deadly serious tone.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, did I get that right?" Zabuza asked. Neji had told me about Kekkei Genkai when I asked him about his Byakugan (after he prodded me **super hard** around **fifty times**), he said the Sharingan was the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai that allowed the holder to mimic and read their opponents moves. So, how did Kakashi get it? He doesn't look particularly Uchiha-y. Sasuke looked shocked and I was pretty sure he was thinking the same thing as me.

"It's too bad huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man" said Zabuza.

"Now quick swastika formation! Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight" Kakashi commanded. "I taught you teamwork now it's time to use it" Kakashi lifted his headband to show his left eyelid had a vertical scar over it. He opened it to reveal a red eye, the _Sharingan._ A sharp contrast to his other black eye.

"Well... looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action, this is an honour" Zabuza said mockingly.

"Everyone keeps saying '_Sharingan', 'Sharingan'_' will someone please tell me what Sharingan is!?" cried Naruto in frustration.

"Sharingan... a rare power, it resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu or _doujutsu_ can instantly comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. The sharingan is a special rare form of doujutsu. However, there's more to the sharingan then that a lot more..." said Sasuke. _Ugh Neji explained it almost exactly the same. Textbook-style._

"You got it right boy, but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyse a person's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail" said Zabuza. Mist surrounded us getting thicker by the second. "As for you, Jonin in the assassination unit of the hidden mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight, your profile was in our bingo book, it called you the man who copied over a thousand jutsu 'Ninjixyano kobi ta Kakashi desu.' '_Kakashi, the copy ninja'_" said Zabuza.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Naruto squealed, looking round at our sensei as though seeing him in a new light.

"Enough talking I need to exterminate the old man now" Zabuza said icily. Me, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura raced to Tazuna. Me in front, Sasuke on my right, Naruto on my left and Sakura behind. "So, I'll have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi? So be it" Zabuza said.

He pulled his massive sword from the tree, leaving splintered pieces of bark to rain down on us and quickly jumped away. Our eyes darted left to right trying to find him.

"He's over there!" cried Naruto, pointing diagonally to the right.

"Standing on the water!" Sakura gasped. I could sense him building up a huge amount of chakra. I don't know how I knew it, but I could feel the water becoming denser, energy running through it...

"Ninpou: Kirini kakusare jutsu!" Zabuza cried. The mist became thicker, denser and denser until Zabuza had almost completely disappeared. 'Ninja Art hidden mist jutsu' a little voice whispered in my head.

"He vanished!" Naruto said, staring at the spot he last saw him. But... His silhouette, yeah it's pretty hard to notice, but I can still see it... can't they?

"Sensei!" Sakura cried nervously.

"He'll come after me first" said Kakashi.

"But who is he?" Sakura cried.

"Momochi Zabuza, the ex-leader of the hidden mist assassination unit he's a master of the silent killing technique" said Kakashi.

"S-Silent?" asked Naruto shakily, I could feel him trembling a little beside me.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, without sound or warning of any kind, it's so fast you pass from this life without even realising what's happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralise it, so don't lower your guard" Kakashi said seriously. "Well, if we fail we only lose our lives" Kakashi added with a slight shrug.

"How can you say that!?" cried Sakura shocked.

"Because its the truth" I said simply.

"The mist is getting thicker and thicker!" cried Naruto. Now I couldn't see him. I could sense him a little though, but he seemed to be absolutely _everywhere_.

"The land of waves is surrounded by ocean the swirling mists are ever present" said Tazuna, I could tell just be his voice he was scared, beads of sweat were rolling down his face as he peered through his glasses warily.

"Sensei!" Sakura cried as Kakashi disappeared into the mist. I could still feel his presence and knew exactly where he was... _But how?_

"_Eight points…_" came Zabuza's voice.

"Oro? Wh-What's that?" cried Sakura. I could feel the four people around me getting jumpy... I could **FEEL** their fear.

_"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jungular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now... which will be my kill point?_" Zabuza's voice said. I pulled out a kunai readying myself. I could feel him. Feel his existence. I sensed Kakashi building up chakra. I could feel the thirst for blood. It was overwhelming... I felt my own fear rise. I shook my head bringing me back to my senses as the grip on my kunai tightened. It's the only thing I had to protect myself, this little lump of metal was my only shield against death...

I felt Sasuke's fear become stronger. My eyes slid over to him. He was ghostly pale, trembling as beads of sweat rolled down his face. He was breathing heavily. His hands shakily grasped his kunai; he closed his eyes tightly as though preparing to thrust the kunai into himself.

_Sasuke's usually so calm... Seeing him so worked up... It's scary..._

I reached out, putting my hand over his, making him lower the kunai. He looked at me like a frightened wild animal. I hated seeing people scared or upset, it's though I could feel their pain...

"It's ok... I'm here" I said softly, my fingers lacing with his. He stared at me as his breathing slowed, he tightened his grip, crushing my fingers slightly, it was as though it was his life rope. 'C'mon Sasuke-kun, I can't do this on my own" I said softly, giving his hand a little squeeze With that, he took a longer deep breath, well at least he looked a little calmer now.

"Calm down, I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me" Kakashi said looking around at us and smiling behind his mask reassuringly. He was a clone, I could sense it.

"_I wouldn't be so sure..._" came Zabuza's voice. He appeared behind me in front of Tazuna. My heart froze inside my chest and turned my blood to ice. My muscles ached with the extreme tension through them, yet in my statue like state, I felt helpless. "It's over..."

Kakashi appeared, pushing all of us out of harms way. We all went tumbling over the ground.

"Hey, hey Sasuke? You okay?" I asked, putting my free hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He nodded, though still seemed a little shaky. I was losing feeling in my hand... But the shaken Uchiha refused to let go.

Kakashi had stabbed a kunai into Zabuza's stomach. But instead of blood, water flowed out. A clone... but it was made of water? That's why I could sense Zabuza some where else... It was the same with Kakashi... Damn this is confusing! Neji had a hard time explaining clones to me. I had a hard time believing it until he showed me.

"Sensei behind you!" Naruto shouted suddenly. Another Zabuza had behind our sensei.

"**DIE!**" it shouted swinging its sword at Kakashi. Kakashi was chopped in half. Until Kakashi turned to water.

"Don't move" said another Kakashi, holding a kunai at Zabuza's neck. "Now it's over."

"You're finished!" Kakashi shouted.

"**YOSH!!**" cheered Naruto, relieved yet excited. Zabuza chuckled evilly.

"Finished? Your technique is nothing but an imitation you think I can be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you? You are full of surprises, though you'd already copied my jutsu when you did your little speech, very skilfully executed; you made your clone say those words to draw my attention, while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move. Nice try... But I'm not that easy to fool!!" Zabuza cried, as another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. The one in front of Kakashi burst into water.

"Hey that one's a clone too!" Naruto shouted. Zabuza threw his sword at Kakashi who ducked. The sword hit the ground and Zabuza used it by holding the handle and aiming a kick at Kakashi. Kakashi was sent flying.

"**NOW!**" Zabuza shouted pulling his sword out of the ground. He ran at Kakashi but was stopped by spikes on the ground.

"Matsabishi spikes? Trying to slow me down? ...Humph, foolish..." Zabuza said before diving into the water.

"**SENSEI!**" Naruto shouted.

"He has great physical skill too" Sasuke said. He was still holding my hand. Not that I could feel it, all the blood was gone... It'll fall off any moment now... Realising this Sasuke let go. With a muffle "_Gomen_" which I think was an apology. I sighed in relief, rubbing my sore, blood deprived fingers.

Kakashi surfaced in the water, his head bobbing in view. That water was weird. I had a really bad feeling.

"**KAKASHI-SENSEI! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!!**" I shouted, making my genin team mates' jump.

"Heh, **FOOL!** Water Prison Jutsu!!" shouted Zabuza. A sphere of water surrounded Kakashi trapping him. Zabuza chuckled evilly.

"This prison is made from water but it's stronger than steel, it's hard to fight when you can't move. I'll finish you off later but first... your little friends will have to be eliminated" said Zabuza, turning to face us...


	7. Naruto's Plan

Naruto's Plan

**Naruto's Plan**

"Mizu bunshin Jutsu!" Zabuza shouted. A clone slowly rose out of the water. Zabuza chuckled. "You think wearing a hitai-ate makes you a ninja? When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, _**then**_ you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly your profile has been entered in my bingo book, _**then**_ you may have earned the title ninja. But to call upstarts like _**you**_ ninja is a _**joke**_" said the clone before disappearing. My head whipped round as the clone reappeared in front of Naruto, kicking him in the gut sending Naruto's treasured hitai-ate flying. I shot to she right, running diagonally backwards and managed to catch him. The clone stood on Naruto's headband and snorted in disgust. "_You're just brats_."

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. I looked down my eyes in shadow, my fists and jaw were clenched, my body rigid. I could feel rage pumping through my veins. No one and I mean **NO ONE** touches my friends. I eased Naruto's onto the ground. He was paralysed with fear and was shaking uncontrollably. I walked round him and stood in front of him defensively. I glared at the Mist assassin, my eyes burning with hatred.

"Listen! Get the bridge builder and run! You can't win his fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison but he can only fight you with his water clone so the clone can't go far from his real body so if you get away from him he can't follow! Now **RUN!**" Kakashi shouted desperately.

"We've got to do it!" Sasuke shouted charging at Zabuza. I raced after him, just knowing if he did this on his own he would be killed for sure. Sasuke threw shuriken at the clone. The clone easily blocked with its sword so Sasuke improvised, jumping up to attempt an attack from above.

"Too easy" the clone said catching Sasuke by the throat. My eyes widened in horror, I came to a stop my body numb. Sasuke coughed struggling to take in oxygen.

"Sas…Sasuke…!" I made a run for him, as Sasuke started looking light-headed. The clone noticed me coming threw Sasuke to the side, causing the Uchiha to fly into my stomach, winding me and knocking me off my feel. We slid back from the force of the throw. _For a skinny guy… He's. Damn. __**Heavy!**_

"Sasuke-kun! Iie!" Sakura cried hysterically.

"He got Sasuke!" Naruto cried shocked, his eyes wide with terror. His rival, the perfect top rookie, had just been thrown away like a rag doll, his attacks useless. The terrified blonde boy looked at Zabuza like he was the devil. Naruto turned to run, but flinched in pain as he put his injured hand down. He looked at it, and then his eyes travelled over to his hitai-ate, still under Zabuza's foot. It was as though his head was transparent, all of his thoughts visible to me. He was remembering his vow to protect the bridge builder, not to lose to Sasuke and not to run anymore. He turned and charged at Zabuza.

"**NARUTO!**" I shouted worriedly. No way could Naruto take this guy on his own.

"Oro? **NARUTO IIE!**" Kakashi shouted.

"**AAAAAH NARUTO! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING!?**" Sakura screeched her hands tangling into her hair in her stress.

Blood flew in the air as Naruto rolled back, unsettling the dust beneath him.

"What do you think your doing charging at him by yourself?! Even Sasuke-kun couldn't get to him with Kari's help! We're only genin we can't defeat a jonin! What could you have accomplished by that?!" Sakura scolded, as Naruto struggled to sit up clutching his hitai-ate in his right hand.

I noticed his legs were shaky, so I ran over to support him; he leaned on me slightly, panting. I was alarmed to see blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. I felt something stir in the pit of my stomach and suddenly my chest felt uncomfortably tight. My head pounded and my eyes stung, but not from tears, it was the iris and pupil. I glared enraged at Zabuza wanting to run at him and tear him limb from limb. I felt tingles running through my body, especially down my spine. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"Hey you! The freak with no eyebrows!" Zabuza's attention switched from me to Naruto, the shocked look so fleeting I believed it was my imagination. "Put this in your bingo book, the ninja who will become Hokage of the Konohagakure no Sato! And the kunoichi that will become the greatest in the whole entire world! We never back down **Uzumaki Naruto and Mitsukai Hikari!!**" Naruto cried pointing at Zabuza with a triumphant grin on his face.

_Didn't Mitsukai mean angel? Aww Naruto's so sweet!_

Wait, Kazari, Kari, Hikari... Why am I being renamed so much?

"Listen up, Sasuke, Kari-chan can you hear me?" Naruto said.

"Yeah I hear you" we replied in unison.

"I gotta plan" Naruto said with a grin.

"Hn… finally thinking about teamwork huh?" Sasuke said smirking. Must he be so obnoxious when Naruto's on a roll? Well I guess he's being nicer than usual.

"All right guys, Lets go wild!!" Naruto cried. I smirked.

"I hear ya bro" I said.

"Okay ready? Let's bring this guy down" Naruto said.

"Big words for such a little man, you think your plans gonna keep you in the game?" Zabuza said chuckling mockingly.

"What are you doing I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught, now take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are! It's to save the bridge builder! Stay on mission!" Kakashi shouted.

"Bridge builder?" Naruto asked looking round at the client.

"Tazuna-san?" I said softly.

"Well I... I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I wont let that stand in your way now, forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!" Tazuna cried.

"Hn. All right you hear that?" Sasuke asked.

"Loud and clear!" I said.

"Yosh! Dattebayo! You ready?" Naruto asked. Zabuza laughed.

"You really haven't learned anything have you?" said Zabuza. "Still playing your little game pretending to be ninja, when I was your age, this hand had already crushed many opponents" I sensed my team mates shock and fear.

_He'd already killed when he was just twelve?!_

"Zabuza, youkai no kiri" Kakashi said. _Demon of the mist…_

"Oh, so I was in your book too huh?" said the real Zabuza, the one still holding Kakashi captive.

"Long ago in the Kirigakure no sato, also known as '_Bloody Mist Village_' then, before a student could become a ninja there was one final test" explained Kakashi.

"Hm? Do you know about the graduation exam?" the real Zabuza asked curiously.

"What graduation exam?" Naruto asked. Zabuza's clone laughed. "What's the big deal anyway? We had graduation tests too!"

"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" Zabuza's clone asked. My eyes widened. "Can you imagine ninja like you eating together, training together and then comes the final exam, only they change the rules, either kill or be killed, you can't stop while your opponent still breathes. He was your friend, shared your dreams... Now its him or you..."

"That's so cruel!" Sakura cried in horror. _Its like asking me to kill Naruto, I've only known him a week or two, but if I'd known him for years… I wouldn't be able to do it… I just… couldn't…_

"Ten years ago in Kirigakure no sato, the graduation exam... changed. One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror" said Kakashi darkly.

"What's he saying? What kind of evil? What change? What caused the terror?" Sakura asked apprehensively, not sure whether she wanted to know, but desperate to understand.

"Without hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja, approached the class and took down over a hundred other students" said Kakashi.

"It... It felt so... _**GOOD!**_" cried Zabuza's clone. I was frozen in horror... _How __**could **__he?_

He came forward and elbowed Sasuke sending the unsuspecting Uchiha flying. He then swung the sword at Naruto. I came to my senses and pushed him out of the way and was slashed on the side of my leg, knee to ankle.

"K-Kari-chan! You're hurt!" Naruto cried, glancing at the blood oozing from the slash in my skin. I flinched as I put weight on it falling to one knee. I hissed swear words under my breath as my fist clenched. I wasn't used to such pain... from the corner of my eye I saw Zabuza go for Sasuke again. The jonin elbowed the raven haired genin as hard as he could causing the boy to cy out in pain as he threw up blood.

"**SASUKE-KUN!**" Sakura screamed. I raced towards them, the pain in my leg numbed by my anxiety. Zabuza stamped on Sasuke's stomach and I heard one of his ribs crack. I flew into Zabuza, putting all my strength into my good leg as I kicked him in the gut, knocking him off Sasuke. It was only because he didn't expect my attack that it was successful. Zabuza had thought I was down, unable to fight and knew Naruto and Sakura were too scared to come at him so rashly. My injured leg screamed silently in pain as the Uchiha breathed a raspy sigh of relief, allowing oxygen to finally return to his lungs.

"Foolish..." Zabuza whispered turning and kneeing me in the stomach. I felt liquid rush up my throat and blood spilled from my mouth. "So you want to die instead huh?!" Zabuza cried kicking me to the floor and stamping on me as hard as he could. Blood ran from my mouth as I heard multiple ribs shattering underneath his bulky weight. I had never felt so much pain. But I couldn't scream or cry. I wanted to... I wanted to so badly... but I couldn't. A part of me refused, it padlocked my voice box and dried out my tear ducts. "One with a little resistance huh? I'll make you scream girl..." He stamped on me again even harder, the ground cracking beneath me from the force.

"**KARI-CHAN!!**" Naruto screamed, I hadn't made a sound but my facial expression showed my pain. My eyes were always clear windows to my soul. "**STOP RIGHT THERE! YOU GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY FRIEND! KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!**" he shouted. Multiple Naruto's appeared. They all raised their kunai's.

"Here we go!" they cried. Zabuza snorted as he got off me and faced Naruto. Sasuke struggled to get up. I couldn't even try. It was as though a hundred needles had pierced my lungs... It was almost impossible to breathe... All the Naruto's pounced on Zabuza in a dome shape. Zabuza sent them all flying. Sakura gasped, unshed tears glistening in her green eyes at the sight of her slowly falling comrades.

"His skill are too advanced, he's too powerful there's no way to defeat him!" Tazuna cried. I managed to struggle to stand but fell to on knee holding my side. The harder I tried the less my pain seemed to be. If I focus on that… All the Naruto clones were thrown away disappearing in a poof of smoke in various places. Naruto reached into his bag.

"**SASUKE!**" Naruto shouted throwing Sasuke a large folded shuriken. I could sense Naruto, not a shuriken. Did Naruto? **AWESOME PLAN!**

"Akumafuushuriken! Kazagurumano no kage!" Sasuke cried, opening the shuriken _and giving it a fancy name_. _Demon… wind… shuriken… windmill of shadows?_

"Shuriken? You could never touch me with that" Zabuza sneered. I rushed at the clone to distract him. The pain had seemed to numb _thankfully_. Sasuke threw the shuriken and it went straight past the clone. "Hm?" the clone cried in surprise, turning to see where the shuriken had gone. I plunged a kunai into the distracted clone. Water leaked out and it disappeared, completely soaking me.

"So you sent the girl at the clone to direct my attention to it, then passed the clone and aimed for my real body? Smart, but not smart enough" he said catching the shuriken. "Oro?!" Zabuza cried as another shuriken came towards him. "A second shuriken hidden in the shadow of the first? Shadow shuriken jutsu!" Zabuza jumped and the shuriken flew underneath him. "I told you a shuriken can't touch me!" Zabuza cried. The shuriken poofed into Naruto. "**NANI?!**" Zabuza cried.

"Eat this!" Naruto cried throwing a kunai at him.

Zabuza was forced to drag his arm out of the water prison to avoid the kunai. He barely dodged and blood flew from the cut on his cheek. He spun the shuriken he had caught and turned to strike Naruto.

"I'll destroy you!" Zabuza cried his eyes widened giving him a look of insanity. I tried to shout Naruto's name but a searing pain went through my chest as some blood leaked from my mouth.

_Blood flew in the air._

Kakashi had blocked with his hand. Pushing Naruto into the safety of the water.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried in relief.

"Naruto, that was an excellent plan, you've really grown haven't you?" said Kakashi. Naruto laughed.

"I knew I couldn't beat him with my shadow clones, that was just to distract him while he fought the clones, I transformed into the demon wind shuriken, and he didn't know what to do dattebayo! I used one of the clones to transform into the shuriken and when I threw it to Sasuke it looked like a **REAL** shuriken! Sasuke could tell it was me in a second and somehow so could Kari. She charged at the clone drawing Zabuza's attention to the clone thinking we were going to attack it. This also gave Sasuke enough time to turn around and pull out his own shuriken. Now there were two shuriken, one was real and one was me! I hid in the shadow of the real shuriken and my target was the real Zabuza. Of course I knew I couldn't fight Zabuza myself, that wasn't in the game plan I just wanted to get in there and break up his water prison, I didn't know his clone would get destroyed by Kari too, that was a bonus! Dattebayo!" Naruto cried.

_Speech much? Well it was super smart of him and I feel like a proud mother._

"Don't brag you just lucked out" said Sasuke smirking as he helped me stand. _Way to go Sasuke destroy Naruto's moment why don't you._

"**YOU MEAN THE WHOLE THING WAS JUST A FLUKE!**" Tazuna shouted.

"Hey, what the hell does '_Dattebayo_' mean?" I asked confused, wondering what Naruto had been saying in almost every sentence.

"It doesn't mean anything, Naruto made it up when he was a kid. It's just a word he thinks makes himself sound powerful and intelligent when it really makes him sound childish and dim witted."

_God bless little Naruto _


	8. Fade Into The Mist

Fade Into The Mist

**Fade Into The Mist**

"Hn. I got distracted and lost my grip of the water prison" said Zabuza shrugging it off grumpily.

"Don't flatter yourself, you weren't distracted, you were **FORCED** to let go" said Kakashi coldly. "Your technique worked on me once but it wont happen again, so what's it gonna be?" Sasuke glanced at us, I noticed he was now calm and focused, his anxiety and fear having completely disappeared. A small smile slid onto my face, glad he was all right now.

"Kari, Sakura you know what to do" he said. We both nodded and the three of us stood protectively in front of Tazuna. I coughed violently and that horrible metallic taste filled my mouth a gain as liquid dribbled down my chin. Sasuke and Sakura looked at me concerned. I smiled to show I was fine even though I wasn't.

"Kari, you should rest, you—" Sakura began her mint green eyes glazed with worry as she reached her hand in front of Sasuke to try and touch my shoulder. I shook my head and mumbled that I was fine and to watch Kakashi.

"Heh" Zabuza said closing the shuriken and pressing it harder on Kakashi's hand. Kakashi struggled but managed to push it away. It flew away disappearing into the mist. Zabuza and Kakashi jumped away from each other and landed again on the water. Zabuza made a hand sign. Kakashi immediately copied.

"The Sharingan!" Sasuke cried in recognition. I put my hand over my chest and formed it into a fist as I tried to ease my raspy breathing. I closed one of my eyes in pain. Sasuke looked at me out the corner of his eye.

"We don't need you dying on us" Sasuke said sternly. I made a small huff noise as I scowled and glared at him folding my arms in front of my chest. _Gee, nice to know you actually care. _Zabuza made multiple hand signs and Kakashi copied them perfectly.

"TORI!" they finished at the same time. Tori means bird I think. Neji showed me the twelve zodiac signs and said they were used in jutsu. The water rippled between them.

"Suiton: Suiryuudon no Jutsu!" they cried. Two dragons made purely out of water rose out of the water. Hand signs flashed before my eyes as I watched the dragons collide, watery teeth biting into one another. Water flew in the place of blood from the great creatures as the Jonin beneath them were soaked. A wave hit Naruto and a wave came towards me, Sasuke Tazuna and Sakura. We all put our guard up but I was pushed back. Sasuke grabbed my arm before I was washed away. I wrapped my arms around his arm as I closed my eyes against the rush of water.

Naruto popped his head out the water gasping for breath. Under the water dragons, Kakashi and Zabuza were pushing against each other. Kakashi with his kunai and Zabuza with his huge sword. My eyes widened. I felt a presence. A presence that was pure yet was no doubt a ninja. Even after the dragon jutsu had finished, Kakashi and Zabuza were still pushing against each other. They both jumped back. They ran round and ended up switching places. They both put there arm up, Kakashi mirroring Zabuza perfectly.

"He's not just copying he's moving the same way at the same time" said Tazuna.

"How's he doing that? How Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. Sasuke ignored her and just kept his eyes glued to the fight. I released my death grip on Sasuke's arm, realising it probably felt dead after my hold on it in the last couple of minutes. Kakashi and Zabuza lowered their arms at the same time.

"Going to do next?" said Kakashi. Ok I was officially confused.

"Nani?!" Zabuza cried. They both formed a hand sign.

"It makes you furious doesn't it?" Kakashi said.

"Ha! All you're doing is copying me! Like a monkey!" said Zabuza. I suppressed an immature snort of laughter at our great sensei being referred to a monkey.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks, I'll crush you!" they both cried at the same time.

"**GRR!** When I'm finished with you you'll never open that monkey mouth again!" Zabuza cried angrily as he did hand signs. A shadow appeared behind Kakashi. It became Zabuza. But... Zabuza was in front of Kakashi? Zabuza's eyes widened. So it's not his clone? It's made of Kakashi's chakra…

"Mizuton: Mizu uno Jutsu!" Kakashi cried. _Uno?...What does it…? _The word vortex suddenly popped into my head. How did I come up with that? Maybe I'm being influenced by the fact the anime is originally Japanese. The three coma marks on Kakashi's Sharingan span round his iris. A circle of water went in front of Kakashi then water shot towards Zabuza.

"**IMPOSSIBLE!**" Zabuza cried. Zabuza was pulled underwater. Water rushed at me, Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna again. I grabbed hold of Sasuke's shirt on impulse, as he was the nearest solid thing to grab hold of. He had his arm round my back keeping me from being washed away. I was getting light-headed and things kept going fuzzy. I had a constant trickle of blood coming out my mouth. Poor Naruto was getting pushed everywhere by waves and was shouting and screaming his head off.

"Naru--!" I was cut off by a violent cough. Naruto managed to grab hold of a tree branch. He was still being pushed around but at least there's less chance of him drowning now. The presence was still there. I could sense it was a boy in his mid-teens, about fifteen. How I could sense it was a mystery. I didn't understand it and thought I was losing my marbles so decided not to mention it.

I sensed a rush of wind and the presence moved. The water smashed Zabuza against a tree. Zabuza took a deep breath. He coughed. Kunai flew into him and he cried out in pain. Kakashi was on a tree branch above Zabuza.

"You're finished" Kakashi said. The water disappeared showing the trees it had destroyed.

"**HOW!?** Can you see into the future?" Zabuza cried.

"Hai... this is your last battle **EVER**" said Kakashi. Two long needles flew into Zabuza's neck. Blood flew into the air. We all gasped. Zabuza's body fell to the ground. Kakashi checked his pulse and nodded in confirmation. Zabuza was dead.

_But something doesn't seem right... His heart's stopped, yet his life force... What the?! How am I coming up with this stuff?!_

"You were right this was his last battle" said a voice. It was soft and delicate, I knew it was male but it was so gentle it could easily be mistaken for a female's. I looked up at the presence I had felt for a while.

"Arigatou, I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down" the ninja said. He was masked and had long brown hair which was mostly tied in a bun. As gentle as his voice was, it was completely devoid of emotion.

"By your mask, I see that you're an Oinin from the Kirigakure no Sato" said Kakashi.

"Impressive. You are well informed" the ninja replied.

"A tracker ninja?!" Naruto cried, pointing accusingly.

"Naruto you don't even know what that is! You missed the lesson on it as usual. Tracker ninja or Oinin have a special role, try coming to class sometime. When a rogue ninja breaks away from his village he carries all sorts of secrets with him, secrets of his people, trackers are specially trained to hunt down these people and eliminate them, that way the secrets of their people _**remain**_ secrets" explained Sakura.

_Is she a human encyclopaedia or something?_

"That's correct, I'm a member of the elite tracker unit in Kirigakure no sato, and it was my duty to stop Zabuza" the ninja said. Naruto ran forward and glared at the ninja.

"**Kore ha nani desu ka yo?! Anata daredatoomou?!**" Naruto cried angrily. _What is this? Who do you think you are?_ The voice in my head sure was helpful. "Did you hear me?!" Naruto said.

"Take it easy Naruto, he's not our enemy" Kakashi said.

"That's not the point did you see what he did just like that!?" Naruto cried pointing at Zabuza's body. Kakashi began walking over to Naruto. "Zabuza was huge and powerful! Like some kind of monster! And this kid who's no bigger than me, brought down Zabuza with one move, like it was nothing! What does that make us! We're just fumbling around we don't know anything! _**Oukeireru kotoha dou sure ba yoi desu ka?!**_" Naruto shouted. _How can I accept that?_

"Well even if you can't accept it, it **DID** happen Naruto" Kakashi pointed out. Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's head in a calming gesture. "In this world there are kids younger than you and yet... _**stronger**_ than me" He looked over at me. Or was it Sasuke? Probably Sasuke, after all I'm in a pathetic state, I didn't help anyone...

The ninja disappeared from the tree in a gust of wind and appeared next to Zabuza's body. He put Zabuza's arm over his shoulder. He bowed respectfully.

"Your struggle is over for now. I must deal with the remains." He looked at me and even though they were hidden by his mask, I felt our eyes meet. My eyes widened. My breath becoming lost in my throat.

"**KARI!?**" my team shouted. I looked at my hand. I was going fuzzy...? Fading away...? Naruto tried to grab me but his hand went straight through me. It felt like a cool breeze. I couldn't breathe. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I fainted...

It was as though Kari was fading away. Naruto's hand went straight through her, like she was a ghost. Her eyes closed and she became solid as she fell back. Me and Naruto both caught her.

"**Kari-chan! Kari-chan!? Watashini kiku kotoha deki masuka yo?! Weikuappu!!**" Naruto cried, asking if she could hear him and begging for her to wake. He glared at the ninja. "**DOU YATTE KARI-CHAN DESU KA!?**" he shouted immediately blaming the unknown ninja and demanding to know what he had done to our female blonde team mate. The ninja looked round at Kari. I couldn't see his eyes but his head moved to face her.

"She's bleeding quite badly, you should get help for her" he said softly, sounding slightly… concerned? He looked back at Zabuza. "There are many secrets in this body; they must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Farewell" the ninja disappeared taking Zabuza's body with him. Naruto gasped.

"He disappeared!" Naruto cried. Kakashi sighed putting his headband over his scarred eye once more. Naruto ran to the place the ninja was last seen, leaving me to deal with the unconscious girl.

"He's gone Naruto, let it go" said Kakashi. Naruto fell to his knees and repeatedly punched the ground.

"**GRR! WAREWAREHA KOKODEDONO YOU NAKOTODESU KA?!**" Naruto cried angrily. _Baka, we're here for the mission you know that. Why else would we be here._ "Watashitachiha nanimonai yo! Shinjirare nai!" _We're nothing! I can't believe it!_ I was surprised at how those words stung. My aniki said I was nothing…

"Naruto..." Sakura said sadly, her eyes downcast. Kakashi walked over to Naruto and grabbed his arm, stopping him from punching the ground again.

"As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy, save your anger, for the next enemy" said Kakashi. He let go of Naruto and turned round. "We haven't completed our mission yet we still have to take the bridge builder to his bridge" said Kakashi.

"Sorry I caused all this trouble for ya! You can rest at my house when we get to the village!" Tazuna said cheerfully.

"But before that..." Kakashi said looking at Kari. "We need to get Kari some help" Naruto looked round at her.

"Kari-chan..." he said quietly, idiot sounded about to cry, he hasn't even known her that long. Yet still, she put her own life at risk trying to help us... She tries to befriend us and make us happy. She looks out for us though she's not as strong or experienced as us. My eyes narrowed noticing she had got distinctly paler.

"All right then, Sasuke you carry Kari, but take it easy, your ribs are in bad shape too, if you need to, pass her to Naruto" said Kakashi who looked to Naruto for confirmation. The knucklehead nodded immediately, showing he was more than willing to carry _and most probably drop and further injure_ our unconscious team mate. Kakashi sighed taking a step forward. He stopped his visible eye wide. He fell forward, collapsing in the ground lying rigid and still. Naruto ran over while myself and Sakura stood frozen in shock. I picked up Kari and me, Sakura and Tazuna ran over to Kakashi too.

"W-What happened?" Sakura cried.

"Kakashi-sensei...?" asked Naruto. Uncertainly. "**K-KAKASHI-SENSEI!!**"


	9. Tears Of The Innocent

Tears Of The Innocent

**Tears Of The Innocent**

I was carrying Kari bridal style as Sakura and Naruto carried Kakashi a few yards in front. They had one of Kakashi's arms over each of their shoulders and looked incredible peculiar lugging a grown man along. Tazuna walked in front, proudly leading the way. We'd been walking for well over an hour and I ached all over. Though Kari wasn't particularly heavy, I doubted I could carry her much longer. It took most of my will power not to just drop her and fall unconscious myself.

"How much further!" Naruto whined, clearly he was just as exhausted as I, he had been blown around quite viciously by those waves and all those clones must have drained a fair amount of chakra.

"We're here!" Tazuna cried victoriously stopping in front of a small, yet decent house, similar to most we'd passed. "Go through that door and give your arms a rest" he said to me, gesturing a door to his right. I layed Kari on a bed in the room, I pulled the cover over her form and was surprised to feel a slight tremor in her body. Placing a hand on her forehead I noticed that she was burning up. My brows furrowed slightly as I scowled.

_Uchiha have naturally slightly higher body temperatures as they are known for fire techniques. The fact she feels hot to me means she'd be burning compared to Naruto or Sakura._

I took a seat next to her. I heard the creak of floorboards and Naruto's voice crying _'Finally!' immediately followed by an oomph noise and Sakura's scolding. _Seems Kakashi was also layed down in another room. Looking back at Kari she seemed to be having a nightmare. That or she was feeling the pain from her wounds. I took her hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze letting her know I was there. It was what my Mom did whenever I had a nightmare when I was little and it always made me feel better.

_I owe this girl my life... If she hadn't stopped Zabuza when she did... My lungs would've collapsed or something. But why, why would she help me when she barely knows me?_

A soft sigh heaved from my lungs as a sharp pain hit my ribs. _Shimatta… _Without thinking, I layed down to ease the horrible pain. But when my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.

I was surprised however when I woke up. A lady stood off to the side with a first aid kit on the floor. She seemed to be in thought as she looked at the assortment of medical supplies.

"You're awake, huh?" she said looking round. She was reasonably young, thirties I'm guessing. "Take your shirt off and sit still, I'll bandage you up." I did as I was told, not in the mood to argue with her.

"How's your friend?" she asked, speaking about Kari.

"I don't know" I said grumpily. The woman was taking too long and it was getting on my nerves. My chest throbbed in pain and she only seemed to make it worse.

"Are you worried about her?" she asked.

"No" I mumbled, knowing she was getting the wrong idea.

"You seemed to be." _How did I know she was going to say that?_ _Baka._ "I sorted her out while you were asleep, I guess you were tired." _Why would I want to know that?_ I scowled as a slight blush came to my cheeks. _Why are all of the female species so annoying? "_Well, you're all done. Your sensei woke up a minute ago, why don't you go see him?" I muttered a '_thanks_' before walking out the room.

I heard footsteps leaving. After a few minutes of silence I heard lighter footsteps and the creak of floor boards as someone sat down. I opened my eyes. I wondered where I was but remained silent. I looked round to see a boy around eight, he had a hat shoved over his messy brown hair, and dark eyes filled with pain and suffering. I smiled at him. He looked at me surprised.

"Thanks for being here" I said softly. _Ow my chest freaking hurts! _He smiled, but I still saw the sadness in his eyes. A deep sorrow from an emotional scar that still burned.

"I'm Kari" I said softly. It hurt to talk but I was only quiet when I wanted to be. Now was not one of those times.

"Inari" the boy replied. He seemed a little shy, but then again I was a stranger to him. I sat up scowling at the burning, stinging sensation in my torso. I placed a hand on the boys head, slightly squishing his hat.

"You're a sweet kid" I said. Inari looked up and his smile seemed to widen slightly. It was crooked somewhat, as though he had long forgotten how to smile.

I heard Kakashi's voice coming through the wall and turned to face it. Inari on the other hand turned away, getting up and walking out the room. I dragged myself to my feet. I winced in pain holding my ribs as I fell against the wall. _Holy shit did they hurt._ I walked over to the door, using the wall to support my jelly-like legs. I stayed behind the piece of wall next to the door that led to their room wondering whether to go in. I decided to just stay in the hall and listen; I didn't want to put up with Kakashi scolding me for being out of bed.

"_Look Sensei, your Sharingan is amazing and everything, but if it puts that much strain on you maybe it's not worth it_" Sakura said sounding concerned.

"_Gomen_" Kakashi mumbled.

"_Well you did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassin's so we'll be safe for a while_" said Tazuna. He sounded like he was trying to lighten the mood and was drunk again. With a slight pout I remembered his promise to let me have some alcohol. My Mom and Dad were never against me having a bit, as long as I didn't get plastered. They both drank alcohol and saw no trouble in me having some. I bit my lip as my eyes burned. _Mom… Dad…_

"_Kari? You shouldn't be up in your condition_" said Kakashi. I jumped out of my skin.

"_Kari-chan? Where?"_ Naruto asked. _He's so lovably dense_. I sighed and walked in to the room to save dearest Naruto from further confusion and to get my mind off… _my thoughts…_. "**KARI!!**" Naruto squealed glomping me. He hugged me happily and very, very, painfully.

"Careful usuratonkashi, you'll end up hurting her even more" said Sasuke. I took a seat between the two arguing boys and glanced at Sasuke questioningly.

"Dumb ass" he said, noticing my look.

"Right, but you know that boy with the mask, what about him?" Sakura said, getting back to the conversation. That boy... When I… When I looked at him I... I looked down my eyes in shadow as I fought the tightness in my throat and the prickling in the corners of my eyes. _You are not going to cry! No way! You are not that pathetic!_

"He's from the elite tracking unit from Kirigakure no Sato, those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi" said Kakashi. Naruto's eyes warmed and he immediately put his arm round me and pulled me closer to him as if sensing my sadness. He didn't say anything which I was grateful for. I just accepted the comfort, needing it at the moment. I noticed Sasuke give me a funny look and Sakura glance from me to Naruto with raised eyebrows.

"What do they do?" Sakura asked, once again shaking off my distraction.

"The ANBU Black Ops, also known as the inferno squad, erase all traces of a rogue ninja's corpse. The shinobi's body contains many secrets in jutsu's, chakra, special medicine's used on his body, these are the secrets of his village. If his enemies find them, his people will be in grave danger" said Kakashi. "For example, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, he would try and analyse my Sharingan, in the worst case, all my jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village. It is the sacred duty of the shinobi trackers to prevent this to keep the village secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village, the Oinin or _trackers_ track him down, eliminate him and obliterate every trace of his existence. That's their specialty..." Kakashi trailed off looking thoughtful.

"Hey? Are you ok? Sensei?" asked Naruto, interested at our sensei's more spaced-out than usual expression.

"Hm? Oh yeah, to finish what I was saying, tracker ninja deal with the body immediately, on the spot so there's no room for error." said Kakashi. My eyes widened as I sensed something._ Zabuza is still alive…_ But that's impossible! Isn't it? He's dead you little voice, I saw him die!

_Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. I'm losing my marbles…_

"Is that really important?" Sakura asked.

"Think about it. Do you remember what that tracker did with Zabuza's body?" Kakashi asked.

"We don't know what he did, I guess he took it away somewhere" said Sakura looking at him curiously.

"Exactly, but why? He should have worked on Zabuza right there as quickly as possible, think of the weapons he used for the take down. Do you remember what they were?" Kakashi asked.

"Throwing needles" said Sasuke. Comprehension dawned on his face. "No way..."

"Exactly, none of it adds up" said Kakashi.

"What are you all yammering about? You demolished that assassin" Tazuna said, waving the idea away with his hand.

"No..." I said quietly. _He's alive. _

"Here's the truth, Zabuza's still alive" said Kakashi. Sakura, Naruto and Tazuna gasped.

"**SHIKASHI WAREWAREHA KARENO ITAI**!** DATTEBAYO!!**" Naruto cried, releasing me so he could wave his arms around dramatically. I looked at Sasuke for an explanation but he was too engrossed in his own thoughts. _But we saw his body._ This voice in my head is a complete know it all…

"Kakashi-Sensei you checked him yourself you said that his heart stopped!" Sakura cried her hands clasped together, her eyes wide.

"His heart **DID** stop, but that was just a temporary state to simulate death. The weapons that tracker used are called _senbon,_ they can pierce deeply, but rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ. **NOT** in the neck. Their modified for medical treatments such as acupuncture. Trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body. Stopping the heart while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them. First he carried Zabuza's body away, even though it's much heavier than he is. Second he used senbon that are precise and rarely fail. From these two factors we can conclude that the tractor wasn't trying to destroy Zabuza, he was trying to save him" said Kakashi.

I was amazed at the intelligence of our sensei. It was as though he really could see into the future and knew everything about everything.

"C'mon you're over thinking this aren't you" said Tazuna. It was obvious he wanted to believe his troubles were over. Unfortunately, life is rarely simple, especially in anime.

"Shinobi no utagaide sugu ni hasseisuru jixyunbiha tamerau koto naku daisanji ni tsunagaru." _Encountering suspicion the ninja prepares quickly. Hesitation leads to disaster._ "Every shinobi knows this saying" said Kakashi. Naruto grinned holding his right hand in a fist.

"Sensei, you said 'prepare quickly' how can we do that when you can barely move and Kari's so injured?" Sakura asked worriedly. She looked over at me and the concern caused my heart to throb and my eyes to become downcast once again. Kakashi chuckled waving her worries aside.

"I can still train you!"

"**HOLD ON!** A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to beat Zabuza! You could barely beat him with your Sharingan! We have to be reasonable about this!" Sakura cried, obviously finding the whole thing preposterous.

"Sakura, _**why**_ was I able to defeat Zabuza? Because you all helped me. You've all grown. Naruto, you've grown the most and the Hokage was right about you Kari; you do show a lot of potential." said Kakashi. I lifted my head and managed a small shaky smile.

"So you noticed Kakashi-sensei?! Things are gonna get better dattebayo!" Naruto cried with pride.

"Nothings gonna be good!" cried a small voice from the door.

"Inari?" I said following everyone's gaze to look at the boy, shaking with rage.

"**OI! ANATA HA DAREDESU KA!!**" Naruto cried pointing rudely at Inari, who stood in the doorframe glaring at him, and completely ignoring Naruto's rude demand to know who he was.

"Inari! Where've you been?" cried Tazuna.

"Welcome back Ojiichan!" Inari cried, running up to Tazuna and hugging him. _I'm guessing Jeechan means Grandpa?_

"Inari that was very rude! These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely!" the lady scolded hands on hips and she looked at Inari disapprovingly. I hadn't noticed her until now, she had dark blue hair and Inari's black eyes. _Must be his mother._

"It's ok, it's ok, I'm rude to them too!" Tazuna said grinning. The lady gave Tazuna the same scolding look.

"Otousan, you should be a better example!" she said, looking pointedly at Inari.

"Ah gomen, Tsunami" Tazuna chuckled.

"Okaachan don't you see these people are gonna die! Gato's men will come back and find them and wipe them out!" Inari cried desperately.

"**YAA! NANITE ITTA NO WAN PAKU?!" **Naruto cried his short temper snapping. _What did you say brat?_ Thank you weird voice! "Listen up, you know what a super ninja is? That's **me** and I'm a lot better, I'm gonna be Hokage! This _Gato_ or _Blato_ or _**whatever,**_ he's no match for me!" Naruto cried. _Hero... My friends and family are my heroes...  
_  
"Hn, there's no such thing as heroes... You're just full of stupid ideas!" Inari cried tears brimming his eyes.

"**NANITE ITTA NO?!**" Naruto shouted. _What did you say?! _

"**NARUTO OCHITSUKEYO!**" _calm down _Sakura shouted holding him back.

"If you wanna stay alive you should go back where you came from" said Inari coldly as he turned away.

"Inari! Wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To look out at the ocean, I wanna be alone" Inari said.

"Sorry about that" said Tazuna. "Kari he seemed to quite like you, I noticed he saw you after we left" Tazuna said smiling. I returned the smile shakily, trying to think of an excuse to leave. My heart was aching without mercy and I needed to be alone to think and possibly cry. Kakashi looked at me.

"Tazuna-san, could we have a moment?" Kakashi asked.

"Uh, yeah, of course" the old man shuffled out the room leaving me with the Konoha ninja. I noticed the look of seriousness in Kakashi's beetle black eye and felt nerves stir in my stomach. I looked down at my hands folded in my lap trying to ignore the burning of my team mate's gaze.

"Kari listen, I want you to answer me truthfully. This may sound crazy, but... are you from another world?"

My head snapped up my eyes wide. Everyone in the room gasped and looked at me.

"When you looked at that tracker ninja, you went fuzzy and began to fade away. I've never seen that before but I remember reading somewhere of people who come from a different world. It's very rare and only happens in times of great need. Well, so the legend goes. It might sound insane, but I can't rule out anything and from what I could tell, the Oinin used no jutsu on you. So Kari, when you blacked out, what did you see?" Kakashi asked. I looked down my eyes in shadow once more. _Don't cry you weak idiot! What will crying do for you except embarrass you?!_.

"Y-yes, I am… from another world. When I… blacked out, I remember... It was black and my eyes were really heavy, so I guess my eyes were closed. I… I could hear beeping that sounded like a weird machine. It smelt like a hospital so I guess… that's where I was. I... I heard Gemma's voice, she's… she's my closest friend, and she… she sounded like… she had been crying. I… I felt something wet hit my face… I felt her squeeze my hand. Then she… she said... she said..."

"What did she say Kari-chan?" Sakura asked softly, noticing my distress. She placed a comforting hand over mine and willed me to continue.

"_Please wake up, please, you randomly collapsed and you're in a coma, everyone's really worried, your Mom, Dad, Michael, me, Sam, all your friends, p- please wake up… please…_" I couldn't hold it in anymore and I buried my face in my hands. Whenever my friends cried, I cried too. I'm empathic and can easily feel someone's pain.

"Don't cry Kari-chan!" Naruto said softly. Naruto put his arms round me. I hated crying in front of people, I felt so pathetic. This was no exception. Sakura looked at me with sympathy, while Sasuke just seemed awkward. Naruto glared at the door.

"I have to go give that Inari kid a piece of my mind! Are you gonna be ok Kari-chan?" Naruto asked. I nodded, wiping my sore, itching eyes and mentally scolding myself for being so pathetic. Naruto walked out the room. My head was pounding from the many tears to still fall. I sniffed and coughed. I clenched my hands into fists. I might never see my friends and family again. Sasuke placed his hand on my shoulder.

"They wouldn't want you to cry" he mumbled, not looking at me. I was shocked Sasuke would do this and so was Sakura. She seemed torn between sympathy for me and a burning love of her Sasuke. I welcomed the comfort. I just wanted to feel close to someone at the moment...

"Honestly, who does that brat think he is I'm gonna put him in his place right now!" I said annoyed. How dare he insult and belittle me! Me! The future Hokage of all people! Damn brat should learn some goddamn respect! "Ne… I hope Kari-chan's ok though, she was pretty upset" _she looks too pretty when she smiles, pretty people shouldn't cry. I told that to Sakura-chan once and she stormed off but hey, it wasn't my fault that stuck-up Sasuke wouldn't go out with her. She's too good for that dickhead_. Speaking of crying, there were crying noises coming from nearby. Peeking through the crack of the doorI saw that it was Inari.

"Iie otousan, iie..." he sobbed, he was clutching a framed picture of a smiling man, his tears falling onto the glass and shattering on impact. I looked down sadly._ So that's why he's so cold…_


	10. Training With Trees

**A/N: Hoorah! We have reached number 10 and I have a review! It may seem kinda dull at the moment but it will get better :)**

* * *

**Training With Trees**

"Up, get up." I rolled away from the voice when a sharp pain in my rips jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to see Sasuke leaning over me with an irritated expression. "Training, breakfast's ready" he said.

By some way or another I had ended up sharing a room with Sasuke. The rooms were too small for all of us to share so we'd had a jumble around. Inari was with his mom, Tsunami. Tazuna decided to share Kakashi's room. Naruto and Sakura were in Tazuna's and myself and Sasuke were in Inari's.

You may be wondering why I wasn't with Sakura instead. Kakashi gave a huge speech and sent us away to our rooms rather early.

"_Let's see, Naruto you can't go with Sasuke because you'll just end up fighting and annoying the client and his family. Sakura, you can't go with Sasuke because of the law, I don't want a battering when I get back because you're far too young for such things. Kari, you get along with all of them so you can share with Sasuke. That leaves Naruto and Sakura to also share. I'm afraid it's the only way. You should all retire and get a good night's sleep for training tomorrow. No questions are permitted."_

Training was actually meant to be yesterday, however Kakashi was apparently asleep and Tsunami forbade us from disturbing him. Instead, we were left to check our weaponry, explore around the house a bit (we were told not to go outside… because), be nice and help Tsunami with chores and in my case in particular, rest and allow ourselves to heal.

So this morning Naruto was absolutely full of it, having been confined to a boring house with no action for a full eighteen hours, including a restless sleep. Breakfast was a speedy affair, Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be having a bit of a competition, surprising seeing as whenever I'd seen Sasuke eat at his apartment he had the best of manners. It kind of hurt to eat because of my ribs so I didn't eat as much as Sakura, but I'd make up for it at dinner when I was worn out.

Kakashi then rose on his crutches, the ones Tazuna had given to him from when the Bridge builder once broke his leg, and led us into the woods hobbling along the path contentedly.

"Ok then, training begins now" said Kakashi turning and stopping in a clearing surrounded by trees. I had an arm around both Sasuke and Naruto, who had to half carry me there. I'd forgotten all about my leg until I tried to put weight on it. I hadn't noticed my limp yesterday. That and I had my nasty rib fractures to put up with. It hurt to breathe for God sake! I'm doomed!

"**YOSH!**" Naruto cried enthusiastically. I let go of Naruto and Sasuke giving them a break from carrying me. I stood on one leg, deciding not to fall over. My injured leg was slightly swollen and was throbbing dully, just waiting to hit me with a sharp pain the minute I try to put my foot down. So I sat stretching my leg out, taking a welcome rest.

"First we will begin with a review of chakra the ninja's basic power source. Understanding Chakra is essential" said Kakashi.

"We know that" said Sasuke boredly. I don't, I only got into this world a few days ago.

"He's right! A long time ago we learnt about uh... **CATRA**!" said Naruto.

"Cats?" I asked. What did cats have to do with ninja's?

"Chakra" Kakashi corrected sighing. "Besides, Kari needs to know about it as she didn't attend the academy. Go ahead Sakura."

"All right Naruto, I'll explain it simply so _**you**_ can understand it" said Sakura. She pulled out a scroll. "Chakra is the elemental life energy a ninja uses in jutsu; it's the source of all his power. Now this energy has two forms, physical energy, which exists in every cell in the body all working together and spiritual energy, which is the primal source of power intensified through training and experience. As you can see, these two types of chakra must be drawn out and used together to perform jutsu. Notice the interplay between spiritual and physical power, that's the key. Finally hand signs focus and unleash the chakra" said Sakura.

"Right on the point Iruka sensei really did have excellent students" Kakashi complimented. Sakura flushed with pleasure as I fell back from a dizzy spell. Sasuke used his knee to keep me up, probably thinking that I'd never be able to get back up. _Personally that was too much information for my small brain to take in at once_.

"Ugh! What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations!? The whole point is to use the jutsu isn't it?!" Naruto cried.

"Naruto's right for once, we're already using chakra energy in our jutsu" said Sasuke. I looked up. _Sasuke and Naruto agree on something? Is the sky falling?!_

"We are?" I asked confused. I actually had some of this chakra stuff?

"No! You haven't mastered this power you've barely scratched the surface of it!" Kakashi said seriously.

"**WHADDA YOU MEAN!?**" Naruto cried. I was just thinking that! Creepy! Maybe we have a psychic connection!

"Calm down and listen. It's just like Sakura said. You have to draw on spiritual and physical energies and combine them within yourself. _But, how do you do that?_ Each jutsu requires different amounts of chakra in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up to now you've just guessed at the proportions hoping they'd come out right. Even if you produce a lot of chakra, unless you can balance and control it, it's all worthless. The jutsu won't work at all, or it'll just be a joke. You waste so much energy that way, then you're out of chakra and you can't fight at all. You're just a target" said Kakashi.

"Err... so how do we change that?" Naruto asked puzzled.

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature. To achieve this goal you must be ready... to put your life on the line" said Kakashi.

"What do we have to do?" Sakura asked staring at Kakashi intently.

"Climb a tree" said Kakashi simply.

"**CLIMB A TREE!?**" All four of us repeated.

"Yes. But there's only one rule... **NO HANDS**" said Kakashi._ Do we have to use our legs and our teeth or something?_

"What? You're kidding" said Sakura.

"Am I? Let's see" said Kakashi. He put his hands in a hand sign. Dust swirled around his feet, as though his sandals had just pushed out a small gust of wind.. Using his crutches he walked over to a tree… Then continued walking… Up the tree…

"He's climbing..." said Naruto, stating the obvious.

"Straight up and he's only using his feet!" Sakura cried. Kakashi was now walking across a branch _upside down_.

"So that's how Kakashi-sensei styles his hair" I said, noticing our sensei's silver hair had not been affected in the slightest by the force of gravity. Naruto laughed and Sakura giggled. Sasuke simply smirked shaking his head.

"Well you get the idea" said Kakashi. "Focus the chakra to the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree, this is one way to apply the power of chakra."

"Wait a minute, that's a nice trick but how's that gonna help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura asked.

"It's the only way to fight him Sakura. That's the entire goal of this training. First you'll learn how to bring a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in your body. This is difficult even for advanced ninja, this type of training requires a subtle mix of physical and spiritual energy and the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra. Are you getting the picture? If you can master this, you'll be able to master any jutsu. Well... theoretically. The second point is to maintain chakra, when in battle it's even harder to maintain and control his chakra levels, a deadly mistake, to avoid this, maintaining chakra must become second nature, effortless. Well, I can talk about this all day, but that wont advance your skills will it? You need to apply the power of chakra through training" said Kakashi. He threw four kunai at our feet. I jumped out my skin and did a backwards somersault to avoid them, succeeding in making my ribs and leg feel a hell of a lot worse and adding to the pain by smacking my head on Sasuke's kneecaps.

"**WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWING THOSE BLOODY SHARP, POINTY OBJECTS!**" I shrieked pointing angrily at our sensei who chuckled slightly rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He shook it off and once again droned seriously on about the training.

"Use the kunai knife to mark the highest point you can climb without using your hands. Then try and get past that mark the next time, and the next. At first you'll have to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible, until you get used to it. Kari take it easy I'm still not happy with you training at all in your condition. If it gets too much you're to take a break or try tomorrow instead." I picked up my kunai and twirled it round my finger. Kakashi gave me a stern look, reluctantly I nodded. "Ready?"

"I'm more than ready! This is gonna be no sweat the whole way, dattebayo! Remember what you said sensei? **I'm** the one who's grown the **most**!" Naruto cried confidently.

"You're definitely the one who talks the most… now get focused and do it!" Kakashi said. My team mates did a hand sign and focused their chakra to the bottom of their feet. Dust moved from under their feet.

"I got it!" Naruto cried. "**CHAAAAARGE!!**" All three of them ran at a tree. Naruto got up two steps, slipped and fell on his head. _That __**had **__to hurt…_ Sasuke got a couple of metres up, but then he applied too much chakra and had to jump off. Naruto was rolling around holding his head which had a rapidly swelling bump on it.

"That's about what I expected from Sasuke and... Naruto" said Kakashi thoughtfully, now back on the ground.

"Hey this is fun!" Sakura cried.

"Sakura!" Naruto cried. She was sitting in a branch high up on the tree.

"Well, looks like the female member of the squad has the most chakra control. Well done Sakura" Kakashi congratulated.  
"I'm female too y'know" I pointed out. "You go girl!" I cried, also turning to congratulate my bubblegum friend.

"Way to go Sakura! I always knew you were awesome, dattebayo!" Naruto cried. I could still sense his annoyance and his smile was rather forced.

"Whatever" said Sasuke clearly annoyed. Sakura's head drooped sadly. _He could at least try and tell her she'd done good… _

"Well not only does Sakura understand chakra, she's able to focus and maintain it. We spoke about someone becoming Hokage someday didn't we? Seems Sakura's got the best chance of that wouldn't you say? And as for the great Uchiha clan well, maybe they aren't so great after all…" said Kakashi.

**"SHUT UP SENSEI YOU TALK TOO MUCH!!"** Sakura cried as Sasuke and Naruto glared daggers at each other.

"You knew exactly what you were doing didn't you?" I said giving our sensei a knowing smirk. Kakashi simply tilted his head to the side slightly as his mask moved to show his smile.

"I might have" he replied giving me a pat on the head. "You know what they're like, now if you don't mind I have an interesting chapter to read. Remember what I said, don't strain yourself." With that he went and sat underneath a tree, flicking open his dirty orange book.

"First I'll beat Sasuke, then I'm going all the way to the top, dattebayo" Naruto said to himself. I sensed Inari as he was walking away. _Try and stay strong kiddo, you can't live your life in sorrow._

"Kari what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, seeing I hadn't moved. That look he gave me practically screamed lazy.

"Well, I'm gonna try a jutsu" I said. That caught everyone's attention, geez it's not that interesting. I closed my eyes. Hand signs naturally formed, my fingers lacing fluidly in the different signs. "Inu, tora, inu, tori, inu, ryuu, inu! Kokoro no Ookami-ko jutsu!" I cried. I held my hands out in front of me. A ball of light appeared in front of me. It was the size of a basketball. The ball exploded and small lights like fireflies swirled around a small white puppy. The lights disappeared and the puppy opened its eyes. It was a beautiful pale blue.

It sat up in my lap and tilted its head to the side in confusion. It looked up at me and wagged its tail. It looked like it was about six weeks old. It jumped into my arms trying to lick my face.

"**WOAH!! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?**" Naruto cried. I shrugged.

"Dunno I just knew what to do" I said. Kakashi walked over and looked at the little fluffball.

"It's a wolf" he said slightly surprised.

_'She'll be a great help to you Kari, she'll help you settle in and assist you in any way she can.' _A female voice spoke into my thoughts.

'_Ehh? Who're you?'_

'_All will be explained in due time my ko, fear not for we are not your enemy. For now, enjoy your training. You should feel your pain numb for a while, we'll heal you as fast as we can.'_

"Kari, why don't you try climbing the tree?" Kakashi asked, bringing me to my senses. He was staring at the little wolf intently, probably wondering why she was white.

"Um… ok" I said. I stood up, still with the little wolf cub in my arms, she didn't fidget at all. She looked up at me and gave you that loving puppy-eyed look that just melts your heart. After giving her a mushy smile, I closed my eyes and focused chakra to my feet. It felt like I was being levitated or something. I ran towards the tree determinedly. _I can do this, I can so do this. _I felt my foot connect with the tree and almost at once I felt as though I became one with it, a part of it's strong trunk, a leaf, gathering light from the Sun to photosynthesise. I ran up my chakra keeping me practically glued to it. _The lady in my thoughts was right, it doesn't hurt as much as it did…_ I reached the top and looked around at the sea of green and in the distance, the unmistakable blue line of the ocean. The wind was stronger this high up, and gently combed through my hair making me feel awake.

"Great view huh Kita?" I said. The wolf cub looked around with interest her nose twitching at the smell of salt in the air. I know Kita means North, so I named my little friend after her snow white fur, and there's the fact I just like the name.

"Yo! Kari-chan! How far up are you!" Naruto cried.

I looked down. **CRAP**… this tree is pretty high. I made a funny squeak at the thought of falling off. _Oh god, oh god, oh god!_ Kita whined and looked up at me confused. I heard a rustle behind me and the tree branch moved down. I screamed, almost falling off, but something grabbed the back of my shirt.

"**DON'T DO THAT**!" I shouted, rounding on the Uchiha boy. Kita threw Sasuke a dirty look as she lightly growled at him.

"You didn't answer" Sasuke said simply. "Why are you scared?"

"I-I'm not scared!" I cried, looking down then quickly up again, trying to be believable.

"You're scared of heights aren't you?" Sasuke sneered as an amused smirk crept across his face. He folded his arms and looked down at me feeling all superior and fearless.

"**AM NOT!**" I cried indignantly.

"Jump then" Sasuke said challengingly.

"**I AM NOT COMMITING SUICIDE FOR YOUR PLEASURE!**"

**"SUICIDE?! SASUKE RELEASE KARI-CHAN OR I'LL COME UP THERE AND UH... UH... BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA YOU!"** hollered Naruto, who couldn't actually see us. But his protective outburst was appreciated all the same

"Do you… want help getting down or something?" Sasuke said slightly awkwardly.

**"**NO! I am gonna live up here for the rest of my life!" I said stubbornly, turning away from him refusing the hand outstretched to help me. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hey! I saw that!"

"Shut up already it's for your own good" he said as he grabbed me round my waist.

"**NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! SASUKE IF YOU DARE JUMP I WILL--!! **_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!**__"_ he jumped without a moment s hesitation. I screamed, holding on for dear life as the wind rushed past and leaves and branches whipped our faces.

"We're on the ground. You can let go now." I shook my head, eyes still tightly closed as I buried my face in his shoulder. He'd be waiting a while because I couldn't move at the moment I felt completely frozen.

"I hate you so much…"

"**KARI-CHAN**! Are you ok? I heard you scream? Did Sasuke hurt you? Why are you stuck to him? Why are you so pale? Are you ill?" Naruto cried worriedly.

"Naruto..." Sasuke said.

"**WHAT!?**"

"_Shut up._"

"NO! Let go of Kari!" Naruto cried, after a long pause where he racked his brain for a comeback.

"If you were paying attention loser, _**she**_ is stuck to _**me**_" Sasuke pointed out.

"You're used to Sakura doing it for no reason! You just freaked me out!" I cried, refusing to be insulted like I wasn't there.

"HEY!" Sakura cried.

"Yeah right Sasuke you probably **want** Kari-chan to hug you 'cause no one else would want to!" Naruto cried. _Are you completely oblivious to Sakura's constant advances? That Ino (I think that's her name?), she was all over him too._

"Well, Naruto-kun is well nicer than you!" I said joining in the argument and finally managing to let go.

"Yare, yare… Go back to training, arguing does nothing for teamwork." Kakashi said tiredly, finishing the argument.

And so, the four of us ran up trees again. And again. And… well, so on. Three hours later, Sakura was lying at the bottom of her tree, she scratched at the resting branch each time she got up, not daring to go higher to the thinner part of the trunk. Sasuke was standing panting glaring at the numerous scratches about a quarter of the way up. And Naruto bless him, was once again on his head, having still not managed more than four steps. I was out of breath my chest practically on fire. I'd tried going slower, which was a lot harder. I tried to hop too, but gravity's a complete bitch. It was harder getting to the top again and I already felt tired. _The trees are __**huge**__ after all. _I sat against my tree with a sleeping Kita snuggled up against me. I coughed violently, spitting out red tinted spit.

"**OW!**" Naruto whined, rubbing his grievously abused head. I walked over to him and put my hands on his head. I focused chakra to my hands. A golden green glow surrounded my hands and Naruto's bump went down. "Hey my head don't hurt any more! Thanks Kari-chan!" Naruto cried leaning back to look at me so his head was in my lap, he grinned appreciatively and it made my heart go to mush at his lovely nature.

"Anytime" I said. He'd called me Kari-chan most of the time, saying that I was his best friend therefore deserving of the affectionate suffix. _No he didn't actually say it like that. He used shorter words._ Naruto frowned and looked at me worriedly.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded. He looked at his tree and cried out in frustration. Then suddenly, it was as though a light bulb had lighted over his head. "Hey, Kari-chan? You're good at this, can I have some advice?" Naruto whispered. "But please don't tell Sasuke I asked please, please!" he whispered. I giggled slightly at his attempt of puppy eyes and shifted slightly so I was in a more comfortable sitting position. His head was still resting in my lap and he listened attentively to every word I said.

"All right team, that's enough for today. Let's go feed you and let you rest so you're ready to train tomorrow. Sakura, you'll be guarding Tazuna on the bridge tomorrow as you've pretty much got it down. Kari, you'll be observing Naruto's and Sasuke's training and working on tree climbing as you heal. Besides, Naruto may need that healing jutsu again. Good work team, let's turn in."

* * *

"**UGH! WHY IS THIS SO HARD!?**" Naruto cried.

"You've improved a lot Naruto" I said encouragingly. I had to keep stopping because of my stupid injuries, so took to learning through observation. Naruto still used too little chakra and Sasuke still used too much. The two of them stood up at the bases of their trees, glaring at each other. I sighed at their immaturity.

I hadn't got Sakura to converse with; she was busy helping out Tazuna. Kakashi had gone out to look around the area and see if he could spot any signs of Zabuza and Kita was currently out exploring with my permission.

Hours crept passed and they were still climbing. It was getting dark; we'd have to go back soon. I was seriously bored, attempting to walk up my tree around twice every hour, but I felt like absolute crap and didn't get that far. Sasuke and Naruto glared at each other. Naruto was noticeably catching up to Sasuke and I felt a small burst of pride that Naruto had actually taken my advice into account.  
"Hey Kari?" Sasuke asked looking round at me. Naruto jumped out his skin, slipping mid-run to land flat on his face.

"**AGH! SASUKE! NANIYATTERU NO DESU KA?! WATASHIHA SHUUCHUUSHIYOU TOSHITE MAI CHAKRA!!**" Naruto cried. _What are you doing? I was trying to focus my chakra!_ Yup, that voice in my head was still there. I had thought it was that lady that said things would be explained in due time, but the voice my head was much lighter, if that makes any sense.

Sasuke walked up to me, seemingly arguing with himself, his eye was twitching and he looked like he was clenching his teeth, a light pink dusted his cheeks and I felt slightly alarmed at his strange behaviour.

"Well uh... the thing is" He paused, wondering if he should continue, or if he could actually force the words out. His voice was a reluctant mumble that was barely adible. "Ya know… Naruto… asked you for… advice? So… whaddidyoutell'im?"

"Err… So… what?" Sasuke's eye twitched worse before he closed his eyes and his blush darkened.

"Oshiete kureru tte nanidesu ka?" _What did you tell him?_

_Was Sasuke… Actually asking for __**help? **_

"Heh" said Naruto, smiling slyly. "Don't tell him Kari-chan!" Sasuke glared at him, enraged at the fact Naruto found amusement at his pride being hurt.

"We need to go back anyway" I said, standing between the two and breaking up the argument. I scowled at the croakiness of my sore voice and gingerly placed weight on my pained leg. "Dinners nearly ready and you two could do with the energy."

"**DINNER**?!" Naruto cried happily. He started walking. "**OH YEAH FOOD, HERE I COME! I'M **_**STARVING**_!" I shook my head at his hyperactiveness, picking Kita up, who slept contentedly.

"Get on my back, I'll carry you" Sasuke said suddenly.

"You what?"

"Your legs swollen and your breathings got worse you won't be able to make it in that state, now get on."

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Besides… I'm… Too heavy!" I said. That was the first excuse that came to my head. _How sad am I…_

"Get on Kari" he said stubbornly. I sighed giving in. To be honest, I didn't particularly fancy walking all the way back anyway. I held on to Sasuke's shoulders and he picked up my legs. I wrapped my arms round his shoulders. "You're not actually that heavy you know" he said. I leaned my head on his neck and closed my eyes.

"Whatever" I mumbled. Kita layed across mine and Sasuke's shoulders also closing her eyes. The Uchiha didn't complain, just began to walk back, while the gentle plod of his footsteps and the rocking as he took each slep lulled me into a welcome sleep.


	11. A Story of A Hero

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A/N: Back from the Cinema (Son of Rambow) so thought I'd update. R&R!

* * *

**A Story of A Hero**

"Kari-chaaaan? Kari-chan are you asleep?" Naruto's voice asked as I felt a poke to my shoulder. I grunted, burying my face in my pillow to escape the source of noise. "Sasuke! What did you do?!"

"Someone had to carry her back and you had already gone running off ahead, at least I know the meaning of teamwork."

"Ha! You would'nt know teamwork if it was shoved in your face on a spoon!"

"Ugh... shut up will ya?" I mumbled.

"Sasuke-kun, you're back. Is Kari ok? Her breathing seems slightly off. Naruto stop pestering Sasuke-kun he was only being a gentlemen! At least _**he**_ has manners!"

"Dinner's ready!"

"Kari get off already. I carried you all the way here I'm not carrying you to the table as well."

Reluctantly I opened my eyes to be met with a mass of dark navy hair. As I lifted my head it tickled my face. I turned my head only to be met with a violent orange. I blinked to see it was Naruto. I was on Sasuke's back, Sasuke and Naruto seemed to be glaring at one another and Sakura seemed rather impatient. I slid off the Uchiha's back feeling jelly-legged the moment I touched the floor. I shrugged it off and followed Naruto towards the table.

"This is fantastic, it's been ages since we had so many guests around our table!" said Tazuna. Naruto and Sasuke were stuffing themselves like there was no tomorrow. I felt sick just watching them. How they could shovel in so much so quickly was beyond me. Myself and Sakura ate like we were taught to, _slowly. _I gave up pretty quickly though, just watching as they shovelled more and more in. In there competition Naruto was far more of a messy eater, being so used to guzzling ramen morning noon and night. Sasuke ate a little more gracefully, but with just as much gusto.

"**MOUSUKOSHIHOSHII!**" Sasuke and Naruto cried at the same time, cheeks puffed out to there fullest extend giving them the appearance of hamsters. _I want some more. _I'm getting used to the voice now, though it is still rather annoying. Suddenly though, both rivals stomach gurgled from the strain and they turned and threw up on Tsunami's freshly cleaned floor. Seeing that scene, I slammed my hands over my mouth and ran into the bathroom.

"**SONNANI TABE TI I NI TSUMORINARA SORE WOGERUAPPU!"** Sakura screeched in disgust. _Don't eat so much if you're going to puke it up._ Thanks, I _really_ wanted to understand that…

My stomach settling down I returned to the table, trying my best to ignore the smell of fresh sick. Kita had her paws over her nose and suddenly didn't find her own dinner very appetising.

"I have to eat" Sasuke said stubbornly, wiping his mouth and grimacing at the taste.

"And _I_ have to eat more than _him._ It's the only possible way I'll get strong enough to beat him" Naruto said, just as stubborn.

"That's true, but puking won't help you" said Kakashi. He turned to Sakura deciding to change the subject. "Why don't you tell us about your day then Sakura?"

"Tsunami-san I'll help you wash up" I said, standing to help her collect plates. She smiled appreciatively.

"Arigatou Kari, that's kind of you."

Sakura immediately went into a long speech on how she went to help Tazuna with groceries when a smarmy guy tried his luck and she gave him a good _'CHA!'_ and made violent motions with her fists a mad fire in her eyes. Then she became saddened as she told us about a little beggar girl that reached her hands out towards her and had said _'Misushite kudasai?'_ which translated to '_Please Miss?_' according to the know it all voice in my head. Sakura had given her some candy, but said how she was upset she couldn't do more for her.

It showed Sakura's softer side and showed that she did have a big heart locked in her ribcage. Even though she's got a short temper and an obsessive attitude she's actually a pretty good person. After all, she'd tried to help me settle in and made me feel more at home.

"Excuse me this picture is torn is there some reason for that?" Sakura asked. During my moment lost in thought Sakura had gone over to the wall and peered at a picture, her observant eyes noticing the missing quarter that looked to be carelessly torn out of the photograph. "Inari you kept glancing at it all through dinner, it looks like there was someone else in the picture but they got torn out, I mean that's kind of strange isn't it?" Sakura asked. I could feel the sudden tension from Inari, Tsunami and Tazuna. Tsunami had paused washing the next plate and I looked up, pausing my drying of the cutlery to look at her.

"It's… my husband" said Tsunami. She emptied the washing bowl now finished cleaning.

"They used to call him a hero in this land" said Tazuna solemnly. Inari got up.

"Inari ha dokoni iku no desu ka?!" _Inari where are you going?! _Tsunami cried. Inari walked out the room slamming the door behind him.

"Otousan nitsuite hanasukotoha deki nai you ni shite kareno maeni Inari shittero desho!" Tsunami cried following Inari out the room. _Father you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that!_

"Inari's so... I mean what happened to him?" Sakura asked, not sure how best to put it.

"Is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked curiously. Tazuna took a deep breath before beginning his tale.

"He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later, and he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close in those days. Inari used to laugh all the time, but then..." I could see unshed tears' glimmering in the old mans eyes and one by one, they broke free, landing on the table in front of him. I began to rhythmically stroke Kita, who was sleeping peacefully in my lap. "But then all that ended, he never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since the day everything changed..."

"The word courage was stolen from this island we were left feeling powerless, hopeless and Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day, ever since **IT** happened" Tazuna spat the word it, as though it was cursed to his mouth.

"Tell us, what happened to Inari?" asked Kakashi, his voice seemed soothing, as it always was. Just a word from him and Sasuke and Naruto would lose the will to continue their argument. Until a moment later they found something else to disagree on of course.

"First you need to know about the man, his father, the man who taught us the word _courage_, the man who was a _hero_ in this land" said Tazuna taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes.

"A hero?! Really?" Naruto asked, his eyes lighting up.

"You can decide that for yourself, he came here about three years ago." said Tazuna replacing his glasses. He told the tale as if he read it from a book, we all listened carefully, not daring to interrupt. It was as though we were pulled into a memory, a clear picture being painted in our minds as he spoke. It was almost as if I sat on the sidelines as a ghost.

* * *

"_Poochi!" a young Inari cried, he was being held back by two bigger boys, the biggest was infront of him holding a small white dog._

_  
"That's not his name, starting today his name is shooting star and he's my dog now" said a boy holding Poochi._

_  
"No he's not and his name's not 'shooting star' I've had him since he was a puppy, he's my friend and he doesn't belong to you!" Inari cried as he struggled against the boys holding him._

_  
"You just shut up!" the boy holding Poochi cried. He smirked ant threw Poochi into the water._

_  
"POOCHI!" Inari cried as Poochi desperately tried to swim._

_  
"See what happens when you don't listen to me?" the boy said. "Now I'm not gonna lift a finger to help him, ok you can let him go."_

_  
"Why did you do that! My dog is gonna drown!" Inari cried falling to his knees as he watched helplessly._

_  
"Hn if he's your dog go jump in and get him, be a big hero" said the boy. Inari hesitated. "After all that talk, you're not gonna let him go under are you?" the boy asked. "Hahaha he wont even help his precious little Poochi, ha you made such a big deal about him go get him!" the boy said kicking Inari into the water. Inari struggled trying to stay up, yelling at the top of his lungs._

_  
"I think you went too far Akane I mean he could really drown or something" said one of the other boys._

_  
"__**AAAAH HELP! PLEASE**__!" Inari cried._

_  
"Hn forget about it" said Akane._

_  
"I dunno" said the boy. Akane grabbed the front of the boy's shirt._

_  
"You say one more word and you're going in next you got it?!" Akane threatened._

_  
"__**AAAAH I DON'T WANNA DIE!**__" Inari screamed. All of a sudden, Poochi seemed to learn how to swim. "__**AAAH POOCH**__!" Inari cried desperately.  
_  
_"Hey! shooting star's running away! Get him!" cried Akane. He and the other two boys ran off. Inari couldn't stay up any longer and sank under the surface..._

_

* * *

__  
"Waking up huh? Finally" said a man's voice. Inari opened his eyes and sat up. "I had a little talk with those kids, they wont bother you again, here eat" said the man holding up a fish on a piece of wood._

_  
"Did you pull me out of the water Mr?" Inari asked._

_  
"Have a bite to eat first, and then we can talk all about it" said the man. "Hm, so your dog abandoned you too huh? In my country dogs are very loyal; they stand by their masters'. Then again you abandoned the dog first so what can you expect?" said the man._

_  
"I really wanted to save him but I just… froze" said Inari sadly he looked down as his eyes began to shine with unshed tears. "I was just… so scared, I guess I just don't have any courage" Inari started to cry. The man put a hand on Inari's head._

__

"Hey don't be so hard on yourself, you're a kid, when I was your age I was scared too, it's no big deal but always remember this, live your life so you'll have nothing to regret, if you care about something protect it no matter how hard you've got to keep trying, even if you have to put your life on the line. Protect it, with both arms and never give in" said the man.

_

* * *

_

"His name was Kaiza he was a simple fisherman who came here from another land following his dreams" the name Kaiza caused a knot to form in my stomach, yet I couldn't think why. "After that Inari and Kaiza were inseparable, the boy never knew his real father, so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him and followed in his footsteps like a real father and son. Kaiza spent more and more time with us until he just naturally became a part of our family and then when this town needed him he became something more..."

* * *

_A man burst through the door._

_  
"We got trouble Kaiza the flood gate's open and the water's rising! The whole lower district will be flooded!" the man cried desperately._

_  
"Nani?!" Kaiza cried._

_  
"Otousan!" Inari cried._

_  
"Inari get me some rope, hurry!" Kaiza cried._

_  
"Right!" said Inari._

_  
"See where the gate is we need to get a line out there and pull it closed!" said one of the many people who stood in the rain. Inari and Kaiza had rushed to the problem, the dam gate pushed open by the fast, strong current._

_  
"A line?! You'd have to swim out there to do that it's impossible! No one can make it through that current!" cried another._

_  
"If we don't do it the whole district will be flooded, it's the only way!"_

_  
"I'll do it!" Kaiza cried._

_  
"Kaiza!"_

_  
"Don't be foolish you'll never make it!"_

_  
"Otousan!" Inari cried worried._

_  
"Don't worry, nothing can stop your dad!" said Kaiza. "This is our village so we've got to do everything we can to help" Kaiza had a rope tied around his stomach. He jumped into the water._

_  
"Otousan! __**I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!**__" shouted Inari. Kaiza reached the gate and grabbed it panting._

__

"He made it! He tied the rope on! Everybody c'mon!" cried a man in the crowd.

_

* * *

_"From that time on Kaiza was considered a hero in this land, he taught us all the meaning of courage and Inari was so proud to be his son. But it wasn't long after... that Gato showed up and took over, he terorrised the whole village. Only Kaiza stood up to him. Gato couldn't have a local hero getting in his way. It took his whole gang to stop one man."

_"All that talk about how you're going to protect this village with your two arms. Heh heh, those arms aren't much good now are they? You've still got that defiant look in your eye though. Well my men will get rid of that" said Gato. He laughed. "Get to work on him."_

_  
"Get down there!" said one of Gato's men kicking Kaiza to Gato's feet. Gato's men laughed. Two of them raised two huge hammers and brought them down on Kaiza..._

_  
The villagers stood at the fence staring at Kaiza in horror. He was tied to a cross his body black and blue, completely limp._

_  
"Hey listen up! This man has defied the Gato Corperation. He's disturbed the order of this land. His punishment is execution" said Gato. Shocked murmurs passed through the crowd. "Let this be an example so no one will stand in our way again."_

_  
"Otousan!" Inari cried tears streaming down his face._

_  
"Inari don't" said a man next to him. Kaiza looked up and smiled._

_  
"Do it" said Gato to one of his men. The man drew a sword._

__

"Otousan iie!" Inari sobbed. "

_**OTOUSAN!!**__" the sword struck Kaiza throwing blood through the air._

* * *

"And Kaiza he…" Tazuna stopped, unable to continue. I looked down sadly feeling my heart go out to Tazuna, Tsunami and especially Inari.

Naruto got up, slipped over and fell flat on his face.

"What are you doing down there Naruto?" Sakura said.

"You'd better take the day off, no more training. You've used too much chakra, if you push any harder it could kill you" said Kakashi sternly. I went over and helped Naruto up. Slinging his arm across my shoulders and hoisting him to his feet.

"I'm gonna prove it" said Naruto.

"Prove what?" Sakura asked.

"I'll prove that in this world, **there are real heroes**!"


	12. Uchiha Tales & The Face Of An Angel

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! Hugely appreciated! :) _**R&R**_

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to **Matashi Kishimoto**. Love him for he is Naruto **_GOD_**.

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**Uchiha Tales & The Face Of An Angel**

"Hey Sasuke?" I asked, looking around at him. Another day of training and we were once again exhausted. Instead of tree climbing, I decided to train in other ways, such as the basics Neji showed me. I stuck to mainly Taijutsu, which I found easiest, taking all my frustration out on a thick large rock I'd found nearby to Sasuke's and Naruto's trees. My hands throbbed, my knuckles were bruised, and my whole body ached. But I still wasn't that much better. I aimed to be able to shatter, if not at least dent things with one hit. I was still too reliant on my right arm and leg and was working on building up my left side so I was more ambidextrous. It wasn't working too well, but it would in time. I hadn't got round to katana skills yet, I hadn't the time. At the moment I was focusing on building up strength into my small body.

"What now?" he mumbled, not bothering to look away from the ceiling. He was stretched out on the bed, arms folded beneath his head. We had to share she small bed, much to our annoyance. I like having room to stretch out and wrap the cover round me like a cocoon. Sasuke prevents both of these.

"Think you could lend me some clothes again?" You see I always have to forget something or other. This time it happened to be something to sleep in, so Sasuke grudgingly allowed me to borrow something off him. Shirt and shorts aren't exactly his pants but he was still a little huffy about it.

"Whatever" he replied, closing his eyes. Training wore us both out so we couldn't be bothered to care we had to share sleeping space. All we really cared about after a long day was a hot shower and a good night's sleep. Before I could ask where they were, he pointed to the chair in the corner of the room. "Hn, baka" Sasuke said, while a smirk appeared on his handsome face.

'_Hn baka'_ I mimicked in my head as I picked up the clothes and walked out the room, journeying to the house's one and only bathroom. I changed quickly glad the clothes were so comfortable. They were rather baggy but it's not like there's a reason for them not to be. The shirt was a simple black V-neck t-shirt with the Uchiha sign on the back. _Well… I think it's the Uchiha sign? _The pants were simple grey and half way between the knee and ankle. They were a little big waist-wise and slipped to my hips but it was more comfortable this way. _Maybe I should borrow Sasuke's clothes when I want to laze about…_

"Kari-chan? Why're you wearing Sasuke's clothes?" Naruto asked confused. I blinked, suddenly aware that Naruto had just walked in. _Idiot! Kari lock doors before you change!_

"Forgot something to sleep in" I said shrugging. _I wonder if Naruto's clothes are just as comfortable…_

"Hey, hey, I'm gonna train when sensei's asleep do you wanna come?" Naruto asked. _It would really help, I'm like twelve years behind after all…_ I smiled.

"Sure why not? When and where should we meet?" I asked.

"You've got that tree near to your window right? I'll wait there or I'll come and get you. Sakura might grass and Sasuke will just complain so we'll wait 'till they're asleep!" Naruto said. I raised an eyebrow and had an amused smirk on my face.

"Naruto, you're pretty smart" I said. _Sasuke and Sakura lie!_ He grinned and rubbed the back of his head. I ruffled his hair. "See ya later!" I said. I walked back into my room to see Sasuke hadn't moved in the slightest.

"I'm back…" He ignored me, his eyes remaining closed. "Are you asleep?"

"No baka I'm not asleep." _What is it with that guy and calling me stupid?_ Annoyed I crawled over him (accidentally kneeing him in the gut) and sat on the other side of the bed. I folded my arms across the windowsill and rested my head on them as I gazed out the window There was a great view of the ocean and the stars were reflected making it look beautiful.

"Hey Sasuke? Ya know that symbol on the back of your shirt, what is it?" I asked curiously. I heard him sigh which heightened my curiosity further.

"It's my clan symbol, the Uchiha clan symbol. It means _**'the fan that is able to control fire'**__._"

"Clan?"

"My clan was my family. But my clan is dead now." The boy sounded different. His voice was more sorrowful than I had ever heard it to be. Yet somewhere, amongst all that sorrow, was anger.

"So that's why you live alone" I said, knowing finally, why he stayed in an apartment on his own at such a young age. "Naruto said he was an orphan too, and that he never knew his family."

"I'm surprised you aren't asking more questions, you're usually asking me about anything and everything." I turned to look at him, surprised again by the hollow look in his eyes.

"I didn't want to be rude" I said. After all, it was probably personal to him. I mind my own business knowing how annoying it is when people pry into your lives. "It's for you to disclose to whom you see fit."

"…My aniki" Sasuke said after a long pause. "My aniki, my older brother… He killed them all" my body numbed, tensing in shock. My eyes widened as my lips parted slightly in surprise. "He killed my parents in front of me. Then with his eyes, showed me what he had done…"

"…Sasuke…" I whispered sadly. I felt my eyes burn and tears sting with sympathy for the poor boy.

"Don't go getting all upset, it's not like you'd understand. I don't need your pity" he spat, hardening and withdrawing into himself putting up defences once again. He became cold as he turned away from me, turning his back on me. "I don't know why I bothered telling you—" He stopped his body tense. I had my arms wrapped around his middle, my face buried in the back of his shirt. I wanted him to open up to me and this was the first time he had. I didn't want him to regret telling me and I especially didn't want him to feel alone.

"Sasuke… Arigatou."

"For what?" he mumbled. I smiled noticing his voice wasn't quite as cold and thankful that he didn't pull away.

"For telling me" I replied. I felt him relax slightly in my hold.

"Whatever… are you going to let go now?" Getting the hint, I let him go. Sasuke seemed to dislike any affection of any kind and he didn't seem to like being touched that much either.

"You're really warm you know" I stated as I leaned over the end of the bed reaching for my bag.

"Due to their preference for fire attacks Uchiha tend to have warmer body temperatures" he said boredly. "Why the hell are you so cold?"

"Poor circulation and sensitivity to temperature change, particularly in my hands and feet, they're like ice half the time" I replied. I reached over the bed and managed to grab my bag. After a moment of rummaging I pulled out my desired object.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"An Ipod, it allows you to listen to music" I explained. Sasuke was obviously confused but couldn't be bothered to go into it. I placed the ear phones in my ears and let it play the first random song. I wasn't particularly paying attention to it and just let it play into my mind and soothe me.

"Hey Sasuke?" I asked. He grunted to show he was listening. "Why do you always look out for me like when you carried me here and when you pulled me out of harms way?" I asked. He seemed like the type who just didn't care, yet he always seemed to be there for me when I needed help.

"I found you so you're like my responsibility, besides you're my team mate, that and your so inexperienced" he said.

"And there was me thinking you cared" I sighed. _I'll catch up to you eventually… _

"No" he said blatantly. He turned over. "I'm going to sleep, you should do the same" he mumbled, his back once again facing me.

"All right sleepyhead, goodnight Sasuke" I said, softly. _Wonder how long Naruto will be, hopefully Sasuke will be asleep by then. _

For an hour or so I just stared out the window, humming softly to myself with my ipod on quietly so not to wake the sleeping boy as I watched the stars twinkle in the night sky. The tree moved slightly from the light breeze, the branches lightly waving as though dancing. I heard a slight rustle behind me and looked round to see Sasuke asleep, having rolled over in his sleep to face me. He looked so peaceful; his pale skin seemed to have an eerie glow in the moonlight. His face was devoid of emotion, but it seemed softer than usual. I brushed his raven bangs out of his face, not wanting it to wake him.

A light tap from the window brought me out of my daze and I turned back to the window. A sleepy looking Naruto looked up at the window, the moment he saw my face all his drowsiness seemed to just disappear. He gestured for me to come down but I mouthed that I'd be down in a minute. I quickly changed out of Sasuke's clothes and pulled on my own. I knew he was asleep so wasn't too bothered about changing in the same room as him. Before I left I quickly scribbled a note.

列車に行く、後であるのを見る、愛カーリ

_Gone to train, see you later, love Kari_

I'm not exactly sure if the kanji is right, I just copied the symbols that appeared in my head. With one last look at the sleeping Sasuke, I jumped out the window and landed next to Naruto. He grabbed my hand and we ran away into the night.

* * *

The boy gently placed some freshly picked herbs into a basket. He was so feminine in appearance at first sight he seemed to be a beautiful teenage girl. His face was soft and angelic as the most beautiful of female's, and his eyes large and brown. His skin was a smooth light ivory, and his long dark brown hair slid over his shoulders. To be honest, he wasn't too bothered about being in a basic pink kimono. Sure, his more masculine side wasn't too happy but he was told it made him seem far more innocent and suspicions were far less likely when he looked like a girl and as the boy chose to believe, his master always knew best. He supposed he was just lucky he took after his mother so much. No one would guess what he was forced to do.

A small bird settled on my shoulder and chirped at me. I smiled at the sight of it, glad of the company. I was far too soft in my master's opinion, far, far too soft. I tried my best to change but it just impossible. I had inherited my mothers warm personality too, I was a younger, male version of her. The bird twittered before flying a little distance away, landing beside some other birds. I gasped slightly at the sight before me.

A boy and girl lay asleep side by side. They were both blonde, though the boy's was more a bright yellow, while the girl's was more of a deep gold, with tones of light brown. The boy was tanned, with three whisker-like markings on each of his cheeks. He wore a bright orange jumpsuit and a Konoha hitai-ate across his forehead. Even laying down he was clearly shorter than average.

The girl on the other hand, had a skin tone identical to mine, a light ivory, but unlike me, she had a tint of rose across her cheeks. Her bangs fell into her face, curving slightly to the shape of her face. She appeared incredibly delicate, only a little taller than the boy and slim from the ninja training she most probably went through. She wore mostly black, making it easy for her to blend into shadows, she also had two katana strapped to her back. Her long hair fanned out behind her, and her arm rested across the boy's torso in an almost protective manner.

With slight concern, the boy took notice of the girl's uneven breathing and the paleness of her face. They were both littered in scratches and grazes, and had identical blackness under their eyes from lack of sleep. The boy breathed deeply with a slight snore, but the girls breathing was almost silent.

The dark haired boy decided to temporarily abandon his mission of gathering healing herbs and crouched down beside the two young ninja. They seemed too peaceful to be ninja. All those horrible stories of assassinations and such seemed impossible for these two. With a soft smile the boy observed the girl and finally understood something. He had been told how he almost radiated innocence, how his soft face showed nothing but kindness and care in almost a motherly way. He could see this in the young girl, even as she slept and couldn't help but feel a light feeling towards her.

Turning to the boy once again, he could see his determination in the way he held his kunai in his sleep. The young blonde boy had most probably trained mercilessly until he collapsed where he now lay. Yet something, something seemed to be kind about the boy in a way so similar to the girl beside him. His looks weren't as gentle as hers, as he was far more masculine. But that small smile on his face showed he had a strong heart.

Hesitantly, the dark haired boy reached his hand out until it hovered over the sleeping boy's throat. The gentle light in his brown eye seemed to diminish as he looked over at their sleeping faces. The girl seemed to become slightly distressed in her sleep, her eye brows knotted together in worry and her grip on the boy's jacket tightened. I felt my heart throb in sorrow, my eyes downcast.

_Oyurushikudasai… Forgive me…_

* * *

My eyes slowly opened as I awoke, I grumbled slightly sitting up. Why must my aniki constantly haunt my dreams? I scowled feeling tired despite my hours of rest. I hadn't awoken, I had been too tired.

"Time to get up Kari" I said, going to shake the sleeping lump next to me, but my hand met only with sheets. I looked round puzzled. _She never wakes up before me. _I shook it off guessing that I had slept in. I got out of bed and went to get some clothes out of my bag when something caught my eye. On top of the folded clothes I recognised as the ones I had allowed Kari to borrow, was a piece of paper. Snatching it up, my dark eyes scanned it quickly before narrowing. _Training? Is that girl really that stupid? _Scowling, I quickly changed and did the morning essentials before heading into the kitchen. Kakashi was already awake, as was Tsunami and Tazuna. I ignored their greetings and simply sat down, ignoring Tazuna's '_Mr Attitude' _comment.

About ten minutes later, Sakura trudged in yawning a good morning. Tsunami handed us both breakfast to which Sakura thanked her and I, being my usual miserable self said nothing. _Mom wouldn't be too happy if she knew I lost my manners…_ My scowl deepened as I shovelled food in to get my mind off it. Why did I tell Kari anyway?

"Naruto's not here and neither is Kari. Look's like they went out all night again" Tazuna said. "Naruto the little rascal, who'd have thought."

"Otou-san! They're far too young for such things! Though, I certainly hope they're all right, I don't agree with two children in the woods alone all night, anything could happen. Kari's rather pretty as well and there are plenty of strange men around" I noticed the worried tone in Tsunami's voice. Kari was polite to her unlike me, and the young woman seemed to have gotten rather attached to my comrade. I noticed Sakura's eye's flare at the mention of 'strange men' and for a moment I thought she was going to tell us about '_That sick piece of trash that dare lay his hand's on her'_ all over again.

"They went climbing trees all night again. Naruto's probably lying dead somewhere from overdoing it and using up all his chakra. I can't believe he dragged Kari along too though, I mean sure she's better than she was, but her breathing's still off and her leg still isn't completely healed!" Sakura said, she seemed angry at Naruto and I had to agree I was annoyed at the idiot too for dragging Kari along when she should have been resting.

"There's nothing to worry about, Naruto may be a goofy kid but he's a full fledged ninja, he can handle himself. Besides, Kari wouldn't allow anything to happen to him, and as for Tazuna-san's comment, as er… _immature_ as Naruto is, he would never be so rude as to suggest that to Kari. After all, **nothing** is more terrifying than a woman's wrath…" Kakashi said.

"Hn, Sakura's right. Naruto's such a loser he's probably lying dead out there somewhere" I said moodily. Kakashi heaved a sigh.

"Sasuke what did I just say about a woman's wrath? Kari hit you pretty hard the last time you insulted Naruto in front of her. If she knew you said that…" Kakashi trailed off looking thoughtful. Ignoring my sensei I stood up and left the table.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked after me. Ugh, _why_ does she always call me that? I'm not her friend, I don't even like her. Why the hell does she use an affectionate suffix on the end of my name, it's just plain irritating. If I wanted her to call me that I would ask her to.

"I'm going for a walk" I said, slamming the door behind me. _Mom always told me off for doing that._ Now I've told Kari about my past I've dragged it all up again. _But I know... that Mom wouldn't want me to forget her…_

_

* * *

_

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here." _No I won't, future Hokage's don't catch colds._ I felt a light shake to my shoulder. "Wake up" _But I__** really**__ don't want to. _I sat up groggily opening my eyes.

"Ugh… Who're you…?" I mumbled, looking to the side sleepily, preparing to glare at the mean person who dared to deprive a great ninja of his sleep. A blush immediately rose to my cheeks. "O-oh! I… I mean hi there, where'd you come from" I said. _Smooth move Naruto, this pretty girl will fall head over heels for your strength and good looks! _"Ya know, what're you doing out here and all that?" I asked. She tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled.

"I'm gathering herbs" she replied. _Woah! Even her voice is like an angel. She's even more pretty than Sakura-chan, though her voice is less girly._

"Herbs?" I repeated. Gathering herbs is like gardening, it's boring!

"Hai, they're for treating illnesses and healing wounds. Is your friend all right, she looks rather pale" the pretty girl asked. _Friend? _I looked to the side and sure enough, there lay my happy-go-lucky female team mate. A smile spread across my face. _That's right; she's my friend, my __**best friend.**_

"Kari-chan? Hey Kari-chyaaaaaan, time to wake uuuup!"

My eyes fluttered open and I looked up to smile sleepily at a grinning Naruto. "Ohayo!" he cried happily, showing off that extraordinary energy that always seemed to be present. Naruto was a brilliant pillow, he was warm, soft and smelt of freshly cooked ramen. "Look, look Kari-chan! A pretty girl!" Naruto cried, pointing to the girl sitting next to him. My eyes widened slightly in recognition and my lips parted as I let out a silent gasp. "I know right! She's really pretty!" Naruto said grinning.

What Naruto hadn't realised, was that the girl, wait— no boy was in fact the tracker-nin that had allowed Zabuza to escape. Still, the guy didn't seem to have any bad intentions and from the look of it, had no weapons on him whatsoever. _Weird…_

"Naruto-kun it's rude to point" I lightly scolded, sitting up. _Oww… I hate my stupid ribs! _The boy hadn't missed my recognition with his keen eyes, but again kept quiet. Now that I looked at him, Naruto was right, _he was beautiful_. He looked like an angel. I felt a light blush rise to my cheeks identical to Naruto's. He had the loveliest chocolate brown eyes, overflowing with warmth. A soft feminine face with ivory skin so smooth it seemed to be made of porcelain. His dark hair was down and looked silky to the extent it could rival Sasuke's. _Oh he was adorable…_

"Hey, Onee-chan! We'll help you gather herbs ok?" Naruto offered. Seems we'd just developed a little crush on the same person… "You start work early, huh?" Naruto asked as he pulled a particularly stubborn herb out of the ground. He handed it to the boy and we sat down, the basket finally full.

"I like it here, it's so calm. Though I never thought I'd find anyone here sleeping in the woods" the boy replied. His voice was soft and delicate yet warm and sweet like honey. A small smile graced his lips making mine and Naruto's hearts turn to mush.

"We were training!

"Hm? Are you shinobi? Because I noticed that headband you both are wearing, or are you just making a fashion statement?" the boy asked. Naruto blushed with a grin and I mentally rolled my eyes knowing what was to come.

"You noticed that? All right! Only _**super cool**_ ninja can wear these!" Naruto cried excitedly.

"Oh really? I see, that's very impressive" the boy said softly. Naruto laughed heartily, blush still firmly in place. "I see but doesn't that mean you're training for something dangerous?" the boy asked.

"I'm just developing my skills so I can get stronger!" Naruto cried proudly.

"You both seem very strong now, isn't that enough?" the boy asked seeming to become slightly depressed.

"Iie! Iie! I have to get stronger! I have to keep practicing!" Naruto cried dramatically, determination sparking in his eyes.

"How so? Why's it so important?" the boy asked softly, that sadness still hovering around him.

"I have to become the best ninja in my village so everyone will know who I am and will all respect me!" Naruto cried. "There's also a certain person that I have to prove something to!" _Let me guess…__**Sasuke.**_

"So are you doing all this training for a certain person, or are you doing it for yourself?" the boy asked softly.

"Huh?" Naruto said, his face scrunching in confusion "What're ya laughin about Onee-chan? What's so funny?"

"Is there someone who's precious to you?" the boy asked, his smile having returned. I felt my heart melt, knowing the boy must fight for Zabuza because he cares about him. That, in my opinion, is the best thing to fight for. To fight for Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata and Neji…and Kita too! Maybe even Kakashi, surely to fight for those you care for is the best way to live your life as a shinobi.

"What're you saying, whadda ya mean precious?" Naruto asked. I sighed shaking my head at Naruto's obliviousness. Glancing back at the angelic boy I tried to tell him without words that I wanted to speak to him alone. I stared at him intensely, trying to send a telepathic message. _It may be impossible but hey, it's worth a try!_ He looked me in the eye and tilted his head to the side. _Maybe I should try sign language or…? _His smile seemed to widen slightly as a glimmer of happiness shone in his hazel eyes. _Oh he's so beautiful…_ Then with that, he gave a slight nod to show he understood. Judging by Naruto's puzzled grimace, he hadn't seen it.

"You see when someone has something precious to them that they want to protect then they become genuinely strong" the boy explained. Comprehension seemed to dawn on the young blonde boys face as he finally figured it out.

"Yeah I hear ya! I know exactly what you're saying" Naruto said smiling widely and glancing at me. The boy rose to his feet and picked up his full basket.

"You will both get strong, very strong. Sayonara, we'll meet again sometime. Oh and by the way…" he turned back to Naruto with that angelic smile of his. "_**I'm a boy.**_"

Noticing Naruto's dumbfounded look I took the opportunity to slip into the trees. I ran following instinct, trusting myself, or should I say my inner self, to guide me to the mysterious angelic boy.


	13. Friendship

* * *

**A/N:** _Ok, this has absolutely miniscule limeness. It's hardly noticable. 13 is **unlucky** (usually). Quite a nice chapter though. Shout out to Den-Den, thanks for the support!_ **R&R!**

* * *

**Friendship**

I walked briskly, hands shoved deep into my pockets as I kicked a stone along moodily. _Where the heck are them idiots?_ I kicked the stone into a nearby bush then scowled further. _Great, just great, now all I have are my thoughts._ Maybe Naruto had died, but even so, it's our team's responsibility to return the body to Konoha. Sakura will scream and cringe, Kakashi's far too lazy, Kari's out there with him somewhere and is probably asleep (_lazy baka-onna)_ and I, well to be honest I don't actually care. But someone has to do it.

I journeyed further into the forest, deciding he had to be nearby our chosen training trees. Unless he got lost, I wouldn't put it past him and Kari's not exactly got a good sense of direction.

As I mooched a long I passed a girl. I took in her beauty and innocence without much interest, offhandedly noticing how she reminded of Kari in a couple of ways, but stopped when a weird feeling shot down my spine as she walked past me. Turning round to look at her retreating back I watched as her dark hair swished behind her. _There's something weird about her…_

"**Whoa…**" Looks like I found Naruto, that's definitely his obnoxious voice. "I've seen a lot of weird things in my life before but this takes the cake!" His eyes were closed so he didn't see me approach and I caught him unprepared when I gave him a good punch to the head.

"**OW! SASUKE! WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?!"** Naruto shrieked, glaring up at me.

"Dork did you just forget about breakfast? You're such a loser" I said. I glanced around. "Where's Kari? Don't tell me you lost her."

"What you talking about, Kari's right—**NANI!? KANOJIXYOHA ARU BUNMAE!" **

"You can't even keep track of one girl? You loser are you completely useless? It doesn't matter if **'**_**she was there a minute ago'**_, where is she **now**?" I questioned.

"**KARI-CHAN?! DOKODESU KA?! –**Oro? Wakan nai, maybe she went after that weird gir—boy..." Naruto said. _Weird girl? Or did he say boy?_ Kari don't tell me you've gotten yourself kidnapped or something.

* * *

I placed my hands on my knees panting to catch my breath. I hope I actually find him, I'm probably lost again, and it better not be in vain… Speak of the devil, _more like angel _and he shall appear!

"I had a feeling you would find me" he said in that warm soft voice of his. I felt my cheeks heat up from his lovely voice but shook it off.

"What's your name really?" I asked observing his face wondering if he'd tell me the truth. But some part of me already knew that this boy wouldn't lie to me.

"Haku, yours is Kari correct?" he said. I was surprised he actually answered, and even more so that he actually knew _my_ name.

"Yeah, that's what they call me anyway. I'm sorry for Naruto's behaviour, you're really pretty and he thought you were a girl" I said. Haku smiled causing my heart to flutter at the sight of such purity and innocence.

"Arigatou Kari, you're pretty too" he replied. _Oh stop blushing you idiot! Just because he's sweet and beautiful and stuff is no reason for you to turn to goo!_

"Look Haku..." I said. My change of voice made him look at the ground, as though expecting accusations. "We can't help that we will have to fight sooner or later, for what is precious to us, but..." I trailed off scolding my soft heart.

"I'm surprised you listened to me, I'm glad however that you took the time to." His smile seemed to light up everything. _For goodness sake Kari, pull yourself together! _"Go ahead and say what you want to say, I promise I won't laugh."

"Can I be your friend?" I asked. He seemed slightly taken back, confusion dancing in his bright hazel eyes. "I just… like you as a person, you have a pure spirit and you care about Zabuza very much and… and I respect that" I said softly. I mentally scolded myself again realising how shakily and quick I spoke and the embarrassment that coloured my face. _He probably thinks I'm a right idiot. But at least I said what I wanted to say. I'll be able to sleep peacefully now._

"I'd like that" he replied his warm smile unmistakeably genuine, his eyes filled with a deep warmth and everlasting gratitude. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as his look softened even further "But we may end up..."

"I know..." I said hastily, knowing full well that one of us would inevitably die. "But I just… I just wanted to talk to you. I don't want you to hurt my team, they've taken good care of me in the short time I've known them and I befriended them all. But from the moment I sensed you I knew I didn't want to hurt you either. It might sound crazy to you but… I just… I don't particularly understand it myself to be honest" I took a deep calming breath, knowing I was making little sense, but still wanting to say what I needed to say. "In the end, everything happens for a reason, right?"

"I suppose so Kari-chan, it's the way of the world" Haku said softly. It took every ounce of my will to stop me crying there and then. Ninja were meant to be fierce warriors and here, here in front of me what the sweetest most kind-hearted person I had ever met in my life and we'd end up killing each other. We're still just kids for heavens sake! We could have so much ahead of us!

I may have been able to force back my tears, but the Gods themselves couldn't have stopped me from throwing my arms around the gentle boy and embracing him tightly. My face buried into his chest, the fabric of the kimono brushing against my cheeks. My eyes stung fiercely but I wouldn't cry. He needed this. He needed to know someone cared. After a moment, I felt arms encircle me, as gentle as they were, they were strong and I felt safe and protected.

"Arigatou Kari-chan... Watashiha zutto wasurenai yo…"

"And I'll never forget you Haku-kun" I replied as a smile spread across my face and unshed tears shone in my eyes. For a few moments we stood there, until we knew it was time to let go once and for all. We turned and walked away from each other. We were enemies, opposing shinobi to fight to the death the next time we entered battle. But still… My smile stretched as I wiped my eyes, _we shared a moment that will last until the end._

* * *

_I'm sure I left Naruto somewhere around here…?_

Great. It hopeless. **HOPELESS!** How could I not pay attention to where I was going? My dear instincts led me there with no problem and now they don't have the decency to show me the way back. With a scowl I turned and kicked a tree next to me. I yowled in pain cursing my _now possibly broken_ toes.

That's when I got that feeling. You know the one? That tension with the chills going down your spine when you know in your gut someone's following you. You start to sweat, your heart hammers in your chest, you just know you—

"**WHO'S THERE!?" **I shouted as I span round ready to grab a kunai and fling it at the offending stalker, only to be met by a squirrel jumping out of the rustling bush. _A squirrel... Kari you really are pathetic. Ugh! Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness damn it! _

I was just about to grumpily continue on my way when something grabbed me and shoved me into the tree. I froze, remembering all those stories, those horrible stories of rape's and murders from my world. A guy in his twenties or so had pinned me against a tree. I stared at him with wide horrified eyes, mouth slightly open from shock.

"Hey beautiful" he whispered. I could feel something hard press roughly against my thigh. My wrists were held above my head by one of his large hands as his other hand went inside my shirt. I felt myself shudder as he dared to touch me. His lips brushed against my cheek and the stench of alcohol was on his breath. _This can't be happening, someone wake me up, somebody, anybody!_

"**OOMPH**!"

The next thing I know the guy was thrown off me, sent flying from a hard smack to the face. My body shaking slightly, my legs caved in, my back sliding against the tree until my butt hit the grass. I just stared at the patch of grass in front of me blankly, still frozen from shock. I could hear some shouting, but my frozen body couldn't react.

"_Don't you dare touch her! If you lay so much as another finger on her I'll kill you! Do you here me?!"_

"_Little girl wandering around on her own is easy prey. She was innocent and defenceless, too easy. If you wanna protect her ya shouldn't let her wander round on her own."_

_SMACK._

"_Get out of here before I slit your throat you sick paedophile!"_

The next thing I know, blue ninja sandals were squashing the glass I had been blankly staring at. The person crouched down so they were kneeling in front of me.

"Daijixyoubudesu ka?"

_Am I all right? I'm not particularly hurt, but I'm not ok either…_

"Kari, wokii teru no ka?"

_Yes I can hear him, but the words don't sink in and my body won't react…_

"Kari mite!"

_I can't look at you… I can't move… _

A hand squeezed my shoulder while another lifted my chin. My eyes met with a gleaming onyx peering at me through raven bangs. For a moment I thought the eyes went red, but my mind couldn't think. I felt a slight shake to my shoulder but my body felt numb and floppy.

"Kareha itami masuka?"

_I don't think he hurt me… I'm not bleeding, I have no wound. Maybe a bruise here and there… Why is the person talking in so much Japanese? It's hard to understand him…_

"Shikkari sinsai!" _Pull yourself together _and I felt a light slap to my face. I blinked, snapped out of my numb daze. _Sasuke…? Why the hell did he slap me? _

"What was that for?" I said shocked.

"You wouldn't listen to me" he said. He looked rather frantic and distressed. Not Sasuke like at all. "You looked… dead…"

"Gomen—"

"Nanite kotta kangaete te tan, da sasurai no ufo dake no you nano desu ka?!" he cried angrily. **Again** with the Japanes_e? _Where's that little voice when you need it?_ 'What the hell were you thinking wandering off on your own like that?'_ Thank you!

"What's it to you? What are **you** doing out here anyway?" I retorted scowling.

"I had to come find you and Naruto, everyone was worried when neither of you were there, we thought you were dead" _Thanks for the vote of confidence…_

"So you found Naruto-kun?" I asked hopefully. _Maybe I wasn't hopelessly lost and was close to finding him!_"Yeah, you're heading in the wrong direction" _Never mind…_ "Come on, he's probably shit himself with worry by now." Unable to suppress a smile I grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist and pulled myself up.

"Thanks for coming to find me" I said, slightly annoyed I was brought up with good manners and had to thank him. He nodded in recognition then started walking in the direction of Naruto. _I knew I should've turned left at that stream…_ I jogged to catch up; aware I was a little sore where he grabbed me and where I was slammed against the tree. I looked at Sasuke's back at my eyebrows knotted in worry. _I've never seen him so worked up; I guess he's a little touchy on death…_

* * *

_"Woah Naruto can climb that high now using his chakra?!"_

I glanced down at the sound of Sakura's voice. So she and Kakashi had finally found us eh? Took them long enough… Looks like they haven't spotted me or Sasuke yet. They look so small from up here.

"What do ya think high enough for you guys? I mean it's a long way down huh?" Naruto hollered as he stood up on the branch. He slipped and fell back. Sakura screeched in terror as Kakashi sighed. Naruto span so he was upside down feet stuck to the tree. _Oh my little Naru-monkey! I taught him to do that!_

"** JUST KIDDING**! You guys really fell for it!" Naruto cried laughing at the look of shock on their faces.

"We were worried about you Naruto!" Sakura screeched waving her fist at him, the look on her face seemed to scream her urge to strangle the poor boy.

"Hm, I think this is going to end badly" Kakashi mused looking up from his book. Naruto's feet detached themselves from the bark with a noise like toilet plunger. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

**"AAAAAAAAH! PUSSHU SURU DAKE HA SHITE I NAI GA ANATA WOMISEBIRAKASU?!"** Sakura screamed her hands pulling at chunks of her bubblegum pink hair. _You just had to push it didn't you, you show off._

The voice snapping me out of my daze I shot across tree branches pouring chakra into my feet I spun around the branch and grabbed Naruto round the middle, stopping his fall. I coughed blood leaking from my mouth, Naruto having succeeded in kicking me in the chest, where my slowly healing ribs cried out in pain. This sudden pain made me lose concentration and thus, lose my chakra flow sticking me to the tree. Luckily another person had grabbed hold of my hips saving us from falling again.

"You really are a total loser Naruto" Sasuke growled.

"Hey! Don't call him a loser!" I cried glaring up at him.

"Kari-chan! Sasuke!" Naruto gasped.

"**YOSH! SASUKE-KUN! ANATA NO BESUTO**!" Sakura squealed in admiration and delight. _Sasuke's the best? Was I invisible_ _I helped too!_

"If I'm still sane by the time I've finished their training it will be a miracle..." Kakashi sighed, turning back to his book.

* * *

"We're at the top already can we go back now?" I whined, having bored out of my brains as my two male genin team mate's climbed the same trees over, and over, and over, and over again, hour after hour. I beat up everything in sight causing a decent crack in one of the trees. _So what if it was tiny it's a start!_ Sasuke and Naruto were proudly standing on the top of their trees savouring their victory. I jumped to the top of my own tree and gave them a stern look.

"I suppose we should head back" Sasuke said, smirking softly.

"And have a victory dinner!" Naruto cried in delight. The three of us jumped down and then fell on our butts. Man, were we tired. I heard soft footsteps running towards us, glancing towards the sound I noticed a familiar blob of white.

"Kita! My wolf-puppy!" She wagged her tail happily in greeting.

"Momma!"

_Did she just talk?_

"Did Kita just talk?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

"Sasuke you baka! Animals can't talk!" Naruto said laughing.

"Momma?" Kita repeated, tilting her head to the side.

"AH! Kari-chan it talked!" Naruto cried.

"My baby! You can talk! Oh Momma's so proud of you!" I cooed in delight embracing my clever little wolf cub.

"Where's the wolf been? I haven't seen it much" Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Taking offence on behalf of my beloved Kita, I rounded on the Uchiha boy in my sitting position, feeling very un-intimidating noticing he was standing.

"**IT?! THAT WOLF HAS A NAME!"** I shrieked.

"Yeah Sasuke! Don't go picking on Kita-chan just because she's a baby!" Naruto cried, immediately taking my side over his rival's. Sasuke rolled his eyes, pulling me up and putting my arm over his shoulder to keep me standing. Naruto took my other arm and the three of us hobbled towards Tazuna's house, weakly supporting one another as Kita lead the way.

* * *

"What have you three been doing you look like something the cat dragged in" Tazuna chuckled the minute we hobbled through the door. Kita whined indignantly. She wasn't a cat!

"We made it all the way to the top!" Naruto cried triumphantly. Kakashi glanced at me for confirmation, I sighed and nodded.

"Good, now we move on. Starting tomorrow, you three are bodyguards for Tazuna" said Kakashi.

"**YOSH**!" Naruto cheered in delight. The sudden movement caused Nauto to lose balance and fall forward, dragging me and Sasuke with him. _Why was I on the bottom!?_ I tried and failed miserably to shove their weight off me.

"Naruto you are **such** a loser!" Sasuke cried. I grinned.

"Yeah but he's **our** loser!"

"Sasuke Naruto I think you should get off Kari, you're hurting her" Kakashi pointed off, they finally removed themselves from me and I looked gratefully at Kakashi.

"I love you Kakashi-sensei" I cried in eternal gratitude for our lazy sensei.

"Momma?" Kita cried, licking my cheek.

"I love you too Kita-chan!" I said patting her on the head.

"Kari," Kakashi said sternly. "Why can Kita talk?"

"Umm, she's intelligent?"

"Even so, it usually takes years and years and she's extremely young. Also, her coat shouldn't be bright white at this time of year."

"She's unique?" I said.

"I'll say, it seems Kari, you've created a young demon." Jaws dropped, eyes widened and a chorus of disbelief spread the room. "Well, I guess it's unlikely, but it shouldn't be ruled out considering the circumstances. Especially the fact she was _created_ and not born."

"Momma?" Kita questioned, looking up at me for an explanation of the stares around the room. I smiled, scooping her into my arms.

"It doesn't matter what she is, what she looks like, how intelligent she is, or how she came to be. I still love her and nothing will ever change that. Do you seriously think she's evil?"

"I doubt it Kari, but it should be taken into consideration on what her needs may be in a few years time. For all we know she might grow to the size of a house." Kakashi said. "She'll need to see the Hokage when we get back, he can decide what to do."

I scowled slightly, pulling my precious wolf club into a tighter embrace. "Okaa-san?" _Wait, that's two words! _I smiled at her scratching behind her ears. _No matter what I'll still love you. _

* * *

"In a few more days the bridge will be finished, and I have you to thank for that" said Tazuna a grin stretching across his face, being the first to speak after a rather silent meal.

"You've all done great, but you still have to be careful" Tsunami warned.

"I've been meaning to ask you this but I haven't had the chance until now, why did you stay and protect me even though you found out I'd lied to bring you here?" Tazuna asked.

"Hitobitono seigi no michikara hazureruyuukiga nai ga tsubasano shitani kixyourixyokunashidousha okubyou ikinokoru kotoha deki masen." said Kakashi. _Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive._

"Oro?" Tsunami asked.

"That was a quote from the first Hokage" Kakashi replied.

"But why?" Inari asked, directing everyone's attention onto him.

"What'd you say?" Naruto asked. Inari slammed his hands on the table, glaring up at Naruto with tear filled eyes.

"All this stupid training is just a waste of time! Can't you see Gato's got a whole army they'll beat you down and they'll destroy you!" Inari cried. "These cool things you all say they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak always lose!"

"Speak for yourself. It won't be like that for me you got that!" Naruto cried.

"Why don't you be quiet you make me sick! You don't know anything about this country! Why do you keep butting in?! You're always laughing and joking around you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!"

"Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim! You can whimper all day for all I care! Okubyoushadeha naku anata ha nanimo!" Naruto shouted. _You're nothing but a coward!_

"**NARUTO**! You went too far!" Sakura shouted. The hyperactive ninja got up and stormed out the door slamming it behind him. I got up and went to follow.

"Gomen Inari" I said softly, before exiting the room and going after Naruto.

* * *

I leaned back into a laying position on the roof as I gazed up at the stars. Naruto's always so happy-go-lucky, apart from a couple arguments with Sasuke I've never seen him angry like that before. I'd gone after him and pulled him into an embrace to calm him down. He smiled before saying he was going to spend some time alone and that he'd see me later. _Probably gone to train the baka, you've got to admire him for his determination._

"Can I talk to you?"

I looked down to see Kakashi sit next to Inari, the both of them looking out at the sea.

"Naruto can be a little harsh sometimes, but he doesn't hate you. Your grandfather told us what happened to your father. You probably don't know this, but Naruto also grew up without a father. In fact he never knew either of his parents and he didn't have a single friend in our village" Kakashi said.

"Huh?"

"But still I've never seen him cry, sulk or give up, he's always eager to jump in, he wants to be respected. That's, his dream and he'll put his life on the line for that in a heartbeat. My guess is... he just got tired of crying and decided to do something about it. Even though he's young and still learning, he knows what it means to be strong like your father did. I think he knows better than any of us what you're going through. What Naruto told you earlier, as cruel as it sounded he's probably told himself that a thousand times" Kakashi continued. I smiled. _You know your students well, eh sensei?_

"But what about Kari?" Inari asked. "She's his friend isn't she?"

"Kari only recently appeared in our lives. She and Naruto had this sort of connection the day they met and their bond has never wavered in the slightest. They have become very close, inseparable maybe as a better word. Kari has often defended our team with her life which is how she got injured. She's just seems to make people feel at ease, and make them feel happy. Sasuke may even consider her his friend, and you've seen what he's like" Kakashi said. I snorted with laughter before smacking my hand over my face. "Going to join us Kari?" Kakashi asked. _Damn… _I jumped down landing between them.

"Onee-chan?" Inari asked looking up at me.

"Kari you need to sleep" Kakashi told me. I sighed and nodded.

"Kay, night Inari, night Kakashi-sensei" I said walking inside.

* * *

"Where've you been?" Sasuke asked moodily as I walked in the room. _Sasuke consider me as a friend? Pshh, yeah right Kakashi-sensei..._

"Cheering up a certain team mate of ours" I replied. "All right if I borrow your clothes again?" Sasuke shrugged. I changed in the bathroom and got into the bed, ready to drift off to sleep.

"Momma!"

A soft grunt came from Sasuke as Kita bounded onto the bed. She snuggled into my chest, curling up into a little white ball. I placed my arm around her and closed my eyes.

"There's not enough room for her as well, put her on the floor" Sasuke grumbled.

"You go on the floor, we're already asleep."

"Oyasuminasai" Sasuke mumbled, turning away from me, his back against mine.

"Goodnight Sasuke."


	14. A Cage Of Icy Mirrors

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**A Cage of Icy Mirrors**

"Ohhh Naruto-kun you're damn heavy!" I grumbled, shifting the unconscious boy into a more comfortable position on my back. _Going training all night, honestly!_ I scowled, worried of what was to come. I sent Kita to find Zabuza and keep an eye on him. Her return means he's soon to strike again, that he's healed. I cringed slightly as Naruto's drool soaked my shoulder. _You really are disgusting…_ Kita trotted along beside me watching Naruto's face and tilting her head to the side whenever he made a strange noise. _Which he did quite a lot in his sleep._

"Momma!" Kita cried looking ahead. _Finally, Tazuna's house!_ I picked up the pace, hoping to get some breakfast before the others scoffed it all. _Tsunami-san should be an award winning chef with her cooking!_

"I'm back!" I called, shifting Naruto once again and resisting the urge to drop him on the doormat.

"Ah, Kari-chan! I was getting a little worried. Come on, let's put Naruto to bed and give you a break" Tsunami said smiling. _At least someone came to greet me. Inconsiderate team-mate's…_ I thought Tsunami was great; she was a good conversation and was very motherly. _Duh Kari she's a mom._ She greeted us, cooked our meals, cleaned up after us and did everything she could to make us comfortable. I appreciated it, unlike the rest of my team who just took it for granted. _Well, Sakura and Kakashi had manners, but Naruto and Sasuke didn't._

* * *

"Ok, I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his body to the limit, over doing it as usual. So he may not be able to move today at all" Kakashi explained to Tsunami before we left. Myself, Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna were waiting patiently to get going.

"What about yourself, you're still recovering as well aren't you? And what about Kari-chan?" Tsunami asked. I smiled noticing she didn't ask about Sasuke; even though he was probably fully healed, Tsunami still thought he was rather rude.

"Do I look wobbly? I'll be ok and Kari well, I tried to make her stay behind but she refused" said Kakashi. I folded my arms and glared at him. _A whole day of a snoring Naruto, are you kidding me? Sure I love the guy to bits and Tsunami and Inari have really grown on me, but you guys probably need me more._

"C'mon lets go!" cried Tazuna, starting to walk off.

"Ja ne Tsunami-san!" I called back waving. "Don't let Naruto cause you too much trouble!" she smiled and waved before closing the door and going to start a daily routine of cleaning the house.

* * *

"Hold on! What the heck is this?! What happened? Someone was here, someone got to them!" Tazuna cried hysterically. I looked in horror at the mass of unconscious bodies lying across the incomplete bridge. Some were groaning in pain while others lay silent. Kita looked up at me and whined in confusion.

"Okaa-san, nani?" her vocabulary wasn't very developed yet and she could still only say a few simple words. I didn't know how to explain to her what was going on. I scooped her up into my arms protectively when a chill ran down my spine. "Okaa-san?" I looked round at Kakashi meaningfully. The jonin noticed and tensed.

"Could it be...?" Kakashi asked. A sudden blanket of fog seemed to cover us and goose bumps spread over my arms. "This mist... **SASUKE! KARI! SAKURA! GET READY!**" Kakashi cried. Kita jumped to my shoulder as I pulled out a kunai. My eyes darted side to side as I stepped closer to Tazuna. "I knew he was still alive" Kakashi said. "He just couldn't wait for round two…"

"Kakashi-sensei its Zabuza isn't it! This is his hidden mist jutsu!" Sakura cried, her anxiety clear in her face.

"_Sorry I kept you waiting Kakashi, I see you've still got them brats with you. That one's still trembling... pitiful_" said Zabuza's voice mockingly. Clones surrounded us. I glanced at Sasuke to see he was indeed shaking, but it wasn't from fear,

"I'm trembling with... excitement" Sasuke said as a smirk spread across his face.

"You aren't having all the fun" I mumbled as a smirk spread across my face too. I hadn't been training my butt of trying to improve my taijutsu for nothing.

"Go on Sasuke, Kari" said Kakashi. We each took half out in seconds and landed in the middle back to back. The clones burst into water.

"Ooh you could see they were water clones huh? Those two brats are improving" said Zabuza. "Looks like you've got rivals Haku…" I tensed and looked round to see Zabuza and Haku side by side. I felt a horrible throbbing in my chest but pushed it aside. _You knew it had to happen…_

"So it seems" Haku said, unable to look at me he instead looked at Sasuke.

"Be careful of the girl, she seems different from the others" Zabuza warned. I inwardly huffed. _You aren't exactly normal yourself._

"I noticed, when you fought Kakashi before, I sensed she had a strange aura."

"Well, well, so I had it right it was all just an act" Kakashi said folding his arms and staring at Zabuza's apprentice.

"An act?!" Tazuna cried.

"The cute little mask" Kakashi said.

"**AAAAH!?**" Sakura cried shocked.

"Big phoney, hn" Sasuke said. I had to hold in a snigger at how stupid Sasuke sounded when he said that.

"I guess that stuff about being a tracker ninja and protecting his village was just a bunch of bull" Tazuna said angrily.

"They must have been pulling scams like this for a long time" Kakashi said.

"He's got some nerve showing his face after that cheap trick!" Sakura cried scowling.

"I mean hiding behind a mask who does he think he's fooling?" Kakashi said. Sakura giggled at how our sensei was contradicting himself.

"Speak for yourself sensei" I said smirking at the masked jonin. He simply looked away with mock innocence as though he didn't have a clue what we were talking about. I wasn't too pleased at how they were speaking to Haku, but our friendship wasn't supposed to exist, we were never supposed to have met each other outside of battle.

I looked at Haku, feeling his stare. I started feeling a little light headed and placed a hand over my forehead. Sasuke glanced at me noticing my change of mood.

"That's it I'm taking him out, who does he think he's fooling, hiding behind that mask like some kind of clown?" Sasuke said.

"Sasuke-kun you're so cool!" Sakura cooed in admiration.

"Are you gonna talk or fight!" I growled, surprising my raven-haired team-mate.

"Seems the girls got the right idea" Zabuza commented. I ignored him, focusing on trying to relieve my headache. Haku span into a whirlwind and headed for Sasuke.

"What's this!?" Sasuke cried. I appeared in front of him blocking Haku's needle with my kunai. "Kari?" I ignored him; my eyes locked with Haku's, his mask almost transparent to my eyes.

"Sakura! Cover Tazuna and stay close to me!" Kakashi cried. Sasuke rushed past me and went for Haku, they attacked one another blocking every attack the other made.

"We want the bridge builder, not you. If you back down I won't have to kill you" Haku said softly. My heart constricted painfully again. _He was doing this on orders, he doesn't want to hurt us._

"Save it!" Sasuke said smirking.

"You're making a mistake, you won't be able to keep up with my speed" Haku warned, trying to knock sense into the cocky boy.

"I've gained two keen advantages" said Haku.

"Yeah, what are they?" Sasuke asked, confident he'd be able to overcome them with his own power.

"First, we're surrounded by water. Second, I've blocked one of your hands, therefore you only have one hand to protect yourself" Haku said. He did hand signs with one hand. The air seemed to become colder around us.

"Kita, listen to me. You are to stay with Tazuna-san" I said softly, looking into her baby blue eyes sternly. "Be careful, ok?" I said, my eyes softening.

"Hai Momma" she replied, rushing to Tazuna.

"Secret jutsu: A thousand needles of death" Haku cried. My attention darted to the two boys as I felt a build up of chakra.

"**SASUKE! MOVE!**" I shouted desperately as Haku stamped his foot on the ground causing water to fly through the air.

"**SASUKE-KUN!**" Sakura shouted worried. The water formed into razor sharp senbon made of ice.

"Huh? He vanished!" said Haku. I glanced up at the same time Haku did. Sasuke threw shuriken at him and then appeared behind him. He blocked Sasuke's punch and he narrowly dodged Sasuke's kunai. Sasuke kicked him in the face sending him sliding back to Zabuza. Sasuke then landed next to me. I had let out a barely audible gasp and Sasuke looked at me confused.

"That… was pretty good" I said, covering up my concern for the enemy.

"Hn. Thought you were quicker huh? Now what else are you wrong about?" Sasuke said cockily at Haku. I wanted to scold him for being so up himself, but the current situation stopped me.

"You made a big mistake insulting these ninja and calling them brats, it's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude. He's the best young male fighter of Konohagakure no sato and Sakura here is our sharpest mind" Sakura flushed with pleasure and pride. "And of course, our number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja, is Uzumaki Naruto" said Kakashi.

"And the girl?" Zabuza said glancing at me.

"Hm, Kari is certainly interesting. She's the most loyal here, and a mixture of the three. She's still a bit of a mystery" said Kakashi. I glared at him. Zabuza chuckled.

"Haku if we keep going like this we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it!" said Zabuza.

"Hai" Haku replied. A blue chakra appeared coming off him.

"What's that?" Sasuke mumbled, confusion shining in his onyx eyes.

"I'm sorry it's come to this" Haku said.

"Uh it's so cold" Sasuke said, barely holding in a shudder. I coughed. The cold was making my lungs sting. I shivered violently. I had always been sensitive to temperature change.

"Kari, are you ok?"

"Worry about yourself all you'll die!" I hissed. Sasuke seemed slightly offended as rushed toward his opponent. "Wait! Sasuke, no! Stay away from him!" Haku did a hand sign and out of nowhere rectangles of ice appeared around us.

"Secret jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!" Haku cried. There were now large mirrors surrounding us in a dome shape. The mirrors glowed.

"What is that? How does it work?" Kakashi asked shocked. Haku melted into a mirror.

"They're mirrors! But? How?" Sasuke cried. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Kakashi running towards the mirrors, but Zabuza blocked him.

"If you enter this fight you fight me. Your boy and girl have no chance against this jutsu, they're finished" said Zabuza. Images of Haku appeared in each and every one of the mirrors.

"Now we'll begin and I'll show you what speed really means" said Haku lifting senbon. He threw it at us. One hit each of Sasuke's shoulders. I got three in the back. I held back a cry at the sudden pain and glanced worriedly at Sasuke.

"**SASUKE! KARI!**" Kakashi cried. The next thing I knew, senbon were flying everywhere, mercilessly raining down on us. We were desperately trying to but there was just too many. One hit Sasuke's hand and in reflex he let go of his kunai, causing it to fly out the dome.

"**SASUKE-KUN! KARI!**" Sakura cried from outside Sasuke was on his knees, curled up into a ball, holding his head trying to protect himself. I pulled him into me trying to shield him with my body.

"Just try to help them and I'll kill the other two in a heartbeat!" Zabuza cried, Kakashi had probably heard our distress and tried to help us. Sasuke pulled me towards him, his hands grasping hold of my shirt as he tried to bear the pain. I had a steady flow of blood coming from my mouth. Blood ran from my deeper wounds, I could feel my bangs sticking to my face from the blood from the cuts on my cheeks. My whole body ached from the various needles sticking out of me,

"K-Kari!" Sasuke cried as a needle went straight through me. Unable to cry out I just held onto him tighter trying to protect him. The blood continued to lightly dribble onto my mouth, dripping onto the Uchiha symbol on his shirt.

"I'm sorry I can't stay with you, forgive me" Sakura's distant voice said.

"I understand, go now" said Tazuna. I could hear the sound of running footsteps.

"Sakura!" Kakashi cried. _No, no Sakura-chan don't come, he's too strong, he'll hurt you too…_

"Take this!" she cried throwing it. Haku reached out the mirror and grabbed it. "He caught it!" Sakura cried. The needles stopped, Haku distracted. I let go of Sasuke, slumping slightly, wincing as the needles were pushed in further.

"Kari stay with me!" he cried taking in the blood on my body. Sasuke fell to his knees.

"Why did you protect me you baka! You're weaker than I am; you're not even healed yet!" As harsh as he sounded I knew it because he was worried. As cold as he appears he does care about his comrades.

"Eh…You do enough for me" I said softly. "Besides you always look so superior, vulnerability doesn't suit you." My fingers curled round a senbon and I gave it a little tug. _**No!**__ No pulling out! It stings!! _

A loud boom caused me to jump out of my skin. A large amount of smoke appeared, blowing inside the dome of mirrors. I coughed, trying to fan the smoke away with my hand.

"Who is it?" I heard Sakura ask.

"Number one, hyperactive, knuckle head ninja" said Haku. I smiled as hope swelled in my chest.

"**UZUMAKI NARUTO **_**IS HERE**_**!** **DATTEBAYO!**" Naruto loud obnoxious voice hollered. _No doubt about it, it was…_

"Naruto!" I cried, my eyes lighting up, just knowing that everything was going to be all right now, we couldn't possibly lose.

"**HA!** Now that I'm here everything will be all right!" Naruto cried happily. All my pain seemed to disappear and I couldn't care less about the stupid grin plastered on my face.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

"You know in stories, where the hero usually shows up at the last minute and kicks butt? Well that's what I'm gonna do right now dattebayo!" Naruto cried.

"God bless him" I said with a slight laugh. With Naruto, I always became optimistic. It was his gift to give people courage.

"Uh that brat again…" said Zabuza. Sasuke gave Naruto a _'Shut up you freaking baka'_ look while I went into a light giggling fit.

"**YOSH! YOU'RE HISTORY! KAGE BUNSIN NO JU--!**"

"**IIE!**" Kakashi shouted as Zabuza threw shuriken at Naruto. I stood up and rushed towards the edge of the mirror. "Naruto move!" Kakashi cried. I wouldn't be able to make it in time my hand reached towards Naruto, his eyes wide.

"**HAKU-KUN!**" I screamed. Haku threw senbon, pinning the shuriken to the side of the bridge stopping them from touching Naruto.

"They didn't get him" Sakura cried in surprise. I sank to my knees, relief washing over me.

"The weapons cancelled each other out, amazing! Now that's what I call lucky!" Tazuna cried.

"Naruto what do you think you're doing are you crazy!" Sakura shrieked, rounding on the blonde boy.

"This is a battle not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu! The shinobi's art is _**deception**_ always keep the enemy guessing! Even when doing a single jutsu, a ninja must distract their opponent, catch them off balance and out manoeuvre them! You just turn yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that!" Kakashi shouted.

"**AAAAH! GOMENASAI!! I WAS JUST TRYING TO RESCUE EVERYBODY**!!" Naruto screamed.

"But there's another mystery here" said Kakashi, looking round at Haku.

"Haku what do you doing listening to that girl!" Zabuza shouted.

"Zabuza, this boy, let me fight him my own way please" Haku said softly.

"**BRING IT ON**!" Naruto cried.

"Hn… So you want me to leave this to you? Is that it Haku? As usual you're to soft..." Zabuza said.

"Forgive me" said Haku.

"I'm warning you! One way or another I'm going to rip off that mask and tear you apart!" Naruto cried pointing at Haku. Kakashi took a step forward.

"Don't even think about it! You know the score Kakashi, if you go after Haku, I go after the bridge builder" said Zabuza. He chuckled evilly. "Relax Kakashi, sit back and enjoy the show, let's see how they do, one on one."

"That mask! And that bogus story! You were with Zabuza all along! You think you can get away with a stunt like that!" Naruto cried accusingly.

"Sumimasen, but as your sensei said, deceiving your opponent, catching them off guard, that is the art of the shinobi" Haku said. "Please don't take it personally."

Sasuke threw a kunai at Haku, hoping to catch him off guard. He leant back slightly and the kunai missed him by an inch. Naruto looked through the ice and shock and recognition shone in his azure eyes.

"Sasuke? Kari-chan?"

"I haven't forgotten about you. Not for an instant. Some warriors accept defeat gracefully, they know when they are beaten, others, do not. So be it, lets finish our battle then! To the death!" Haku said. I moved in front of Sasuke protectively. Haku hesitated, but then walked into the mirror.

"Hey! Where are you going!?" Naruto cried a slight whine in his voice. I had to force back a smile, annoyed Naruto had that effect on me.

"It's all right Naruto, we'll have our fight next" Haku said. Sasuke reached for a kunai.

"I'm behind you" Haku said, appearing in the mirror behind us. Images of Haku appeared on every mirror again. Senbon showered down on us again. Like before I pulled Sasuke into me shielding me as much as I could. We went flying back.

"**SASUKE-KUN! KARI-CHAN**!" Sakura cried in horror.

"**KARI-CHAN!**" Naruto cried. I coughed violently. Some senbon had embedded themselves into my chest. Sasuke held his shoulder.

"Sasuke, Kari, Naruto, think! You have to attack from the inside and outside at the same time!" Kakashi cried. Of course! If Naruto attacked from the outside and me and Sasuke attacked from the inside… We could do it!

"Hey! I snuck in here to save the both of you! Pretty cool move huh!?" A voice whispered into my ear. With a shriek I grabbed hold of Sasuke. Sasuke raised his fist glaring at Naruto with unsurpassed rage.

"**NARUTO! DON'T DO THAT!**" I cried, still shaken from the shock of being snuck up on.

"Naruto… you sneak up on your enemy, **not** your ally…" Kakashi sighed.

"**AGH! YOU'RE A COMPLETE LOSER! YOU'RE A SHINOBI! THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU MOVE!**" Sasuke shouted enraged at his fellow team-mate.

"**ANATA HA NANIMO MONDAIDESU KA?!** **YOU SHOULD THANK ME FOR COMING IN HERE TO SAVE YOU AND KARI-CHAN!**" Naruto shouted back. _What's your problem?_ Now's not really the time dear little voice inside my head…

"Arigatou Naruto-kun" I said, Naruto grinned at me.

"Naruto if we're both inside here grrr! **FORGET IT!** I've had it with your mistakes!" Sasuke cried.

"**AND I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR ATTITUDE! DATTEBAYO!**" Naruto retorted.

"**IM GONNA BANG THE BOTH OF YOUR HEADS TOGETHER!**" I shouted. Naruto scooted a safe distance away from Sasuke.

"**THAT'S IT!** I'm gonna destroy these mirrors right now!" said Sasuke doing hand signs.

"**WHAT THE HELL? YOU'RE ATTACKING WITH ME STILL HUGGING YOU?!"** _Wait why am I hugging him anyway? Oh yeah Naruto scared the crap out of me by sneaking up on us and ruining our plan._

"Katon!" Sasuke began.

"Wait a minute! What attack are you using?!" Naruto cried.

"These mirrors are made of ice, how do you destroy ice? Figure it out!" Sasuke cried. "Goukakkyu no jutsu!" he cried blowing a huge ball of fire.

"**YOU GO ALL WARM AND FUZZY!**" I cried in delight. When he blew fire, his body practically radiated heat. Inside this ice cage it's absolutely freezing. Therefore, I am not going to let go because he is lovely and warm. Well I wouldn't exactly say he's lovely, but he's warm, and right now, to my half-frozen self, that's what mattered.

"THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AT ALL!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the unfazed mirrors. _Well he probably made it a little warmer._

"You'll need much more heat than that to melt this ice" Haku said.

"Kari why are you still hugging that creep?" Naruto asked.

"Because he's nice and warm and I'm cold! Look—" I said. Sasuke's glare cut me off. "Nani?! It's true! Besides if Naruto joins our huddle we'll be warmer" Haku raised his senbon. "**KUSO! NARUTO! SASUKE GET DOWN! I CAN'T PROTECT YOU BOTH!**" I cried. Senbon flew from everywhere sending all three of us flying. We hit the floor hard, knocking the air from our lungs.

"Where is he? Where's the needle attack coming at us from?! Are they clones?!" Naruto cried. I threw up blood. "**KARI-CHAN!**" Naruto cried. That smack to the back didn't do my lungs any good, there was a sharp pain in the left one which made me worry my fractured rib may have punctured it. _Which is very, very bad in this situation._ "We've got to find the real one which one is it!?" Naruto cried desperately.

"Look into every mirror as hard as you like, you'll never learn the secret" Haku said. I glared at him.

"**OH YEAH?! KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!**" Naruto cried.

"No don't!" Sasuke cried, but it was too late and Naruto was already going to attack.

"A hundred mirrors, a hundred of me will smash them all! Then I'll find where you really are!" Naruto cried. Haku's flew between mirrors attacking the Naruto's. The clone's burst into smoke, leaving the real Naruto to fall onto me.

"These mirrors only reflect my image, allowing me to transport at light speed. Through my eyes, you appear to be moving in slow motion" Haku said.

"I knew it! It's a bloodline trait! Kekkei Genkai!" Kakashi cried from outside. I strained my ears, hoping to pick up a clue on how to defeat him. I heard Zabuza laugh.

"Kekkei genkai what is it?" Sakura asked.

"It's like my Sharingan, it has to be in your blood, you can't learn it, in your genetic code passed down from generation to generation within a single clan" Kakashi said.

"But that means..." said Sakura worriedly.

"Hai, even I can't copy that jutsu" Kakashi said. "There's no way to destroy it, and no way to stop him…"


	15. A Cold Farewell

**A/N: **First off, thanks for the reviews! Much love to you! I have a new obssession with the song "Room of Angels" from Silent Hill 4 (It's a freaking awesome song!!)

I read the review about confusion when I change character POV's. Usually the break signals a POV change, or the person's memory, or in this chapter's case, what's happening outside. But I'm really sorry about the confusion :( I just read other people's stories and the comments on them and some people preffered the POV to be shown in the writing and not shown at the top. Please share your views!

Also, I've made the mistake of falling in love with Haku's charachter all over again SO... do you think he should die or not? I don't know if I have the heart to kill him to be honest (he's so sweet bless his little heart) but seeing as you're the readers (and you rock) can you tell me what you think please? Then I'll make my decision.

**R&R!! x**

* * *

**A Cold Farewell**

"I couldn't break through, so what? I'm not giving up, that's not gonna stop me! I'm not gonna lose here, because I have a dream and no one's going to take it away from me!" Naruto cried. "Someday I'll be respected in my village, that's my dream! To be the greatest Hokage!"

"Dreams..." Haku said softly. "It was not my desire to be a shinobi... It's _painful_... I don't want to kill you, but if you advance I will have no choice. Then I will kill the kindness within my own heart and fully embrace the shinobi way, and there will be no mercy, no turning back. This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams collide. Now I must fight for my dream, as you fight for yours, please don't blame me, I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him, and I face death for him, so that his dream may become reality. That is my dream and for the sake of that dream if I must, I will act as a shinobi and take your lives." _Be strong Kari-chan, if not for yourself then for them._ That voice again, from when I created Kita…

* * *

"_Sasuke-kun! Kari! Naruto! Don't lose to that guy_!" Sakura cried from outside.

"_No Sakura, don't egg them on. Even if they were some way to be able to defeat that technique, they cannot defeat that boy_" Kakashi said.

"_What do you mean_?" Sakura asked. Zabuza laughed.

"_They don't yet have the strength in their own hearts to kill another person. That boy knows the true pain of being a shinobi... Unlike Kari, Naruto and Sasuke_" said Kakashi softly.

"_Exactly, a peaceful village like your own cannot produce a true shinobi, because you don't have to experience the most important part of being a shinobi; having to kill_" said Zabuza. I could feel a load of chakra starting to radiate off Zabuza.

"_Then... then, what can we do sensei!?"_ Sakura cried.

"_Sorry but, I'm going to end this instantly_" said Kakashi.

"_Sharingan_?" Sakura cried. I wished I was able to see Kakashi and know what's going on, but I could only look between the gaps in the mirrors which puts my guard down and makes me easier to attack. So I tried to piece together what was going on from the dialogue.

"_Sharingan_ _again? Is that the only trick you know?_" Zabuza scoffed.

"_**SENSEI**_**!**" Sakura cried. I hate not knowing what's going on. I won't know if they're hurt or if they need help. Kita and Tazuna are defenceless against Zabuza, if Kakashi and Sakura are out of the way they won't stand a chance.

"_You asked if it's my only trick, yet you're afraid of the Sharingan Zabuza..."_ said Kakashi.

"_A shinobi's supreme technique is not something that should be shown to an opponent over and over_" said Zabuza.

"_You should feel honoured. You're the only person who has seen it twice and there won't be a third time…"_

"_Even if you defeat me, you can't win against Haku. Even since he was a little kid I taught him all kinds of fighting skills, I passed down all my techniques to him and he further improved his own. The results; even facing the greatest adversity he had succeeded, without a heart nor fear of death, he is a fighting machine known as a shinobi and his jutsu surpass even mine, the terrifying ability of an advanced bloodline. I gained a high-quality tool for myself, unlike the scrap that follows you around_!" said Zabuza.

* * *

"I don't chicken out after failing once! I'll do it over and over!" Naruto cried, directing my attention back to my own battle. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried.

"Don't!" Sasuke cried. A fresh batch of Naruto's clones went flying towards the mirrors for a second time. Haku came out and attacked them. Then he threw senbon at me and Sasuke. Naruto's clones puffed into smoke and he fell to the floor.

"What is this?!" Naruto cried in frustration, trying to figure out what he did wrong. "One more time! Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried. Sasuke kicked water into the air.

"Can't you realise that it's useless?" Haku said. He jumped out the mirrors and attacked Naruto's clones as well as me and Sasuke. We fell to the ground again, exhausted.

"_You think those genin punks together can beat Haku? He's the ultimate, a battle tool of destruction_" Zabuza said.

* * *

"_Have you finished bragging? You're about to put me to sleep! Let's finish this, NOW!_" Kakashi cried.

"_Fine, but there's one more thing you should know, a little more bragging as you say. Did you really think our last battle was just win or lose? That I took your attacks like some genin? Haku was there hiding, watching every move you made, studying your sharingan. Haku can see a jutsu once and immediately devise a lethal counter attack, it's one of his... gifts" _Zabuza said._ "I've been waiting to see the look on your face when you learned your Sharingan has become worthless! You once said the same jutsu won't work on you twice, well now __**I'm**__ telling __**you**__ that... Ninja art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!_" Zabuza cried. From Sakura's gasps I guessed that he had disappeared.

"_Sense_i" Sakura said anxiously.

"_Sakura stay with Tazuna and Kita_" said Kakashi.

"_Follow my lead Tazuna-san and what ever happens stay close!_" Sakura cried.

"_All right I'll stay right behind you_" Tazuna replied.

* * *

"I know you need me Zabuza I'll finish them off quickly!" Haku said. It looks like he had been listening intently to the conversations also. Naruto did another clone jutsu. "He just wont give up!" Haku cried. Sasuke did hand signs.

Sasuke blew a huge fire ball at Haku, who easily dodged. Haku destroyed nearly all the clones. Predicting his next move Sasuke blew another fireball. Naruto fell down on to me again. All three of us breathed heavily. I noticed that Haku's clothes were slightly burnt and I saw Sasuke smirk.

"Sasuke…" I breathed, my eyes widening. The Uchiha could see Haku's movements!

I could hear the sound of metal clashing against metal and guessed that Kakashi and Zabuza were using kunai and shuriken.

* * *

"_Very skilful, as I'd expect from 'Kakashi the Sharingan warrior'_" said Zabuza.

"_The next time you see me will be the last time you see anything! Without your Sharingan, you're nothing!_" Zabuza cried. "_You wanted me to believe you could see through everything, even through time, but your prediction was wrong. I'm still alive. So you're a fraud Kakashi, you can't read the future and you can't read me! The Sharingan is just a cheap trick to make you seem more powerful than you are. I know now that your Sharingan has two separate elements; 'The piercing eye', which sees every little detail and 'The hypnotic eye' which mesmerises your opponent. Employing these abilities you can execute multiple jutsu in quick succession to make it seem like you could see into the future. First, with the piercing eye, you copy my movements instantly. This replication of movement makes me doubt my own thoughts. Once I was shaken, you infiltrated my mind, waiting for the slightest flutter to anticipate my actions, seeking out any hints to my next move. You time it precisely, waiting for the right moment. The instant my mind becomes unfocused, you create an illusion with your hypnotic eye, and you induce me to make hand signs while you were making the same signs so you seem to be copying me, when actually you're controlling my movements! Now that I know this, a very simple plan can defeat you. First, stop your piercing eye with zero visibility mist_" said Zabuza. I heard an oomph and Sakura gasp, meaning Kakashi was hit.

"_The mist is slowing my reaction time_!" Kakashi cursed. Zabuza chuckled.

"_Next, neutralise your hypnotic eye by keeping my own eyes closed. You can't bore into my mind if you can't look into my eyes_" Zabuza said.

"_Brilliant, except with your eyes closed you can't see me either_" said Kakashi.

"_You've forgotten who I am Kakashi. I'm Youkai no Kiri, master of the silent kill. I don't need to see, I can take you out by sound alone_!" Zabuza cried. My stomach churned with fear and worry, Kakashi-sensei couldn't use his Sharingan. Surely he has other techniques? But what if he doesn't?

* * *

"I was so close but I couldn't quite get to him!" Naruto growled in anger.

"Naruto can you do it again?" Sasuke asked. I stared at Sasuke in shock.

"Naruto's exhausted, you push him any more and he'll die!" I cried.

"Don't worry Kari-chan! Nothing can stop me, dattebayo!" Naruto cried. Sasuke smirked.

"We'll be out of here in no time, stop worrying." The mirrors glowed, signalling an incoming pour of senbon.

"Naruto, Kari, run for it! You have to get out and attack from the outside! **HURRY!**" Sasuke cried.

"All right you got it!" Naruto cried. We ran in opposite directions as fast as our needle numbed legs would allow us.

"You cannot escape!" Haku cried. I felt his fist collide with my chest. I heard a sickening crack as warm blood rushed out my mouth I hit the floor, rolled over then got back up and ran again in another direction.

"**YOU THINK** **YOU CAN KEEP ME HERE?! FORGET IT!**" Naruto cried, rushing towards the gap between two mirrors. Haku went flying towards Naruto.

"That's it! Katon: Goukakkyu no jutsu!" Sasuke cried. Haku dodged and flung a needle at the Uchiha boy. He then appeared in front of me.

"_Forgive me_."

"**KARI!**" Sasuke shouted. I was thrown back, flying into Sasuke. Sasuke had a senbon in his shoulder. I winced in pain holding my stinging side.

"I couldn't get through!" Naruto cried.

"That was good, Kari, Naruto one more time!" Sasuke cried. I could see he was just as tired as me and Naruto, but I had faith in him. He'd always helped me before, he wouldn't fail me now.

"Yeah let's do it!" Naruto cried. I struggled to my feet, wheezing slightly. "Kari-chan are you ok?"

"I'm fine, get going!" I cried. The three of us ran in different directions, determination burning on each of our faces.

"No more games, I have to stop this now! This time you'll stay down!" Haku cried. Senbon went flying towards Sasuke. Without thinking I ran in front of him.

"**KARI-CHAN!**" I blocked Naruto's as well. I fell to the ground on my side. Naruto crawled over to me. He put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me worriedly. "Kari-chan it'll be ok you'll see! Just a little longer and we'll be out of here!" _I hope you're right Naruto. We can't fight much longer…_

* * *

Outside, a worried Kakashi was trying to figure out where Zabuza would strike. He wanted to help his squad, the genin far too inexperienced to fight the Haku boy alone. But his client was the most vulnerable, and Sakura wouldn't stand a chance on her own.

"**THE BRIDGE BUILDER!"** Kakashi cried, realising Zabuza's target. The Youkai-nin appeared a few feet behind Tazuna. He pulled out his sword and charged, murderous intent dancing in his cold eyes. Kakashi appeared in front of Tazuna protectively.

"**TOO SLOW**!" Zabuza cried bringing his sword down. Sakura screamed in terror, the high pitched noise echoing through the fog.

"S-Sakura!" I cried, recognising her voice anywhere. I grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulder and pulled myself to my feet. "Naruto-kun! Sakura—she?!" I cried frantically, terrified for the pink-hired kunoichi.

"I heard Sakura-chan too" Naruto cried, his azure eyes swimming with intense anxiety. "I'll do something! Let's go!" Naruto cried. Naruto ran towards a gap in the mirrors. I got up and did the same.

"Useless actions" Haku said softly following us.

"Kari! Behind you!" Sasuke cried. It must have been a thousand needles that pierced my body, a thousand white hot needles tearing through my sensitive skin. I fell forward onto my front, pushing the old needles in deeper. I heard Naruto thud as he hit the ground having been attacked too. I grit my teeth against the pain, feeling my eyes burn, wanting to shed tears, wanting to ease the hollow feeling of hopelessness that began to fill me up.

"Escaping from here is definitely... impossible" Haku said.

"Can you stand Naruto, Kari?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah..." we both mumbled lifting our heads up. It was the heaviest press-up I had ever done, lifting my aching body up into a crouching position. I panted my arms and legs feeling like jelly.

"Don't waste anymore chakra that's what he wants!" Sasuke said.

"I know that!" Naruto cried. His head fell back down through exhaustion.

"Naruto-kun" I whispered sadly. I wanted to go to him and hold him until all his pain melted away. But we don't always get what we want. Naruto lay unconscious, defenceless against any attack.

"Now then let's finally settle this" Haku said. He threw needles at Naruto. Sasuke picked up one of the senbon that littered the floor of the icy dome and deflected each and every one. As soon as hope began to crawl back into my heart, Sasuke fell onto one knee, panting sweat sliding down his face.

_Just as we began to stand a chance… Is it really too late? Are we really going to die here?_

I had imagined reaching adulthood before death, achieving all that I dreamed for and enjoying my time in the world. I had wanted to go into animal care, having spent all my time raising dogs it had really given me a soft spot for the creatures of the world. I was going to pass my exams with a decent grade, go to college and study what I loved. I was going to move out and get a flat with one of my close friends and start building a life. I wanted to get married and have kids someday. _But was it too late now? After such little time in this place… Am I really going to die so quickly?_

There must have been a reason for me being brought here. Me, an average teenage girl, who had never shown any signs of being special. The only talents I knew I had were in art, but what's artistic talent got to do with the Naruto world? _Nothing._

_Maybe they brought the wrong person. Maybe it was all just a big mistake._ But I would never regret meeting Naruto. We'd become close so quickly. Sure, we didn't know everything about each other; sure, we hadn't known each other that long.

_But he made me happy. Made me feel confident and at ease._ He never pointed out my faults, never looked down on me because I was less experienced than me and since I had arrived, he made me feel at home in this strange place.

_Was Naruto going to die too?_

No, I couldn't let that happen. I don't care what happens to me as long as Naruto and the others make it. I never really belonged here in the first place. My team-mates, they have dreams, dreams they've worked so hard for…

_This can't be the end…_

"Get up you moron!" Sasuke shouted at Naruto.

"I know that… shut up…" Naruto mumbled, as for a moment he drifted back into consciousness. But he was unable to stay awake and once again fell prey to his exhaustion. Sasuke blocked some needles pushing Naruto out the way.

"He vanished, where? Where did he go?!" Sasuke cried looking around everywhere. "Naruto you better not pass out! I can't watch over you any more!" Sasuke cried hysterically. I wanted to help him, but my body felt so numb and heavy.

"I know that…" Naruto mumbled before fainting again. He was fighting so hard to stay conscious, but he had been tired from overdoing it yesterday.

"Looks like that kid has surpassed his own limits" said Haku, looking down at the worn young shinobi. Sasuke threw a senbon but it got deflected easily. "Spectacular, spectacular movement… You move very well, but this time I'll stop you" Haku said. Sasuke glared defiantly at him and I noted how he was gritting his teeth against the pain.

_Why can't I be more like Sasuke? Why can't I be that strong? If I was then I could help him, but all I am right now is a hindrance, someone in the way. I'm completely useless!_

"Your body, reflexes, ability to react, everything should already be at its limit!" Haku cried in surprise. His masked face turned to me. "Very well, I'll be merciful…"

I gasped as I was pulled from my laying position faster than I could comprehend. I heard someone distantly shout my name before I was plunged into bitter cold. Cold… cold… suffocating cold. The oxygen inside my lungs seemed to freeze as I attempted to draw breath, an imaginary hand clamped over my nose and mouth causing a horrible crushing pressure inside my chest. My hands clamped over my throat as I tried desperately to breathe. My eyes stung mercilessly, I blinked trying to ease it and noticed icicles clinging to my eyelashes. My arms wrapped round myself as I trembled, longing for a shred of warmth to free me from this icy torment.

The next instant Haku stood in front of me, his hand cupping the side of my cheek, his thumb gently brushing against my stinging skin. I opened my mouth but only managed a pitiful croak.

"I know it hurts Kari-chan, it hurts me too" he whispered softly. I struggled to mouth a word with my trembling lips, but found I couldn't. Haku pulled me close to him and I clung to him desperately, seeking warmth, any warmth. I didn't care how, but my blood was freezing inside my body, I would pass out soon and die from either hypothermia or pneumonia. But his body was cold. No warmth met my numb, grasping fingers. No warmth as his hand continued to caress my cheek. No… no warmth…

"It'll be over soon, there'll be no more pain" he soothed, whispering into my hair, where small flakes of snow clung. "Be strong, be strong Kari-chan."

"S-sc-ehh-rr-d d-ohh-n-n-t-t-t w-w-n-n-n-t-t d-d-d-i-i-e" I whispered through chattering teeth, my chapped dry lips splitting in the biting cold. Metallic blood filled my mouth, an ever so slight warmth.

"There's no need to fear death" Haku soothed, his other hand combing through my hair. I tried to speak again, but couldn't make an audible sound. I looked up at him through rapidly blurring eyes, unable to understand. With a shaking I reached up to touch his mask, tracing the crack where Naruto's shuriken had struck him.

"Oyurushikudasai... ai shitteru, arigatou Kari-chan" he sounded like he was on the verge of crying. Before I could so much as think, senbon were thrusted into my chest and a kick sent me flying out the mirror. Blood shot up my throat then through my dry lips. I watched it paint crimson patterns across a few of the mirrors. I could hear someone distantly call my name. _But who was it?_ I felt as though I was flying not falling. I would keep flying, I would spread my wings and shoot into the sky and everything would be right in the world. No one would be hurt. No one would be fighting. I was safe as long as I flew through the sky and my wings beat strong.

I felt arms catch me, strong arms that sent pain shooting through every nerve in m body. Yet I felt such safety in those arms. As long as they held me, no harm would ever come to me. The world held no horrors, there was no such thing as pain, sorrow or fear. I was protected in this persons hold and I would contentedly die in their arms, as long as they were the last things that I ever felt.

I could only see dark shadows, but through the dark fog I saw a silhouette. They slowly turned towards me and met my own gaze. Such intensity had never been felt in one look. Then without warning, the eyes burst with crimson, the iris of their eye blooming into a bright, blood red that stood out eerily in the darkness.

"Sono kataeha anata no meni shimasu" I repeated in a whisper. _The answer is within your eyes._ I forced my eyes open. I was lying beside the unconscious Naruto, his face peaceful, as though having a pleasant dream. He looked so content, so at peace. I felt a crooked smile spread across my lips and my tongue lightly grazed over them to give them a little moisture. All it did was make them sting even more. _At least they feel smooth again though…_

Turning my head a little I was able to see Sasuke. He had a strange aura coming off him and his fists were clenched in anger. _Did Haku say something to him?_ If my limbs weren't so heavy, if my body wasn't so numb I would reach out to him. His eyes were closed, as though he was struggling with his temper. His eyes shot open, an intense blood red as he glared at the Haku image directly in front of him. Haku gasped in complete and utter shock before crying one word. One word that made my heart leap with hope. One word that might just save us.

"_Sharingan_!"

If Kakashi was so well known for his Sharingan it must be powerful right? So Sasuke should be able to defeat Haku with it right?

"Those eyes... It can't be...The Sharingan!" Haku cried. "So you are also with a bloodline trait" Haku said, sounding far more serious. _That must mean he's worried, that Sasuke's a threat. _Sasuke was further away from us now and I noticed he was inching towards some more senbon. _He must have a plan; he'll be able to save us. He's the great Uchiha Sasuke after all! _

"Nani!" Sasuke cried suddenly. My heart froze inside my chest when I saw Haku coming for me and Naruto, senbon gleaming in both his hands. Naruto was unconscious he has no way of defending himself! "I won't make it!" Sasuke cried desperately, I looked round to see him running towards us as fast as he could, but we both knew, Haku was faster.

"Sasuke-kun" I whispered, as my eyes started to slowly close. _Maybe it's better this way; if I'm unconscious maybe… maybe I won't feel it. Keep fighting Sasuke, make sure Naruto makes it for me… _Shadows crept in from the corner of my eyes as I felt a tear slide down my face.

_I guess this is goodbye._

"Kari! **Kari!!**"


	16. Sasuke's Bravery

**A/N: **First off, thanks for the reviews! I still need opinions on Haku's fate, though I have thought about it.

'_Blaaaah_' means inside Kari's head, her thoughts.

_Italics _italics after japanese is the previous japanese in english.

The first half is how Kakashi's fight is doing. Because we all love him. The second part is within the mighty ice dome.

* * *

**Sasuke's Bravery**

"**KAKASHI-SENSEI**!" Sakura screamed.

"You were too slow Kakashi; did your desire to save them brats cloud your mind and make the mist even thicker for your Sharingan? Even with that impressive eye, your ability to read my movements is dimmed"" Zabuza said mockingly. "Let me enjoy this more Kakashi… I want to have more fun as I return the favour, don't worry about the brats; Haku should kill them soon, you can apologise to them with tears in the next world for lacking the strength to protect them" Zabuza laughed and disappeared into the mist.

"Sasuke-kun defeated?" Sakura said. She shook her head violently, forcing the thoughts out her mind. "This can't happen! Sasuke-kun won't be defeated by a guy like that so easily! Kari either! Nor Naruto!" Sakura cried. Kakashi could hear the worry in her voice and knew she was worried.

"Exactly... I believe in their strength... Naruto is the number one hyperactive, loudest ninja." said Kakashi.

"And Kari and Sasuke?" Zabuza asked.

"Sasuke is from the leaf's most outstanding clan" Kakashi said, pride clear in his eyes.

"You mean...?" Zabuza cried as realisation dawned on him.

"That's right; his full name is _**Uchiha**_ Sasuke. With the advanced bloodline of the Uchiha clan running through his veins, he is a genius ninja" Kakashi said.

"A survivor of that tragic clan... No wonder he's improved so quickly. But... It's the same for Haku" Zabuza said thoughtfully. His inevitable victory seemed to have a flaw. _The Uchiha could pose a problem… Heh, if he was more experienced perhaps._

"You're forgetting Kari, she's shows incredible potential. But it's not just physical strength…" Kakashi paused for a moment. "She draws strength from her heart." Zabuza scoffed. _The heart? It's an organ; feelings are useless apart from a source to draw motivation. _Kakashi shook his head with a slight chuckle. "You may find it preposterous, to think one's heart can give them strength. But those weak of heart will never make it far." Kita gave a light yip of agreement, eyes blazing with pride. Her Momma was strong!

"Still, Haku's secret jutsu has never been defeated by anyone. So I guess I should end this fight too" Zabuza said.

"Sakura! Stay here!" Kakashi cried in alarm, realising Zabuza was soon to strike.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah!" Sakura said. She had been slightly taken aback by Kita's sudden noise. She had forgotten the wolf was there. Kakashi swiftly ran into the mist, leaving Sakura alone. Alone to protect an old man, with assistance from a mere wolf cub.

* * *

I shot into a half sitting position in shock my eyes open wide. My lips were parted in a silent gasp that yearned to turn to a scream. I lay frozen, horrified. I barely noticed Naruto's groan, signalling he had finally regained consciousness. I couldn't feel relief, my heart… it hurt, it hurt!

"Geez you always just get in the way" Sasuke said his voice strained. Naruto grinned in amazement, his eyes widening in relief and admiration as he looked over at Haku laying on his front, Sasuke standing in front of his comrades having fended off the attack.

"**YOU** **DID IT SASUKE!!**" Naruto cried in delight. "**HE DID IT! LOOK KARI—**" Naruto stopped looking at me in confusion. "Kari-chan? Kari-chan what's wrong?" he asked, reaching over to gently nudge my shoulder. I didn't react, just stayed motionless, staring up at my Uchiha team-mate. "Kari-chan?" Naruto questioned again, following my gaze to stare at Sasuke. And then he understood. I heard his sharp intake of breath and felt him go rigid beside me. From the corner of my eye I could see his cerulean eyes widen in shock.

"What's with that face? You total moron" Sasuke said in a raspy voice, looking round at Naruto smirking slightly. Blood streaked from the corner of his mouth to the bottom of his chin and from his body protruded at least thirty needles.

"Why?! Why did you save me!?" Naruto screamed.

"Why?" I echoed faintly. I'd seen my death coming; I'd accepted it and prepared myself. I was going to jump at him at the last minute and protect Naruto. But he… But Sasuke… He…

"How should I know?" Sasuke asked with a slight snort. Now of all times memories shot through my mind, rushing at a million miles an hour. All my time spent with Sasuke and my team, a short yet sweet experience. I'd just begun to bond with Sasuke. It wasn't as quick as my friendship with Naruto but he'd looked after me since I arrived, explained things to me, he'd even opened up to me a little. And now… he…

"I hated you..." Sasuke said softly, his dulling eyes staring blankly at Naruto.

"But why!? Why me?!" Naruto cried. "I never asked for your help!" Naruto shouted, I could hear the slight crack in his voice, any moment now, Naruto was going to cry.

"If I didn't... _Kari would_..." Sasuke said, facing back to the front. Naruto stared at me almost accusingly, as though blaming me for this. _But it was my fault. If it wasn't for me, we'd never be in this mess. _

"But… Why?" I whispered, my throat was sore by an expanding lump. I wouldn't cry, it's the last thing anyone needs. Why? Why am I so weak!? I should have been able to protect them?! Why am I here if I'm so useless!!

"I don't know... my body just moved on its own... idiots..." Sasuke whispered. He swayed slightly before falling back, no longer having the strength to stand. With a light cry I caught his dead weight, shifting him so that his head and shoulders rested in my lap. I ignored the stabbing pain as the needles in his body stabbed into my thigh. It didn't matter. I bit my lip feeling my eyes become wet, struggling not to look away and break down.

"That man... my brother... I told myself I wouldn't die until I killed him..."

"You will Sasuke, you will. Just wait and see" I said softly, brushing his bangs away from his face as I lightly choked on my breath, my chest becoming painfully tight. His eyes shut and he lightly sighed. "No Sasuke… please… you can't… you've got to avenge your clan remember? You've got to kill your brother!" I squeaked desperately, my tears coming close to spilling free.

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open, but they were more distant than before, a heavy fog glazed over them, destroying the beauty of the deep onyx and making them look plain and empty. I yearned for his Sharingan, so bright and strong, filled with such strength and fire. So different to this…

"Kari…" he mumbled. Naruto turned away and I hear him stifle a sob. I wanted to reach out and pull him into an embrace, but feared Sasuke slipping away too much to move.

"Please Sasuke…" I lightly hiccoughed as tears began trailing down my face. "Please don't leave me" I hated myself for being so selfish. I was forcing him to endure the pain so I could be pitiful and cry all over him. Unable to stop myself I bent down and pulled him into an embrace, silent sobs wracking through my body. I was afraid of causing him pain but absolutely terrified that should I let go he would slip away.

I was never one to wail at the top of my lungs for all to hear. Whenever I cried, I would cry in silence and solitude, hiding my tears and the shame of my weakness. Yet I couldn't hold them in and now they wouldn't stop.

Senbon pierced my body but I didn't care. Sasuke was dying and it was all my fault. I heard Sasuke softly grunt in pain. I slowly began lifting myself up, choking out a pathetic apology. I rubbed my eye with the back of my hand slightly confused that blood was smeared across it instead of salt water. _But that didn't matter. _Sasuke's arm slid across my back pulling me back down in a form of comfort. In his disorientation he accidentally brushed his lips against mine.

"Don't cry baka, it doesn't suit you… It's better when… you… smile…" he whispered. In plain language it was simply. '_Get a hold of yourself woman'_ but Sasuke didn't seem to have the strength to be angsty.

I turned to Naruto, crying heavier than ever. Naruto had managed to hold it in, but was obviously struggling, his fists clenched in his lap. He crawled over to us, seeing that I had finished with my goodbye.

You..." Sasuke said reaching out to Naruto. "Don't you… dare… let... her die" he said. Naruto opened his mouth to speak but Sasuke's eyes slowly closed and his tense body became limp in my arms.

"S-Sas-suke?" I whispered gently shaking his shoulder. "Sasuk-ke y-you…" Realisation began to sink in. "No…" I said, shaking my head. "No… no, Sasuke…" I said as my tears flooded down my face. "S-**Sasuke!**" I cried, desperate for some movement to say he was ok, for some sign he was still alive. He… He couldn't be. He wasn't dead… He couldn't be gone…

"Kari-chan" Naruto said softly, his hand sliding over mine which was clutching to Sasuke's shirt for dear life. His warmth was painful against my icy skin, it stung. But not as much as my heart stung. It was as though every needle in my body had shot through my muscles and organs, my skin an bones, embedding themselves directly into my heart.

"He's not… He can't… He…" I whimpered, staring at his frighteningly pale face. Unable to bear it I handed him to Naruto. He hadn't been able to say a proper goodbye to his rival, his best friend. I'd stolen those precious moments, that last chance to say what he wanted to say. I wouldn't blame him if he hated me forever.

Drawing in a shaky breath I forced myself to stand. I swayed _just like he did_ but held myself steady. I was staring intently at Haku, who had once again melted into the mirror._ He killed him… He killed Sasuke…_

"He... to protect a precious person, and knowing it was a trap he was still able to jump in. He was a shinobi that deserved respect." Haku said softly. "Is this the first time a friend of yours has died Kari-chan?" Haku asked. "This is the way of the shinobi." Naruto was so numb with shock he could barely move, but he managed two words.

"Shut up" Naruto said, his voice was trembling, but it was more from rage than grief. "Sasuke... I hated you too" he sounded about to cry, he walked until he stood beside me, his hand grasping my own. I squeezed back, the both of us needing comfort. To know someone was there. Softly I began to sing.

"Watahiga maeni uso wotsukusairento

Koorini shiroiyukino samusa

Watashiha kotaeru hitsuyouga nakunarimasu

Anata no tamashiiha jiyuu ni iku"

_You lie silent there before me_

_Cold as ice white as snow_

_You no longer can answer me_

_Your soul is free to go_

'_Let it out child, let all the pain free'_

"To kurayamidentenji chuu

Ashitaha amarini kurai

Sonzaishinai watashino mekara miru

Anata ha watashino gawani"

_And the darkness closes in_

_Tomorrow seems so dim_

_Nonexistent in my eyes_

_Without you by my side_

'_It hurts doesn't it? Feed of your pain! Destroy the cause!'_

I felt winds pick up around me and Naruto and energy burst forth from our bodies. The energy pushed against us, trying to push us away from each other, but our grip simply tightened until painful, refusing to let go.

"I'll never forgive you" Naruto growled, his whiskers becoming more prominent on his face, his canines lengthening.

"Riido shite tenshitachi ni michi

Ha anata no yuuwakuni gotaizai desu ka?

Kixyoufukara tookuhanareta tokoro

Kixyouyousare te iru toiawase"

_The angels lead your way_

_Are you tempted to stay?_

_Far away from the horrors _

_That have been forced upon us_

'_Let it out… Let __**me**__ out…'_

I felt strange sensations in my shoulder blades, at the bottom of my spine and the top of my head. It was almost as though something had burst out of me. I felt a horrible stinging in my fingers and in my gums, and especially in my eyes. Glancing at Naruto I was shocked to notice how beast-like he appeared, his beautiful blue eyes replaced by an angry red. His hair stood on end and claws had formed from his once short nails. _He looked frightening. _I would have been shocked if it wasn't for the adrenaline and uncontrollable rage pumping through my veins.

"Watashino aisuru don tokurai namidawonagasu

Watashiha suguni anata no shino tekiwoutsu

Watashiha watashitotatakautotatakauhitsuyouga ari masu

Watashino saigo no iki woshuurixyousuru made mataha."

_Don't cry my dear, no tears_

_I'm soon to avenge your death_

_Fight I will and fight I must_

_Until the end or my last breath._

"I'll kill you!" Myself and Naruto screamed in unison, but our voices were different as if voices spoke at the same time as ours. Gold black white and red tinted the air around us, swirling round our bodies like a slowly turning tornado. Naruto's chakra was a fiery reddish orange while mine was gold black and white. The black tinted with red was most noticeable among the gold and white.

"What? This Chakra... It's impossible, chakra can't change like this! Such evil chakra" Haku said in horror. Above Naruto the chakra formed into the shape of the nine tailed foxes head. Needles shot out of Naruto, steam rolling off his freshly healed wounds.

"The cuts on his hand they're healing!" Haku cried. My wounds on the other hand weren't healing but they're pain numbed being nothing compared to the pain in my heart. "This boy... this girl... Who—Or **what** are they!?" Haku cried.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**lil-lostii:** That'll be up to you readers to decide a lot later on. It's originally a Sasuke story, but I'm open to suggestions.

& Kage no Akatsuki this is for you, thank you for all the support.

**R&R **foruptates and my eternal gratitude. No flames, criticism is welcome however. Thanks for reading!


	17. Loss of Hope

**A/N:** Thank you so much to my dearest reviewers, know that this fanfic is all for you :)

* * *

**Loss of Hope**

Zabuza and Kakashi spun round, staring in the direction of the ice dome, the light and colours penetrating through the thick fog.

"Is that Zabuza?" Kakashi whispered. "No… that terrible chakra... No, more than one chakra... Four incredible chakras... Could it be?!"

"What are these chakra's? Kakashi? No... Far, far too powerful for him... where's it coming from?!" Zabuza said.

"Naruto! This puts everyone in danger now of all times the seal has broken" Kakashi cried in horror. "But wait... that other mixture of chakra... it's almost like _KARI_! But what... what on earth could have that power? She's a jinchuuriki no doubt, but it has three different chakra's… unless... she can't be! The legend of the tri-canine!" Kakashi cried. "So that's why she was brought here, that's why she learns so fast, that's why her intelligence is so high… With their power—I have to stop them!"

* * *

Mine and Naruto's chakra disappeared, hovering around us instead of swirling in the air above us. I could feel the chakra flowing through my veins, my body pumping with high levels of adrenaline. Growls came from both our throats, vicious like that of some terrible beast. Through our shadows we could see how we became so much wilder looking.

We ran at Haku simultaneously, rage and pain filling our hearts as we ran side by side. We would make him pay… Make him regret ever laying so much as a finger on our brave comrade… On our friend.

"The bloodlust in their eyes... these are no longer children" Haku cried in horror. He threw senbon at us but it was in vain, our chakra simply blasted them away. I felt as though myself and Naruto were one, but split in half. "Their chakra grows stronger every second, I must strike now!" Haku cried. Senbon pierced our bodies. Naruto's flew out of him but mine stayed put. I didn't want my injuries to go away. Physical pain meant nothing to me. It was the pain in my head, in my heart, that would never leave me. We both ran to opposite mirrors and smashed them to pieces with one punch. It was like a thin flimsy mirror to us now, instead of ice like a brick wall. The sharp fragments similar to glass embedded into my skin. Haku dived down at Naruto, seeing this I grabbed hold of his leg and punched him in the gut. His speed was nothing to me now, if anything he looked slow. "Impossible!" Haku cried. He tried to get to a mirror but I grabbed his arm pulling him to face me as I growled menacingly. "Those eyes!" he cried in terror.

* * *

"Could it be... the seal has been broken? No it's been loosened and an amount of the Kyuubi's chakra has slipped through, the seal still holds" Kakashi said. "Kari... what's happening to her?" He had only ever heard of legends, he had believed such creatures were myths, such power preposterous. Now he wished he'd studied harder on the different types of bijuu, whether they were classed as myths, legends or real… Kakashi shook off these thoughts, deciding the quicker he got rid of Zabuza, the quicker he could assist his squad. But he was worried… what had happened in ther…? And what's going on with Sasuke? With two demons on rampage the Uchiha's in real danger… Kakashi quickly pulled out a scroll. He cut his thumb and pulled it across the bit of scroll he had opened, leaving a streak of blood across the middle.

"Zabuza! I don't mean to spoil your fun; I know how you like to stretch these things out. But how about we put an end to this now?" Kakashi said as he waved the scroll around him, preparing for his jutsu. He caught the scroll and made a hand sign. "C'mon what do you say? We're both busy people."

"Hm interesting, I'm tempted to see how you'll back up such brave words **SHOW ME KAKASHI!**" Zabuza cried.

* * *

Haku was struggling against mine and Naruto's chakra. But with my firm grip on his arm he couldn't go anywhere. Mirrors smashed all around us from the force of our chakra.

"I can't—! Their energy is too strong!" Haku cried. Naruto clenched his hand into a fist and pulled it back. It glowed with a red chakra. He punched Haku in the face with unnatural strength, sending him flying through his ice mirror. The remaining ice mirrors glowed and fell to pieces, the shining shards raining down around me and Naruto. Haku slowly stood up. He managed to pull himself to his knees before finally reaching a standing position. Me and Naruto raced towards him, intending to destroy the cause of the pain we felt. Haku's mask had a huge vertical crack down the centre of it, slowly it split in half. One half fell off his face almost in slow motion, revealing the blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth, his hazel eyes blank and confused. Then the other followed.

Naruto aimed another punch but I grabbed his wrist stopping him an inch from Haku's face. Naruto returned to normal, and from the sensations in my body I'm guessing I was too.

"So that guy in the woods… that was you?" Naruto asked confused. I could hear the hurt in his voice, the betrayal.

"Why do you not strike? Did you not just vow to avenge your comrade's death by killing me? Or was that vow just empty words?" Haku asked, his face relaxed with a deep depression.

I looked back at Sasuke. I could feel the tears sting my eyes. Crying wouldn't bring him back. Nothing would. Naruto punched Haku with his other arm, the other still tightly in my grasp. Haku coughed up blood. "No... That wont do, you're still holding back. If that the only strength you can put into it, you can never keep your vow. Perhaps he didn't mean as much to you as you pretend" Haku said. "To show mercy to those who oppose the one you serve, to allow his enemies to live when you could strike them down, this is not compassion; it is a betrayal of life's very purpose. For what reason do you exist then? You're of use to no one, your life has no meaning it is mere existence day after day of pain and struggle signifying nothing" Haku said.

"Speak for yourself!" Naruto cried.

"Are you really that blind little one? I of speaking for myself this day has shown I am no longer of any use to Zabuza" Haku said softly. My heart clenched painfully. He'd failed Zabuza; he's of no use to his master now. Zabuza or Oinin will kill Haku.

"Zabuza?! Why that guy anyway!? Devote your life to a rotten skunk who doesn't know the meaning of the word honour!" Naruto cried. "He's the only person who matters to you… man that's the sorriest thing I've ever heard!" Naruto sounded chocked as though tears were springing to his eyes again. Haku looked at me, I saw something warm in his empty eyes and immediately understood. He didn't have to say anything. What Naruto just said was wrong. He cared about me as well. That's why he took so long killing us, that's why I'm still alive.

"There were once other's who mattered to me. Long ago... my father, and my mother, I was born in the land of water, in a small village where the snow lies deep in winter. My parents were farmers and very poor, but we were content my parents were good to each other and kind to me. Yes, we were happy once, but then everything changed. Because of something that happened long before I was even born, everything changed…" Haku said, looking distant as though lost in thought.

"W-What do you mean!? What was it what happened?" Naruto cried.

"It wasn't my doing, it is in the blood" Haku said, as though trying to make up an excuse for something, trying to say it wasn't his fault.

"Blood?" Naruto said confused. "So what was it? You said something happened that changed everything!"

"It was... my father who changed, he killed my mother and he almost killed me" Haku said, he looked up, his eyes so empty they were almost frightening. "After years of suffering in the civil war, my people had come to fear and hate anyone who carried kekkei genkai in their blood" Haku said.

"Kekkai Genkai?" Naruto said.

"The advanced bloodline trait of a clans jutsu and abilities passed down from generation to generation, because of their unique abilities the clans were used as merciless adversaries. They fought many battles and were much feared. But when the wars were over they were despised and shunned by the people, they feared their presence would only bring more war and misfortune. So it was after these wars that the clans went into hiding. Denying the bloodline trait that flowed in their veins. Concealing the blood that ran through their veins. Knowing to be discovered meant certain death. If you had searched that boy's memories, I'm sure you would have found it there too" Haku said, nodding as Sasuke's motionless form. "The cruelty of people, hating things they do not understand... For years my mother was successful in hiding her bloodline trait, she met and fell in love with a simple farmer they married and after that my mother thought she'd lead a peaceful ordinary life until the end of her days, but my father had seen he knew our secret my mothers and mine... When at last I was myself again I was no longer myself, my father and mother were gone, but I knew some thing else had been taken from me, something even more important, and that is when I truly despaired…" Haku said.

"More important than your mother and father?! What?" Naruto cried.

"My purpose. In all the world there was no one who needed me I was... unnecessary" Haku said sadly. I noticed understanding appear on Naruto's face, showing he understood such feelings, he knew how it felt to be unwanted and unneeded. "Why is it you're so determined to be Hokage? You want all eyes in your village to look on you and recognise you as a great ninja. You see it is only through the eyes of others, that our little lives have any significance. If there is no one who sees you or that will even look at you, it's as if you don't exist. Then Zabuza came along and looked at me and his eyes were full of neither hate nor fear. He didn't shun me for my strangeness. Indeed my special powers were just what he wanted... he made me necessary again... I was happy... I have failed you Zabuza... I am like a weapon that has been broken and is of no further use" Haku said sadly. He walked towards us, stopping a few inches away from us. "Naruto, Kari-chan... Kill me."

* * *

"Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" Kakashi cried slamming the scroll into the ground.

"I don't know why you bother what use is your jutsu if you can't even find me but I can find you blindly falling into my trap, you disappoint me Kakashi, I think you're right, it _is_ time to put an end to this... huh?!" Zabuza said. The ground was rumbling from a violent earthquake. A dog burst out the grand and tried to bite Zabuza's foot another grabbed his other foot. Dogs burst out the ground with vicious growls and snarls charging for Zabuza.

"That dreadful noise what could it be!" Tazuna cried, hearing the growling in the distance. He was sure it was some dreadful beast of sorts.

"I don't know and I'm not sure that I want to find out!" Sakura said. Kita whined softly. The wolf had stayed silent staring intently into the fog where she could sense her mother. Her black nose twitching at he familiar scent. She had been tempted to run and help, but stayed put. Her mother had told her to stay with Tazuna and that's what she was going to do. Besides, her Okaasan doesn't want her to get hurt and would only worry if she ran into battle. After all, she is still small. She looked in a different direction, ears twitching, staring through the dense fog where the growling was coming from.

"I realised if I couldn't see you I'd have to smell you out, that was a summoning jutsu, I was calling forth my ninja hounds they can track a scent anywhere" Kakashi said. The ninja hounds were holding on to Zabuza with their teeth. Zabuza couldn't move, the dogs sharp jaws holding him firmly in place. "When you attacked me I _let_ you get past my guard. I _wanted_ you to cut me. You see, it's the smell of my blood on your blade that led them to you. Surprised? Looks like I wasn't the only one who was blind, falling into my trap, you disappoint me Zabuza" Kakashi said. "Ah the mist is finally clearing and you know what I see? Your death"

"Talk! Talk! Talk! You mean to talk me to death!" Zabuza said annoyed.

"In a way, yes. My hounds are just playing with you, but one word from me and they'll tear you apart. Oh Zabuza, see where your ambitions got you? You were always pushing things too far" Kakashi said simply. There was the failed Mizukage assassination for example… You were forced to flee with the few followers you had, your country's tracker ninja hot on your heels. You became a rogue ninja, whose name was quickly known even in Konohagakure no Sato. Now your fool enough to try it again. But for it you needed money and stooped so low as to be a hired thug from a swine like Gato… All right Zabuza, enough talk, time to finish it. But not with Sharingan mutations of some other ninja's tricks no it's time I introduced you to..." Kakashi made a hand sign. "My own jutsu!" Kakashi made a number of hand signs, so fast they blurred together. Blue chakra appeared in a ring around his feet. From this chakra lightning formed into his hand. "**RAIKIRI**! I wont allow you to kill Tazuna! He's a brave man with a noble dream, the bridge he's building is the hope of his land and all it's people. You're like a disease, by attacking one you affect all. You don't care. That is **NOT** the way of the shinobi" Kakashi said.

"You're right I don't care! It's just useless little people with their petty little dreams! Why should they matter to me, I have a dream of my own!" Zabuza cried.

"But to have a dream you need a future, you don't. Your future's all used up Zabuza."

* * *

"Go on... strike; kill me, why do you hesitate?" Haku said softly. My eyes in shadow, hidden by my golden bangs. I slapped Haku round the face without hesitation, determined to knock sense into him.

"You BAKA! What do you think you're doing saying things like that!? Sasuke—Sasuke died because you fought so hard to protect your dream and you give up so easily!?" Haku flinched, guilt shining in his eyes.

"Gomen—"

"There are people out there who you could help, who would love and cherish you for your kindness and you can't see anything but Zabuza! He's not the only damn person in the world! I care about you and I'll be damned if you started a new life other people would too! You can look after yourself, you're not a child! You're not a slave!"

"That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard! I mean he treats you like a slave, you're a human being not a weapon or a tool how can you care about someone like that!?" Naruto shouted in agreement.

"For that very reason. Does it seem that strange to you?" Haku asked.

"Well yeah, a little" Naruto admitted, his anger struggling to stay with him at the sight of Haku looking so hopeless.

"When he found me I was without a purpose or reason for living. Zabuza gave me both, but now my usefulness is over the only thing that gave my life meaning… it's gone. I'm a broken tool, a blunted weapon with no use to anyone. Go on do it for both of our sakes" Haku said softly. I could feel tears well up in my arms and unable to look at that sad lost expression any longer, I instead turned to face Naruto.

"No Naruto-kun... I can't let him die... He doesn't deserve it…" My voice cracked slightly as I felt a tear slide down my face. Naruto seemed taken aback, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Kari-chan… don't cry anymore" he begged, seeming lost at the sight of my tears. He wanted to comfort me, but he was so torn up inside he needed comfort himself.

"Kari please..." Haku pleaded softly, his hand grasping my shoulder. His touch was gentle and comforting, but it only made me feel worse. Why does it have to be him? What's he ever done to deserve this? "Kari-chan, if you care about me, if you care about Naruto, if you care about that Sasuke boy please... do it... quickly" he said. My shoulders shook as I struggled not to breakdown into a sobbing mess before them. Why? With the hand that was still on my shoulder, Haku gently moved me out of the way, giving Naruto a clear shot to attack.

I felt a strong burst of chakra, it was like… lightning? It was more concentrated than fire and had an electrical charge. A horrid sense of foreboding clutched my heart as I looked away.

"Go on finish it kill me!" Haku cried. Naruto took a step back, pure horror etched onto his pale face. "Why do you hesitate? I thought you wanted to be a mighty warrior?"

"That's not all there is to it! Do you believe it's only fighting and killing until only one man is left standing?! There's a lot more to being a shinobi than that and there are other ways of showing your strength than just by beating someone in battle!" Naruto cried.

"I've had a feeling since the moment us three met, we're a lot alike… I know you know what I mean" Haku said. "I'm only sorry that it is your hand that must be tainted with my unworthy blood" Haku said.

"You are not unworthy, you're the purest person I've ever met" I muttered.

"You're sure about this? And you're positive it's the only way" Naruto asked.

"Yes" Haku replied softly.

"The only weird thing is that if we met in another time and place we could have been friends..." Naruto said. He ran at Haku pulling out a kunai. Haku closed his eyes. Red tears streamed down my already bloodstained face as I shut my eyes tightly, resisting the urge to clamp my hands over my ears so I wouldn't hear his scream...

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**REVIEW!**


	18. Death

**A/N:** Thanks again to those lovely people who reviewed! I love you dearly! As usual, the chapter is dedicated to the reviewers, who know who they are. Also, I had a comment saying that said people aren't too keen on first person, thankyou for your views! **Please take the poll on which view you prefer** (1st, 2nd, 3rd) so I'll know what thew vast majority think. Depending on the most popular choice I'll edit my writing, it's no problem :)

* * *

**Death**

"Finally, I think this blasted fog is lifting" Tazuna said, sighing with relief, this must be a good sign, the sooner he could see clearly the safer he would feel. Sure, he didn't stand a chance against the assassin, but being able to see would make him feel better. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face a few minutes ago. Kita whined on the man's shoulder, her ears back and her eyes wide. In her little heart she knew that something bad was going to happen, something really bad.

"Momma..." she said softly. She knew it was to do with her dear Okaa-san too. She had a connection with her Momma and knew she was in trouble. She wished she was bigger, and then she might be of some use.

"Look they're standing still like they're squaring off!" Sakura cried, able to notice two silhouettes in the distance. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Zabuza and her sensei, and if Kakashi's still standing, then it must be a good sign. Especially if he's found Zabuza and the fogs lifting.

"Huh? I can't see a thing!" Tazuna cried. Peering through his glasses, his eyes not as sharp as the young kunoichi's.

"Which one's of them's Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, her eyes narrowing in an identical way to Tazuna's. She was trying to see clearer; Zabuza was taller and more bulky, while Kakashi had his unique hair. She gasped suddenly, as she noticed one of the jonin running towards the other. "One of them's moving!" she cried. She desperately wanted to know what was happening, but daren't leave Tazuna's side. She knew if Zabuza was perfectly fine and Kakashi was seriously hurt she'd just get in the way. But it didn't stop her wishing she could do something. Sakura mentally slapped herself. She was protecting the client! What's more important than that?! Her eye's travelled in the direction of the ice-dome that was still shrouded by mist. _Sasuke-kun…_

Naruto charged clutching his kunai tightly, his knuckles pearly white. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were incredibly watery. Haku's eyes closed as a peaceful look spread across his face. He was sorry that it had to be Naruto and Kari, whom he had become fond of in the short time he had known them. But at least this way they would be able to set him free. He could go see his dear mother again. Haku gasped his eyes snapping open as a shock ran through his body. His heart froze in his chest, knowing what he had to do. Haku caught Naruto's kunai as the boy went to strike, his hazel eyes determined, lit with a fire few had seen.

"Sorry Naruto change of plan" Haku said, glancing into the mist as he raised his hand in a hand sign. "I'm not ready to die quite yet" He shot into an ice mirror so fast it was as though he suddenly disappeared. I had sensed Kakashi's attack and knew exactly what Haku was going to do. No way. I was **not** going to let Haku die. He didn't deserve this. With a burst of inner strength chakra pooled down my thigh until it reached my feet. With an inhuman burst of speed I hurtled towards Haku's doom, the world around me a complete blur.

* * *

A blast of wind came from the direction of the two jonin. Sakura cried out, her arms immediately rising to shield her face from the fierce winds.

"**WHAT THE DEVIL?!**" Tazuna cried holding tight to Kita so the little wolf didn't get blown away. With a horrifying shriek, Kita's voice rang over the sound of the fierce wind from the attack.

"_**MOMMAAAAAAA!!**_"

* * *

Blood splashed onto Kakashi and Zabuza and painted the floor a sickening red. The ninja hounds disappeared one by one in small poofs of smoke. Kakashi stared horrified at the sight before him.

Haku had jumped in front of Zabuza and Kari had dived in front of the Haku boy.

Kakashi's attack had gone straight through the small girl, leaving a gaping hole with burned, bleeding flesh around it and Kari being so small; his Raikiri had also gone half way through Haku. The attack had forced Kari into him and their lips had collided. They came apart and vomited blood, the red liquid soaking the fronts of their bodies. Haku grabbed one of Kakashi's arms, holding it in a vice like grip.

"_Za...bu...za_..." he whispered weakly, his voice hoarse.

"**KAAARRIII!!**" Sakura screamed, tears flying from her face. Tazuna stared in horror. _She was so young, so, so young. She was only four years older than Inari, she's just a little girl…_ Kita was struggling against him crying out to her mother in desperation.

"_OKAA-SAN! OKAA-SAN! MOMMA! MOMMAAAA!!"_

"So my future is all used up huh? Wrong again Kakashi..." Zabuza said mockingly. The light slowly left the young boys eyes as he looked at me. A smile was on his beautiful face as he left this world, finally finding his freedom.

* * *

"Oro? Nani? Where'd they go?! Huh? Hey!?" Naruto whined in confusion, one moment Haku and Kari had been in front of him, the next; they were gone! "Huh? The fogs lifting!" Naruto cried in relief, looking around he noticed four shapes in the fog. "Wait is that them?" A trademark Naruto grin lit up his face and he ran towards the four figures. _They've stopped; Kari must have talked sense into Haku._ As the figures began to sharpen Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks, his azure eyes wide.

"No... no... no... It can't be!" Naruto whispered. Kakashi had his hand through Kari and was also hitting Haku. It took a moment for Naruto's brain to register the scene in front of him. _Blood… everywhere, _**EVERYWHERE! **_Haku's blood, Kari's blood!—_Kari! Tears stung Naruto's eyes and a terrible pain shot through his heart. A horrible suffocating pain that filled him up and made him want to vomit. _This wasn't happening, it couldn't be! _Naruto's legs shook underneath him. If he didn't run towards them, then his legs would give way and he would fall to his knees. He needed to see her, but feared what he would see.

"**N-NO! KAAARRIII!!**" Naruto screamed, his hands flew to his face, he peered through his fingers his eyes wide. His usually warmly tanned face was the colour of fresh snow. _She would be ok right? A week of resting and she'd be fine! All she needed was some bandages didn't she?!_ Naruto's hands went over his ears as he trembled from head to toe, tears sliding out from his eyes. _No way… There was no way his Kari was dead._

"The boy threw himself in front of my attack! He saved your worthless life at the cost of his own… But Kari... I just don't understand" Kakashi said weakly. His squad member; dear sweet little Kari who could always bring a smile to his face, who though inexperienced persevered through her training showing incredible improvement, who dared to stand up to _the_ Uchiha Sasuke when he put Naruto down, whose kindness became her downfall. His dear little apprentice, the warm-hearted kunoichi with potential to be a great ninja, she threw herself in front of his attack. She was smart enough to know what was going on, her high intelligence was near Sakura's though experience gave the pink-haired kunoichi the advantage. She proved her bravery and strength, her extreme loyalty. He had seen her struggle to shield Sasuke, even now he could see the lethal senbon sticking out of her body and the cuts that grazed her porcelain skin and tore her clothes. He had seen through the gap in the mirrors such hope, an innocent, childish smile that spread across her face when Naruto arrived. She fought so hard trying to protect everyone. But that's impossible… Now, she and the Haku boy, whom with her small hands she clutched for dear life, even in death holding tight to his kimono… they were undeniably dead...

Zabuza laughed maniacally, making Kakashi's stomach churn and his blood boil. _How dare he laugh over the loss of his comrade! How dare he laugh over the loss of mine! Their children for Kami sake! Their lives had barely begun; Kari had told me on the way to the Wave country of how when she got back she was going to do so many things. She was innocent and naïve! How can he laugh over their death! It's sickening!_

"Well done Haku" he said. I glared at him enraged. Did he have no heart whatsoever? He pulled out his sword, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

"**KAKASHI-SENSEI! KARI! WATCH OUT**!" Sakura screamed, from somewhere in the distance. She must not have realised Kari can't hear her… Kakashi's eyes widened. Zabuza was going to hack through the boy who had just saved his life to take him down! And he'd go straight through Kari as well!

"I knew I found a treasure when I found you boy! You've not only given me your life, but Kakashi's as well!" Zabuza cried in delight. The grey-haired Jonin quickly put his arm round the boys back. As Zabuza attacked he jumped up with Haku and Kari. The kunoichi safely held between Haku's body and his own. Zabuza laughed again.

"Not bad for having two corpses in your arms!" Zabuza cried. Naruto took a step forward his fists so tight a light trickle of blood ran down his palms.

"You'll pay for that!" Naruto cried. "_She's not dead_ do you hear me?!" There were tears in his eyes and my heart truly went out to him. He'd really bonded with the kind-hearted kunoichi, she accepted him in an instant, loving him like a brother until the end. Her time was far too short; Naruto never got a chance to really know her. It wouldn't be surprising if they had fallen in love at some point in their future. He cared so much about Kari. "**SHE'S NOT DEAD!!"** he screamed, he went to run at Zabuza, the young boys blue eyes flickering red for a mere moment.

"**NO!** Stay out of this Naruto!" Kakashi said angrily. He completely understood how Naruto felt, _but I know Kari would never forgive me if something happened to him. She'd haunt me constantly, I'd never get a moments peace_. This thought threatened for a smile to spread across the jonins face. She'd burn his books in front of him and wake him up in the middle of the night.

With a heavy heart Kakashi placed Kari and Haku on the ground next to each other, removing his bloodied arm from their bodies. They looked so peaceful; Kakashi's heart lurched noticing she was still holding onto Haku. Gently removing her hands, he instead placed one over Haku's so she could still feel him, the other lay over her motionless chest. Kakashi didn't see the need to check for a heartbeat, she was silent and had that horrible paleness. He pushed a strand of hair out of her face, his hand reaching out to caress the canine ear that had taken the place of her human ones, it was wolf-like and the exact colour of her honey hair. A tail lay limp out the bottom of her spine, coated in a thick layer of fur.

_I guess she really was the jinchuuriki for the Torai-kenshi-yasha, the Tri-canine. Who would have thought? At least we vaguely know why she's a part of this world now._

Gently, Kakashi closed the two cold shinobi's eyes giving them a more peaceful expression. Kari's eyes were frightening so blank, that playful spark diminished. Both looked hollow and empty. They looked so fragile, so innocent. Yet at least no, they look at peace.

Kakashi stood, waves of chakra radiating off his enraged body. _Zabuza will pay, that boy didn't deserve that fate and Kari certainly didn't. I'll show him what happens when he dares to kill Hatake Kakashi's team-mate._

"This is my battle! Zabuza's mine!"

* * *

"Naruto? NARUTO!!" Sakura cried waving to the blonde shinobi, relief washed over her face, a weak smile stretching her tear-stained cheeks. "Over here Naruto! Are you and Sasuke-kun all right?"

"Uh...um..." Naruto stumbled over his words unable to find the right thing to say. If he admitted Sasuke was dead to Sakura, then there's more chance Kari could have died. And Kari _didn't_ die. But Sasuke... He was so still, he looked more peaceful and at rest that Naruto had ever seen. Even in sleep, Naruto doubted Sasuke would look so calm. And he was so pale, senbon sticking out of him and cuts, scratches and smears of blood across his face.

"What's wrong? Where is Sasuke-kun anyway?" Sakura asked, her smile weakening slightly as fear started to sink in. Naruto turned away, his shoulders shaking as he released soft sobs. "No... not Sasuke-kun too..." she whispered. Her emerald eyes widened in fear as tears pooled underneath them, threatening to spill over. It was as though her heart had been forcefully ripped out of chest. No way… not _her_ Sasuke-kun. Naruto had simply made some sort of mistake.

"Sakura..." Kakashi said, his heart going out to the remaining kunoichi. To see Kari, who she had befriended dead before her eyes and then realising Sasuke, the one she cared for most, loved with all her heart had been taken away too… Even he found it hard to bear. But Sakura wasn't as strong as the other members of her team. Sasuke was cold and talented, he'd experienced horrors of the worst kind and had learnt to keep his emotions at bay. Naruto was too naïve and couldn't take things seriously, he was brave and confident and always looked on the bright side. Kari… he didn't know the extend of her past, but through the battles and pain she had suffered, he had never heard her cry out, and until the point he closed her unseeing eyes, he had never seen tears on her face. Sakura was known for intelligence, not strength. She, like most other girls is too sensitive at heart and struggles in the ways of the shinobi.

"Kakashi! I'd stay focused if I were you!" Zabuza cried, snapping me out of my mournful trance. He charged at the jonin, but powered by the pain of loss, Kakashi found new strength to avenge his squad and ruthlessly kicked Zabuza in the face.

"Sakura, you can't see Kari because it's dangerous in there, but I can take you to Sasuke. As long as we stay together you wont be disobeying your sensei's orders" Tazuna said softly, noticing the kunoichi's grief. She took his hand, finding comfort from the old man, her lip trembled violently and her voice was strained, but she had to be strong.

"Arigatou..." she whispered softly and ran towards Sasuke. She had to see him and see if he really was… If he really was gone. Grasping Tazuna's hand for all she was worth she passed Naruto, she could see the sorrow in his eyes and immediately knew Sasuke was dead, but she had to keep believing, she had to hold on to that small shred of hope.

"Sasuke..." Naruto softly croaked. Without a moment's hesitation Naruto ran in Kari's direction.

* * *

Sakura's eyes fell upon Sasuke's body. _Her Sasuke-kun's dead body._ With a shuddering gasp she fell to her knees beside him. He actually was... He and Kari both... She reached out with a shaking hand and gently touched his cheek.

He didn't scowl and brush her off, he didn't twitch in irritation and move away, he didn't even glare at her. His skin was icy under her touch, horribly pale, paler than usual. Sakura knew her Sasuke-kun. He was never this pale, even when he was sick with a fever that time a year or so a go. He shrugged it off and persevered through the academy, though his perfect kanji was a little sloppy, and his shuriken were ever so slightly off centre.

"His body's cold... this isn't just one of his genjutsu tricks is it?" Sakura said softly trying so hard to hold in her tears. She'd be able to tell if it was genjutsu, from all her studying on it. But… this was real. It wasn't just some horrible nightmare.

"Go on... you don't need to be brave on my account. Go ahead and let your feelings out Sakura it's all right" Tazuna said softly, making a movement to place a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder, but stopped, not wanting to make her feel worse. He knew she needed to cry. Her voice was shaking, her shoulder quivering, her lip trembling and her eyes watery.

"I was the best… aced every test at the academy… the perfect student..." Sakura said, her usual chirpy voice now quiet and hollow.

"Hm?" Tazuna said, knowing she needed to talk, just to let her feelings lose.

"Did you know there are more than 100 principles of shinobi conduct?" Sakura's voice was starting to break. "I memorised every single one, I used to love it when they tested us on them... gave me a chance to show how smart I was. I remember so clearly this one exam, they asked us to explain the 25th principle; I got it right of course..." Tears started spilling down Sakura's face; she was unable to hold it in any longer. "A shinobi never shows his feelings no matter what the circumstances. Feelings are a weakness that only cloud his judgement and weaken his sense of duty..." some of her tears fell on Sasuke's face and still he made no movement. "Sasuke-kun!" With a heartbroken cry Sakura threw herself onto Sasuke's body and sobbed her breaking heart out.

* * *

Naruto fell to his knees beside Kari. Now he got a good look at her there was no mistaking it. She... She was gone. The tears streamed down his face as he bit his lip. He carefully raised the top half of Kari's body off the ground and held her to his chest. Her head lay underneath his chin, his salty tears falling into her golden hair. She was so cold, Naruto couldn't stand it. She shouldn't be this still, she shouldn't be this cold. _She was my only friend... She can't be gone... First Sasuke... Now Kari... Why?_

_  
_"Kari-chan" he sobbed, scrunching his eyes shut in agony as he slowly rocked back and forth. He embraced her tightly as sobs shook his body. _Please… Please don't say that I'm alone again…_

* * *


	19. Freedom

**A/N: **Yep, I've started adding quotes. I don't know if I'll keep it up, I just like making up quotes (:

Thanks for the reviews! Much love to you! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings, much appreciated (Keep it up) :D

If you haven't taken it already, take the poll on story perspectives (whether you prefer first, second or third POV) so I know what you think!

* * *

**Freedom**

_They say that when the pure soul is freed from the confines of a body, it flies free._

_I hope my friend, that you've found your freedom._

Kakashi and Zabuza jumped apart. Zabuza fell to his knees panting two kunai protruding out of one of his arms. He charged at Kakashi and tried to swing his sword at him, but Kakashi effortlessly punched him in the jaw, then brutally spun round and back handed him across the face.

"I'll split you in half!" Zabuza shouted in sheer rage. While the missing-nin became more and more beaten, Kakashi remained unharmed and _untouchable._ Zabuza tried another swing at the infuriating Copy-nin, but Kakashi simply moved backwards dodging easily. He swung again and Kakashi disappeared only to reappear the next second behind him.

"Look at you you're falling apart, I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul" Kakashi mocked, Kari's death bringing out a rather nasty side to him.

"What did you say?!" Zabuza growled.

"You have _no idea_ what **real **strength is", Kakashi spat. He shot a glance at Naruto who was cradling Kari's body, whispering sweet nothings to her, as though attempting to comfort her. Kakashi knew it was only a slight form of comfort to Naruto himself, the naïve boy hoping if he spoke to Kari, she would speak back. _That girl knew more about true strength than anyone…_

"Well, well, so this is how it turns out huh?" someone said, pulling Kakashi out of his sympathetic daze.

"Game over! You lose!" Kakashi cried plunging another two kunai in Zabuza's other arm and dodged as he swung the sword pitifully in retaliation. "Now both of your arms are useless. What now? You can't even make hand signs…" Zabuza's arms lay limp at his sides, blood slowly dripping from his shoulders to his fingertips.

"Did quite a job on you didn't he Zabuza? You look like yesterdays sashimi. I must say I'm... _disappointed_" Kakashi's eyes narrowed. No doubt the man speaking was the infamous Gato, a group of violent looking thugs behind him, all sporting weapons.

"Gato? I don't understand what is all this? Why're you here? And who are all of those thugs you brought with you?" Zabuza said his eyes narrowing in confusion as he glared at the incredibly short man that would barely make half of Zabuza's height, heck he was probably pushing a third.

"Well you see there's been a slight change in plan; according to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge Zabuza" Gato said smirking smugly.

"Nani?!"

"That's right. You're too expensive so I've decided to take you off the payroll. Of course, even these thugs I brought with me cost something, so if you managed to slaughter a few of them before they take you down I'd appreciate it. Think you manage that '_Demon of the mist'_? Look at you, you look about as demonic as a wet kitten" Gato mocked, the thugs behind him hooting in appreciative laughter.

"Well, well Kakashi. It would seem our fight is at an end. Since I am no longer in Gato's employ Tazuna is safe. We have no quarrel" Zabuza said with a soft sigh.

"Yeah I suppose you're right" Kakashi agreed. The jonin's keen eyes noticed Gato walking towards Haku and Kari. He quickly grabbed Naruto dragging him away from his beloved best friend. Naruto cried out struggling against his sensei's hold, but Kakashi held firm. No more of his squad would die here.

"That reminds me you little punk, you grabbed me and nearly broke my arm! I've been meaning to repay you for that…" Gato said scowling, nudging Haku with his foot. Then without hesitation, with all the force in his stout body he kicked Haku in the face. "I only wish he was alive to feel it…" his eyes travelled over to Kari and a small smirk lit his face "Hm? Well, well, what have we here? Pretty girl, maybe she's worth something, someone might buy her even if she's dead, there are some very sick men in this world. People pay good money for a young female's virginity…" Gato smirked wider and put his stick on her.

"**YOU GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARD!**" Naruto screamed, fighting tooth and nail against his sensei as he lunged at Gato, desperate to beat the shit out of him and make him feel every last drop of pain the young boy felt. "Zabuza are you gonna let him do that?!" Naruto screeched, rounding on the assassin, wanting _someone_ to do _**something**_.

"Be quiet baka, Kari and Haku are dead, it doesn't matter." Zabuza muttered under his breath.

"Nanidesu ka?! You mean you can just stand there and watch him get treated like a dog?! You and Haku were together for _**years**_ doesn't that mean _**anything**_!?" Naruto cried.

"You don't understand the way of the shinobi. I merely used him, as Gato used me. Now it's over, his usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, hai; that means something to me, but the boy… nothing" Zabuza said in monotone.

"If you mean that you're an even bigger rat than I thought!" Naruto growled scathingly, glaring in disgust at Zabuza.

"Ok Naruto that's enough, calm down. He's not the enemy, not anymore" Kakashi said, trying to soothe the wound-up boy.

"**URUSAI! AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED HE'S ENEMY NUMBER ONE**!" Naruto hollered. Kakashi blinked; slightly taken back that Naruto would tell him to shut up. If he had dared to do that in Kari's conscious presence; that would have been sure to have earned a thwack to the head and given Naruto a healthy dose of concussion. "Why you... you ungrateful... after _everything_ he did for you, _**HAKU LIVED FOR YOU!**_ You were the most important thing in the **world** to him! And he meant _**nothing**_ to you?! Nothing at all?! While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt _**anything**_ for him?! And if I become stronger does that mean I'll become as cold hearted as you are!? He threw his life away and for what?! You and your dream! You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care... and you just toss him aside like he was nothing... A broken tool, man that's so!" Naruto had begun to cry again half way through his rant. With a slight sniffle he continued in a weaker voice. "Kari-chan knew it was wrong, so she tried to protect him… but it was all for nothing..."

"You talk too much... your words cut deep, deeper than any blade..." Zabuza said, softly and Naruto was startled to see that he too was crying. "While he fought you... his heart was breaking in two... you see Haku was always too soft and too kind... He felt pain and sorrow and now curse him, I feel them too! And something else... I feel content that this is the way it ends..." Zabuza bit off his bandages; the white strips fell down around his neck and revealed his mouth, nose and jaw. "Well? Cat got your tongue? Are you so surprised to discover that I'm actually human? All shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that fact, we always fail. Well at least... I have failed" Zabuza said he turned to Naruto and barked a command. "**BOY! **Give me your kunai!" Naruto threw his kunai to Zabuza. Naruto just didn't care anymore, with Kari gone, nothing seemed to matter. Zabuza caught the kunai knife in his mouth and charged. Gato ran to hide behind his thugs.

"**THAT'S ENOUGH** **OF THIS! TAKE HIM DOWN! **_**NOW**_**!**" Gato cried, hiding at the back in a true example of cowardice.

"He must be out of his mind! One against all of us what's he thinking?" one of the thugs cried cockily, holding his weapon with a grin on his face. Zabuza shot past him silencing him with the kunai he held between his teeth. He fought through them and got a spear in his back. He pushed his way through and charged at Gato.

"He-he's the _devil_!" Gato cried. Zabuza stabbed the kunai into Gato's chest, ignoring the pain of more spears thrust into his back. "You crazy fool! If you're so eager to join your friend go ahead! But you're not taking me! Not this time!" Gato cried.

"I wont be joining Haku, where he and Kari have gone I cannot follow" Zabuza said quietly. He walked towards Gato, stumbling in his weakened state.

"Stay back! Stay back!" Gato screamed, stumbling away from Zabuza in fear.

"We wouldn't be welcome where Haku and Kari have gone… To _**Hell**_'s where we're going Gato! I can't think of a more fitting destination for a Youkai-nin can you?! I'm told there are many demons down there of all shapes and sizes! Oh yes I should fit right in! You on the other hand Gato, I think you're in for a very _long and painful_ eternity!" Zabuza cried insanely, a demonic grin plastered on his face as he revealed strangely sharp teeth. With a frightening ferocity he sliced Gato's throat and stabbed him in the heart, causing him to topple backwards into the sea, where his body would remain forevermore. Zabuza glared viciously at the remaining men and they quickly moved away from him. He spat out the bloodied kunai and started walking back to Haku and Kari. Sadly, his efforts were in vain and he fell to his knees, too weak to continue to his companion's current resting place. "Haku... So this is goodbye? At last... Not once did I ever thank you… Haku, forgive me for that…" Zabuza fell on to his front, exposing the weapons embedded in his back for all to see. With a soft sob, Naruto looked away, unable to bear the sight.

"Don't turn away..."Kakashi said softly. "When you live like a warrior, this is how it ends..."

* * *

_Am I alive? Or am I... I saw an angel at least I think I did... She had long golden hair and large white wings; everything was really hazy so I couldn't make out that much. Does this mean I've died?_

A soft sobbing sounded close by to him and he became aware of a heavy weight and a dull ache across all of his body. Forcing his heavy eyes open, he was met with a light pink. He groaned slightly and felt a grimace stretch across his face.

"Sakura... It's hard to breathe with you on top of me…"

"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura screamed, causing the poor Uchiha's head to throb horribly. _Why didn't I just pretend to stay dead? Second thought's, her wailing was just as loud…_ "Tazuna he's alive! He's alive!" Sakura cried in relief as she threw herself on to him again, pulling him into a painful embrace.

"Ow... Sakura that hurts" he mumbled, his pain tripling with her help. _Stupid girl. _

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" she sobbed, holding on to him for dear life. With extreme effort he sat up, shoving the irritating girl off him with the little strength he had left.

"No! No! What are you doing?! You shouldn't move!" she fussed, trying to gently push him back down. A sudden thought struck the Uchiha as he mentally called Sakura an idiot.

"How's Naruto?" Sasuke questioned. The idiot probably got injured somehow and Kari would surely be upset if he was. Seeing as he shared a room with her, he deserved to know if she was going to be in an extremely foul mood. It's not like he was actually _worried_ about that idiot. "What happened to that guy in the mask?"

"Naruto's just fine, but the one in the mask... he's dead..." Sakura said reassuring me. But she seemed slightly depressed telling me of the boy's death.

"Dead?! But how? Did Naruto do it?" Sasuke cried. _No way Naruto-baka would be able to kill him! He was just too strong!_ Sakura shook her head, causing the boy to become silent and wait for her explanation.

"No I... I came in late; I'm not sure what happened. He was protecting Zabuza… Oh! I had faith in you Sasuke-kun! I knew you'd pull through! You're too cool a guy to stay down long!" Sakura squealed, helping him to shakily stand. "Naruto! Look! It's Sasuke-kun! He's all right! He's all right!" Sakura cried, waving off to someone up ahead. Naruto looked round and a weak smile crossed his face. _That's not like him…_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed noticing Kari wasn't standing beside Naruto like he'd expected her to be. Seeing as Kita's nowhere in sight she must have gone to check if her beloved wolf cub was all right.

"And Kari?" Sasuke asked. She'd been at her limit when he'd lost consciousness, crying her eyes out silently in a way that was painful to see. She was shaking horribly and the look in her eyes showed how much she truly cared for him. Though he didn't understand why, he was touched. The only person that had such softness in their eyes when looking at him was his mother and he'd seen that same care in Kari's bleeding eyes. _He had to ask her about the crying blood thing._ It was then he noticed Sakura's silence, her mint green eyes were down cast and her lip was trembling. Tears started coursing down her cheeks as a sob escaped her. Suddenly fearful for his team-mate, Sasuke grabbed her and made her look him in the eye. "Where's Kari Sakura?" he demanded.

"Sh-she's… She… She's… d-d-dead too" Sakura said, throwing herself on the Uchiha avenger for a third time. Sasuke stood rigid, onyx eyes wide.

"No..." he whispered as his stomach churned horribly. No, Kari _couldn't_ die... She _wouldn't_ die... She… Sakura's just mistaken… It wouldn't be the first time. Sasuke eye's scanned the area, thankful that the fog had now lifted, then his eyes reached Haku's body and his heart freezing mid-beat, Sasuke noticed a flash of golden hair behind the boys head, around them a sea of blood. Sasuke tried to speak but the words were lost in his throat. He couldn't think, couldn't _breathe_. He told Naruto to protect her! To keep her alive! His gaze travelled to Naruto, who still wore that weak smile. Looking closer Sasuke could see blood staining his clothes and tearstains on his whiskered face.

"Well, well the wonders never cease, amazing… if only Kari..." Kakashi trailed off finding himself unable to continue. He glanced in Kari's direction to see she hadn't moved. His eyes fell on the gaping hole in her small body and a surge of guilt rushed over him. He knew he couldn't have stopped. He knew she knew that too. But it didn't stop him feeling responsible for her premature end.

* * *

"Hey! Hey! Don't go getting too comfortable!"

"This party aint over yet! Who's gonna pay us now that Gato's gone?"

"No way we're gonna leave here empty handed, so we'll just have to hit that village and see what they've got for us!"

"Not good..." Kakashi said, looking round at the restless thugs. He was tired from his battle with Zabuza and doubted he'd be able to take all of them on, especially not knowing their rank or skill. He was drained physically and emotionally and wanted time to himself to reflect and figure out what best to do with Kari. The Sandaime would be far from happy and Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto would be sure to be affected badly. And there was still the fact Kita needed to be looked at, to see whether she was deemed safe. Looking at the small white bundle curled up at Kari's side Kakashi doubted the pup would hurt a fly,_ Kari's_ it's 'mother' after all.

"C'mon Kakashi-sensei you've got to know a jutsu that'll take care of this bunch of losers!" Naruto cried with a weak attempt at his usual enthusiasm. He'd decided that Kari just needed a trip to hospital; Konoha's medic-nins would look after her. As hopeless as it would sound to anyone else, Naruto held firm to that hope, the truth unable to sink in. Especially not this soon.

"Not right now I've used too much of my chakra…" Kakashi said tiredly.

"Get 'em boys!" A thug cried. They all charged, a stampede sure to trample over Kari's and Haku's bodies and then cause who knows how much damage to the village. Kakashi was just about to do something when, an arrow shot down in front of the thugs and stopped them in their tracks.

"There's one little thing you're forgetting about! Before you set one foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!" A villager cried.

"Inari!" Naruto cried looking round. Inari laughed, standing proudly at the front, bow and arrow in hand.

"Heroes usually show up at the last minute ya know!" Inari cried with a large grin, reciting the words Naruto had told him before he arrived at the bridge. Naruto had woken up and shot after his team, offended he had been left behind. Then he noticed a savage wild pig and slashed on the trees which lead back the way he came, which was Tazuna's house. He easily beat up the thugs that had taken Tsunami hostage and praised Inari for his bravery of standing up to them, demanding that they give his Mom back. In fact it was this distraction that allowed Naruto to win so easily.

"They've all come the whole village!" Tazuna cried joyfully, the old man'd eyes watering in pride.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried, a couple of clones appearing around them.

"I might have just enough chakra to help you out... Kage bunshin no jutsu: Kakashi style!" Kakashi cried, causing a couple hundred Kakashi's to appear. "Ok still want to fight?" they all cried.

"**NO THANKS**!" cried one of the thugs as they all ran away, they weren't stupid enough to not know a strong ninja when they saw one, this guy had been winning against Zabuza for Kami sake!

"**VICTORY!!**" Inari cheered, the villagers cheering along with him, some even threw their hats. While the village celebrated, Kakashi walked over to Zabuza.

"Sounds like it's over…" Zabuza croaked.

"Yeah" Kakashi replied, feeling rather sorry for the rogue-nin, knowing that he too felt the pain of a lost comrade. At least Kakashi still had Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura left. The Haku boy was all Zabuza had and he only just realised.

"Kakashi I have a favour to ask..." Zabuza said softly.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked, surprised by the sudden warmth in Zabuza's eyes.

"Take me to them... before I go I want to see him one last time..." Zabuza said. Kakashi pulled his headband over his scarred eye.

"Sure" Kakashi replied. He pulled the weapons out of Zabuza's back as gently as he could and carried him towards Haku and Kari. Light snow began to rain down from the heavens. Villagers gasped looking up in amazement.

"Impossible!"

"Snowing at this time of year?"

Kakashi placed Zabuza next to Haku, and straightened up. At least now he could say goodbye. He looked round and caught sight of Sasuke, Sakura was supporting him and he seemed anxious and upset, though it wasn't as obvious as on other people Kakashi was observant enough to be able to notice it. He sighed sadly; it was the beginning of the Sasuke's first friendship after the Uchiha massacre. The boy had yet to warm to Naruto, though they were beginning a love-hate relationship. It was clear he disliked Sakura and wasn't going to open up to the obsessive girl any time soon. But when Kari had walked in for breakfast this morning looking like the living dead, Kakashi could've sworn there was a ghost of a smile on his face. Kakashi nodded in response to Zabuza's thanks and returned to Naruto, placing a comforting hand on the young boys shoulder. He could see that Naruto was in denial, coming up with reasons of Kari not possibly being dead. Bud sadly soon enough, he would have to understand.

* * *

"You were always at my side… the least I can do is be beside you at the end..." Zabuza said softly, his hand cupping Haku's pale cheek. "I know it cannot be, but... I wish I could go to where you and the girl have gone... How I wish I could join you both there..." He reached over Haku's body, struggling against his damaged arms and took Kari's hand. "I'm sorry kid..." he said weakly. "I bet you and Haku met… I was wondering why he had that smile stuck to his face… I guess I should thank you for making his last days happy…" a shaky smile formed across the rogue-nin's lips, the feeling unnatural to him. "It was good to see that light in his eyes again…" with these last words the great demon of the mist closed his eyes and darkness took over him. A look of such peace had never been seen on his face and yet… his smile still remained.


	20. Hope

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**A/N: Again thank you for the reviews :D it really made my day to see the last chapter had the most reviews so far!**

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, Naruto belongs to Matashi Kishimoto-sama. The only one brilliant enough to create it.

**Claimer:** Kari and Kita as well as the Oinin in this chapter are MINE!

* * *

**Hope**

_One must never give up hope, for those who perish with hope; they die with a smile._

_Those who die without hope; die with a broken heart._

* * *

"Sasuke-kun where're you going!?" Sakura cried, as Sasuke slowly trudged forward.

"I need to see her… I need to see Kari" Sasuke said softly. Immediately, Sakura rushed forward and pulled Sasuke's arm round her shoulders to help him walk. On the way they passed Naruto and Kakashi. Their sensei's visible eye narrowed and he put his arm in front of them to stop them. Before they could question him, two tracker-nin appeared in a swirl of mist.

One wore a mask similar to Haku's, white with a red swirl; however it swirled in a different direction. The other wore a mask that resembled a tiger, a silver strike on each cheek. Both wore thick black clothes and looked around the same age as Haku judging by their height and the structure of the body. The only characteristics noticeable was that one, who appeared to be female, had a long light silver hair like Kakashi's, worn up in a high ponytail. While the other, who appeared to be a boy, had untidy light brown hair.

"That really them?" the female's voice was harsh and cold, sending chills down the genin's spine. With a gloved hand she placed her fingers to Zabuza's and then Haku's neck. With a soft sigh she stood straight and turned back to her partner. With a curt nod he quickly strode to her side. While the boy supported Zabuza's body, the girl lifted Haku's arm round her neck.

"Forgive us for our rudeness, but these shinobi have been avoiding us for a long time. It is essential they are taken back to Kirigakure for examination. Please excuse us." The boy said, his voice lightly honeyed, warmer and softer than the girls.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks squirts" the girl mumbled, before the four mist ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke. Left behind was only Zabuza's treasured sword lying on the freshly fallen, crimson tinted snow.

* * *

With no clear reason to stay behind any longer, Naruto ran back to Kari's side. The rest of the team followed at a slower pace, listening to Naruto start to talk to her as he held her to him again.

"Why'd they take them away Kari-chan? And that lady called me a squirt; we're not squirts are we. Sasuke's ok y'know, you see I told you so, you worry too much. Sakura-chan cried too so it's nothing to be ashamed of. I didn't… well I didn't cry that much. But you gave me a hell of a scare; don't do that again 'kay? It was scary."

"Naruto listen to me" Kakashi said sternly. Naruto looked up questioningly. "You need to let Kari-chan go, she needs to go to heaven now." Naruto's eyes widened as he clutched onto her for dear life. Kita let out a yelp as she stared up at Kakashi like he was insane. _Her Momma wasn't dead! Not her Okaa-san!_ "She wants to go back home and see her friends."

"She can! But she's got to promise to come back! Besides she won't want to go alone! I know her! I'll go with her and make sure she's ok, after all she might get lost and might not be able to come back and—"

"Naruto" Sakura said softly, she hiccoughed as a sob got caught in her chest. Her face was soaked from tears as she bent sown to his level. "Kari-chan wants to go home; she must be missing her Okaa-san and Otou-san…" Sakura said, trying to soothe him.

"No, no Sakura-chan! She wants to stay here! She wants to go see Hinata-chan when she gets back and I promised we'd explore Konoha together and I said I'd teach her how to do a kage bunshin no jutsu! I promised her, and I stick to my word and—"

"Baka" Sasuke hissed. "Just accept the fact she's dead!"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried. Naruto was really upset he didn't have to be so cold, Naruto needed time to adjust and let it sink in. He didn't understand Kari was gone.

"That's a lie! Kari-chan's just tired and a little hurt! She just needs some rest and she'll be fine, don't be so stupid Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, clutching her to him even more. Kita was curled up on Kari's stomach and was whimpering trying to block everything out. _What's death? Why's everyone upset? Why won't Momma wake up? Why are they saying she's gone when she's right here? Why is Sasuke angry? Why is Naruto crying? Why won't anyone explain?! Why won't Momma say anything?! Why's she so cold?! Momma?! Okaa-san?! Momma?!_

"Naruto, she died protecting someone she cared for. You should be proud of her, not ignoring her bravery." Kakashi said, placing his hand on Naruto's head. Naruto's face crumpled as he started to wail, shaking his head with cries of 'it's not true, it can't be'. Sasuke felt an awful sense of guilt at snapping at the knucklehead ninja. But he had to accept it. He was exactly the same, convinced his Okaa-san and Otou-san were just sleeping and would be fine when the doctors had healed them. But it wasn't. He was forced to face reality and now so did Naruto. He could cry all he wanted she wouldn't come back. Sasuke looked at her surprised noticing her ears were dog-like and she had a long furry tail. Bloodied feathers were here and there making him wonder. _Had he seen—_

* * *

"Grandpa!" Inari cried rushing over. "Grandpa we did it! We did it! Where's Onee-chan? Did she see me?" Inari cried happily. Tazuna glanced over to where the mourning shinobi stood. Bending down he placed a hand on Inari's shoulder.

"She went to go see Kaiza Inari, the angels missed her and came to take her back home" Tazuna said as kindly as he could. Inari's eyes widened, tears pooling out. With a cry he grabbed onto his grandfather, sobbing his heart out. Tazuna held him close, a few tears of his own escaping him.

* * *

"I let my team mate die..." Sasuke said quietly. He was struggling to hold in all the pain he felt. His eyes stung and itch, his hands were numb from being clenched into such tight fists. Ever since the day he lost his clan he hardly ever showed emotion, it had been a long time since he had cried. Since he'd felt so… lost.

"Team mate?! Is that all she was to you! She was my best friend! When you died she fell apart, she cared about you and you… you just don't give a shit about her! You're worse than Zabuza was!" Naruto screamed at his rival.

"Calm down Naruto, I'm sure Sasuke's just as upset as you are…" Kakashi said softly, placing his other hand on a sobbing Sakura's head. "Kari was precious to us all, she wouldn't be happy if you fought over her. Sasuke knelt down and took her hand, hating how cold it felt. He glared at the ground.

"No living being feels this cold…" Sasuke said blankly, his eyes closing as moisture hit the ground beneath him.

* * *

"Baka… I told you I have cold hands…"

"**K-Kari-chan?!"**

"If you lot don't stop crying, you'll make me cry..." Kari said softly, her eyes half opening.

"**KARI-CHAN!!"** Naruto screamed dragging the tired girl into the most tightest, most painful hug she'd ever felt. Kita got squished between but she didn't care. Her Okaa-san was fine!

"Naruto… that attack didn't quite kill me… but your hug will!" Kari whined. She winced and gingerly put a hand on her chest. Naruto began to apologise frantically and try to put the blame on Sasuke, who just shook his head, glad to see Naruto was back to his old self, even if his eyes were puffy as hell. "Kakashi you are so evil" Kari said glaring with all she had left at the accused sensei.

"I guess you can use that as blackmail against me now" Kakashi said. It must have been the Torai-kenshi's power. Those demons really were amazing, Kakashi could see the wound had already almost closed and the bleeding had pretty much stopped. She smiled.

"You can start with carrying me… I'm tired… and we'll go to the beach… and you can buy me ice-cream… Give Kita a bath while you're at it… I don't want…. Her fur to… go pink… No… offence… Sa…kura…" with that, her eyes closed and she fell into a well deserved sleep. Kakashi carefully lifted her up. Kita sitting on her stomach.

"Let's get you five cleaned up then; we'll wait until you've healed a bit before heading back. Come on you lot, well done on your first A-rank." Naruto grinned; pulling Sasuke's other arm over his shoulder. "Tazuna-san, is it alright if we go to rest at your house?" Kakashi called. Tazuna nodded, Inari still crying into his chest. "Why are you crying? Kari's alive" Kakashi said, smiling behind his mask. Inari looked up hopefully. Kari grunted waving her up to smack Kakashi on the side of the head.

"I'm try'n to sleep…" Both Tazuna's and Inari's faces brightened and Tazuna nodded, the both of them going to lead the way.

* * *

"How can one girl sleep so much?" Sasuke mumbled, looking round at his sleeping team-mate. She'd been like this three days straight, he'd slept for one whole day and got restless, but then again she was more hurt than him. The whole team had been bedridden on Tsunami's orders, even Kakashi wasn't allowed up. But Sasuke was getting rather annoyed at being Kari's personal pillow. What's more, Kita had refused to leave the bed as well. She smelt of baby shampoo and was a bright white once more.

"Uhn… How long have I been asleep?" Kari mumbled sitting up holding her head.

"Three days" Sasuke grumbled. Kari looked at him sleepily. Shrugging she swung her feet over the side of the bed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Tsunami's forbidden us from leaving our beds." Kari sniggered slightly as she thought of Sakura and Naruto, Sakura would be hugely sleep-deprived, Naruto's snoring at night and complaining during the day would drive the most patient people into insanity. And Naruto would be hugely restless by now. Oh what fun! Without warning the door opened and Tsunami came in with some food.

"Kari you're awake" Tsunami said blinking. Sasuke smirked waiting for the explosion. He'd heard Tsunami shouting at Naruto to get back into bed fourteen times yesterday. Sasuke himself had only gotten scolded twice. But to Sasuke's disappointment, Kari got fussed over and not told off. "Are you sure you're all right to be walking already? Do you feel light-headed? Can I get you anything? Are you hungry or thirsty at all? I washed Kita for you, her coat didn't stain. She was very good and didn't squirm about. Inari's very worried about you, you know. Come along, you need your bandages changed" and with that Kari was marched out the room. Kita looked at Sasuke confused hoping for some answers.

"What are you looking at" Sasuke mumbled, giving the cub a slight glare. She blinked and tilted her head to the side. Anyone else would have screamed how adorable she was and pulled her into a suffocating hug, but Sasuke wasn't at all affected by the fluffy cuteness. Besides, Uchiha Sasuke _**does not squeal**_.

Kari returned freshly bandaged around an hour later. She informed the Uchiha that they were going on an outing with Kakashi and demanded that Sasuke came and supported her before she fell over. _It was perfectly understandable she was still a little wobbly._

* * *

"Is that really the way of the ninja to be used as tools?" Sakura asked as they looked at the memorial made by the villagers. Haku's senbon and Zabuza's sword had been collected and were arranged on top of the stone. Kari was very upset that they had been taken away without her knowledge by some tracker-nin. She hadn't got to give them a speech on what they were _not under any circumstances_ to do to Haku, or anything. Kari truly hated missing things or being left out.

"Shinobi are all merely tools in the hands of destiny no point in wondering whether it's right or wrong it just is. It's the same in the Konohagakure no sato" Kakashi replied, shifting Kari's weight. Using her blackmail to good use, the kunoichi demanded that Kakashi carry her. Seeing as her sensei had planned to do it anyway he didn't complain. Besides, she was still rather grumpy at everything, especially the fact they had thought she had died so easily. Also the fact she suddenly had a tail, looking in the mirror this morning and seeing herself with triangular wolfish ears had shocked her into fainting, in which she smacked the back of her head on the sink.

"One of the great mysteries in the world" Kari nodded, agreeing with her donkey. Yes, she had decided she had the right to kindly insult Kakashi too. He had after all impaled her and that would probably leave a humungous scar. And he still hadn't given a satisfactory apology. She wanted _grovelling_ then, amused, she would finally forgive him. But she would never give up on nicknames. Kaka-sensei was really growing on her.

"You're one hell of a mystery" Sasuke said with a smirk. "You're turning into a dog" Kakashi sighed as he felt Kari swell indignantly.

"**AT LEAST **_**MY**_** HAIR DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A FRIGGEN CHICKEN BUTT SAS**_**GAY**_**!**" she screeched slowly falling off of Kakashi's back.

"**AAH! KARI-CHAN!**" Naruto cried rushing to her rescue, misjudged his timing and completely missed his target to rescue the kunoichi but succeeded in head butting Sasuke which Kari found much more amusing. Kakashi had grabbed her arm saving her from more concussion (_curse sinks!!_) giving her an upside down view of Naruto and Sasuke bickering like old ladies. She sighed at her male team-mates. _**B.A.K.A.S.**_

"Well if you ask me if that what being a ninja's all about something's out of whack. Is that why we go through all that training? Just to end up dead?" Naruto asked. _Kari senses say Naru-speech is coming!_

"What _is_ the reason for that?" Sasuke agreed.

"Well it's a question without an answer. That is something we ninja have to deal with every moment of our lives" Kakashi said. Kari sighed again. _Don't you just hate rhetorical questions? The whole point of a question is that it should have an answer._

"OK!" Naruto cried suddenly, punching his fist into the air.

"Huh?"

"I've just come to a decision! From now on I'm finding my own ninja way a way that's straight and true without any regrets! From now on I'm following the way of _**Naruto!**_" Naruto cried. _Aren't you creative with names Naru-kun…_

"And I'm following him!" Kari announced, causing Naruto to positively beam at her. "**KAKASHI-ROBA! TO THE BEACH**!"

* * *

The beach was a pleasurable experience. Tazuna decided to be a photographer for a change and captured as many moments as he could, wanting to remember us and remember Inari's smile. The genin were able to unwind and be the kids they truly were, working together to soak Kakashi (complete with book) and quickly ran away to avoid the jonin's wrath. Kari was learning to live with her ears and tail, enjoying in particular having her ears rubbed (which caused her tail to wag and Sasuke to make remarks to her canine-like characteristics which he received just punishments for).

"Yo Kari" Sasuke said suddenly. Kari glared at him out the corner of her eye, ready if necessary to beat the living daylights out of him. _One more doggy comment… Just one more and I'll— _"Did you have wings?"

"Nani?" she asked puzzled. She looked round at her back, lifting her hair out the way.

"After I lost consciousness, did you have wings?"

"If you weren't conscious you must've been dreaming" Kari said simply, splashing the unexpecting Uchiha in the face.

"Na I saw them too Kari-chan! Big, big, feathery white ones! Like… like a bird" Naruto said, waving his arms in a flying motion, splashing Sakura to death. Unimpressed, Sakura shoved his head underwater, shouting vulgar language that is far from lady-like and should not be said in Kita's presence.

"Kaka-chan can I fly?" Kari asked, conveniently missing the twitch in Kakashi's visible eye when she called him that.

"Possibly, _ickle Kari-chan_, I said I'd talk to you about it later. I need to talk to Naruto as well. But that can wait until I've finished this chapter…" Kakashi said turning the page and promising in the future he would;

1. Not hit anyone he saw on a regular basis with his Raikiri

2. When he _**DID**_ hit an enemy with Raikiri it would kill them **FIRST** time.

Of course he's glad that Kari survived but if anyone else gives him nicknames he will throttle them. Kari is the **ONE** and **ONLY** exception. _He is not a damn donkey._

"**AIYEE!!**"

The sudden loud noise startled the jonin into dropping his book. He gawped wide eyed and pointed an accusing finger in Kari's direction.

"Oi! Kari I told you not to push it! Your worst injury is in-between your shoulder blades, pushing wings out either side of it could reopen your wound and you could bleed to death" Kakashi scolded.

"But, but Kaka-san! They're so _COOL_!" Kari squealed, spinning round trying to look at them. She stretched them marvelling at the wingspan, every feather perfectly shaped and a bright snowy white. They were the same weight as her arms and though it ached to push them out, causing a throbbing in her shoulders it was still amazing.

Without further ado she ran forward jumped and flapped her wings. With a slight cry she fell face first into the water with a splash. She quickly surfaced to spit out a mouthful of water in Sakura's face.

"Kaka-saaaan! It's hard!" she complained. "Ah, gomen Sakura-chan! Didn't see you there! Did I fall on you?" Sakura then began to laugh, Kari's ears were dripping and the blonde kunoichi's eyes were wide and confused. A shudder suddenly shot through Kari's spine. "Ughhh! Yuck! Soggy feathers!!" Kari struggled trying to fly out of the water, but only ended up causing huge splashes, half drowning Naruto and Sakura and successfully soaking Sasuke and Kakashi.

Kakashi stood up and folded his arms giving me a scolding look.

"Seeing as you're all so much better we should start heading back to Konoha" Kakashi said. "I'm going to have a mountain of paperwork and a lot of explaining to do, the sooner it's done the better. Come on." Kakashi said.

"You're going today?" Inari cried having successfully avoided Kari's splashing frenzy. Kakashi nodded.

"Come on team, let's go pack."

* * *

We stood on the Wave country side of the finished bridge, the villagers around us. They had come to say goodbye and give their thanks.

"We could never have finished the bridge without you, I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss you" Tazuna said, looking at us fondly.

"Do be careful!" Tsunami said worriedly.

"Thank you for everything" Kakashi said bowing.

"Here Kari, I think you've earned this" Tazuna said giving me... his _SAKE BOTTLE!_ Kakashi raised an eye brow while Tazuna grinned, Kari hugging the old man round the middle saying how she would treasure it always and whenever she was drunk she would always think of the wave country. Waves and waves of sake and— she stopped there seeing Kakashi's and Tsunami's scolding looks.

"Now, now, don't get all chocked up we'll come back and visit real soon!" Naruto cried smiling at Inari. Sasuke scoffed, Naruto was the one who was trying not to cry for Kami's sake.

"You swear you will?" Inari asked hopefully.

"Of course! Ya know Inari it's ok, you can cry if you want there's nothing wrong with that go for it!" Naruto said teary eyed. Inari mirrored his expression perfectly.

"Who says I wanna cry?! Anyway if there's nothing wrong with it you go on and cry!" Inari said sniffling as his eyes became even shinier.

"No you first!" Naruto cried indignantly as his bottom lip trembled.

"Piggy back ride on the way back says Inari wins."

"A sensei must support his team Kari-chan. Kakashi-_sama _or Kakashi-_danna_ for a month says Naruto wins" Kakashi said, fingers crossed that he'd _finally_ be respected by his favourite kunoichi. Not that he thought more of her than Sakura of course. Sakura just didn't have as much personality.

"You're on Kaka-Roba"

"Forget it!" Naruto turned round and threw himself on kari positively bawling. Kakashi grumbled about cry-babies before nodding to the victorious Kari sulkily.

"Aww Naru-kun, it shows you're in tune with your feelings! Unlike _some_ people, eh Sasuke?" Kari said glaring at the exasperated Sasuke beside her. How dare he roll his eyes at _her_ beloved Naru-kun!

"ONEE-CHAN!" Inari cried running up to me and hugging me quickly after I'd shoved Naruto onto Sakura. The cherry-kunoichi was far from impressed and thwacked poor Naruto on the head telling him to get a hold of himself.

"You look after everyone ok? You're the hero now" Kari said softly to her Inari-otouto. She really would miss him and his hat. _She had a slight obsession with stealing his hat and ruffling the boy's hair._

"You take care Kari dear" Tsunami said softly, giving her a quick hug. Kari nodded, feeling her own eyes go watery.

"I'm going to miss you all!"

"Please don't tell me you're going to start blubbing too Kari…" Sasuke said with an irritated look.

"You know the bridge still needs a name" Tazuna said smiling.

"I've got it!" Kari cried in delight. "The _NARUTO_ bridge!" Tazuna laughed and nodded in agreement while Naruto squealed in sheer delight glomping poor Kari for all he was worth. Kakashi chuckled, Sakura giggled and Sasuke once again rolled his eyes but with an ever-so-slight smirk on his face.

* * *

Kari ran back to her team and they walked along the bridge, they were the first people to ever do so and felt rather proud. She and Naruto linked arms and marched along happily. Naruto talking animatedly as he went.

"HAHA! As soon as we get back I'm gonna let Iruka-sensei fix me up a **whole load** of ramen to celebrate a mission well done! Oh and wait until I tell Konohamaru about all my adventures the kids gonna_ worship_ me! Oh Kari you should meet Konohamaru he's a pesky little kid that follows me about and looks up to me. Ooh! And you can come with me to get my ramen and meet Iruka-sensei properly and we can like hang out or something!" Naruto cried excitedly.

"Sure!" Kari replied, glad she was still her to be able to do these things.

"Hey..." Sakura said softly, inching closer to Sasuke as they walked.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Not you Naruto! Sasuke-kun when we get back do you wanna go out and do something together?" Sakura asked blushing hopefully.

"I don't think so, thanks" Sasuke said smoothly.

"Oh... okay" Sakura said sadly, looking down at the ground in depression.

"HEY! Sakura look on the bright side! You got a thanks not just a plain no!" Kari said as the idea struck her. Sasuke shot the wolf-girl a disgusted grimace while Sakura immediately brightened up, a huge smile on her face, convinced she was getting somewhere.

"Hey Sakura-chan I'll do something with you if you want!" Naruto cried, also trying to cheer up the cherry-kunoichi.

"**WHAT!? NO! THAT WAS A **_**PRIVATE**_** CONVERSATION! BEAT IT!**" Sakura cried whacking him on the head then throwing him off the bridge.

"**NARUTO!**" Kari cried horrified immediately diving after him." **NARUTO-KUN I'LL SAVE YOU!**"

"**KARI GET BACK HERE I TOLD YOU TO TAKE IT EASY**!" Kakashi shouted. She returned with Naruto who looked rather sad. _Ah the pain of rejection… I wonder what it's like…_

"Don't worry Naruto-kun I'll do something with you!" Kari cried, already missing the dumb grin that usually stuck to Naruto's face.

"**ARIGATOU!**"

"Ow! **OW! WATCH THE RIBS**!" Sasuke shot a glare at his two loud, blonde team mates. Seeing this Naruto shot a glare straight back at him.

"**STOP PICKING ON KARI-CHAN SASUKE**!" Naruto hollered. Kari jumped on Naruto's back almost making him fall over.

"**WALK NOW, FIGHT LATER! I WANNA SEE HINATA AND THE OTHERS!**"  
"**AYE AYE! Ramen here I come!**" Naruto replied. He took three steps forward and tripped over his own feet landing flat on his face. Kari of course, landed comfortably on his back unharmed. Suddenly remembering her deal with Kakashi she looked round and grinned at him. With a sigh, their sensei grudgingly put away his book and heaved her onto his back. _Never do gambling Kakashi, may this be a lesson well learned…_

"**SEE YA NARUTO! YOU'RE RAMENS GETTING COLD**!" Kari shouted back at the orange blob being left behind on the middle of the bridge. Kita looked back, deciding not to wait and stay walking beside Sasuke. Her Okaa-san said that they would be living with him so Kita should get used to him. She thought he was rather miserable, but at least he wasn't as clumsy as Naruto. The wolf cub could rest assured there's a good chance she wont be stood on.

With a high pitched scream Naruto jumped up and shot ahead running past us at inhuman speeds.

"After him Kakashi-Roba!"

* * *

_Hehe! Kakashi-roba means Kakshi-donkey if you didn't know._

_Seeing as the reviewers seemed a little depressed over Kari's death I decided to bring her back (I was going to anyway :P)_

_How was it in third person, did you prefer it?_

_Story status at Chapter 20!_

_Words: 61585_

_Chapters: 20_

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_C2's: 1_

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* * *

Bring these totals up! I'm a review whore!

Thank you to EVERYONE who contributed to these numbers!


	21. Secrets, Feelings and Acceptance

**A/N: **Thank you again to those who reviewed, I really appreciated it (:

**Disclaimer: **No, but you can give it to me for my birthday.

**Claimer: **My Kari. MINE.

* * *

**Secrets, Feelings and Acceptance**

_And for the first time he truly felt he wasn't alone. _

_She didn't care about the circumstances. _

_He was himself and she loved him regardless of anything._

* * *

"Run that by me again?"

Kari heaved a sigh, inhaling until her lungs expanded to their maximum, before she huffed out again. She had come straight to the Hyuuga compound to tell Neji and Hinata of her adventures only for Hinata to faint at the sight of her and Neji's usually blank face to explode into complete and utter shock. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

Now this would have been incredibly funny to Kari if she wasn't so horribly self-conscious. She was paranoid people were staring at her (which they were) and was very embarrassed. She absolutely hated crowds of people she didn't know and hated even more when people stared at her, judging her.

"I told you, it just happened on the mission" Kari repeated. She decided to keep to herself what Kakashi had explained to herself and Naruto.

* * *

"_All right you lot, I think it's time for a break, we'll be there soon" Kakashi said boredly. "Naruto, Kari-chan, come here I need to talk to you." The two ninja looked at each other wondering what they'd done before following Kakashi a little away from Sasuke and Sakura, who were having a one sided conversation; Sakura talking, Sasuke ignoring. _

"_What's up Kaka-sensei?" Kari questioned the jonin as he looked at them seriously. Kakashi was a lazy, easy-going guy with a hint of playfulness here and there. He was only serious or angry when necessary._

"_I noticed strange chakra coming from you two while you were in the dome of mirrors with Haku" Kakashi said. Kari's eyes immediately dropped to the floor and her face saddened. Haku's name was taboo for her; she was still really upset she lost him._

"_Eh?" Naruto asked, ever the clueless one._

"_Demonic chakra" Kakashi said staring down at his genin. They had the right to know, Naruto already did, Kari didn't. They would easily be able to support one another. Besides, Kari's newly developed canine ears and tail would sure to cause some commotion._

"_You mean…?" Naruto began, his eyes widening in understanding. Maybe there was hope for him after all, but then again, if he hadn't realised, Kakashi would have really, really wanted to hit him._

"_Hai Naruto. Kari, Naruto holds the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox.It attacked Konoha just over twelve years ago. It was sealed within Naruto when he was a baby by the Yondaime, the fourth Hokage, who sacrificed himself for the technique, to save the village. You on the other hand, I have reason to believe you hold the Torai-Kenshi; the Tri-canine" Kakashi explained._

"_The what?" Kari asked, her head snapping up as confusion danced in her eyes. _

"_That would explain why you came to this world, the Torai-Kenshi have incredible powers. Transporting between dimensions and worlds could easily be possible for them. I'm afraid I'm not too sure on the details of your demons Kari; they were thought to be myths. It was thought to be impossible power; the power of balance; Good, Neutral, Evil."_

"_Wait… they?" Kari repeated. Kakashi sighed inwardly. He would have to read up on the Torai-Kenshi once he finished his paperwork. If Kari really did contain them; well… Kakashi would sure be in for a bumpy ride._

"_Hai, they. Good, Neutral, Evil."_

"_So… Kari-chan's like… Kami?" Naruto asked, utterly nonplussed._

"_No Naruto… Kari is not God…" Kakashi sighed. Though the boy may have a point come to think of it… If memory serves correctly they're said to have unfathomable power. "I'll look into it when we get back. Oh and you two," Kakashi gave them a very hard look. "This is to remain secret. Understood?" Naruto and Kari quickly nodded, slightly unnerved by their sensei. "Good" he said airily, beginning to walk back._

"And how exactly?" Neji pressed, wanting to know the reasons for my sudden hybridity. After all, it's not everyday your student, if Kari could be called that, walks in with a tail.

"I just… I dunno… Do you think of me differently?" Kari asked shyly looking at her hands which were folded in her lap. Neji had led her to the nearby porch and sat down to pull himself together. Kari felt horribly uncomfortable and ever so nervous under his penetrating gaze. She was suddenly hit with a flashback, continuing on from the last.

"_Wait, Kari-chan!" Naruto said suddenly, as Kari went to follow her sensei. She looked back at him, surprised to see he seemed awkward and anxious, his eyes glued to the ground._

"_Naruto?" Kari questioned, turning back to face him. She was slightly worried at seeing his stress. She wanted to know what was bothering him._

"_Now you know th-that I…" Naruto trailed off and gulped. "That I have that… that thing… inside me… Do you hate me too? Everyone has always shunned me because of it. Because I'm a monster…" Naruto sniffled slightly and Kari's heart went out to him. Her brave Naruto-kun, he had said everyone ignored him when he said he wanted to be Hokage. That he wanted people to notice him and give him respect. Everyone must have been scared of him and given him the cold shoulder because he was different._

_Before Naruto could bring himself to look up and await his friends reaction to his deepest darkest secret, he felt arms wrap around him and pull him into a tight embrace._

"_You idiot, you're still Naruto! It's inside you; it's not actually you as in yourself. You're still that sweet goofy guy that welcomed me with open arms and a big smile. Besides, don't I have one inside me too? Or did Kaka say three? Anyway, surely we're closer because we know each others secrets. Best friends tell each other everything after all!" Kari pulled away, a sincere smile gracing her lips. "You're still my Naruto-kun aren't you? Except now…" her smile widened. "You're my Kitsune-niisan! My fox brother!"_

_Naruto's eyes widened as a smile spread across his face, curving his whiskers as his eyes became watery._

"_KARI-CHAN!!" he cried, flinging his arms around her. "We're gonna be best friends __**forever**__! I'll never think different of you because you've got something inside you; it means we're more alike! I'm always gonna be here for you Ookami-neechan! Always, always, wolf sister!" Naruto cried, his face buried into her shoulder. Kari would probably never know how much this meant to Naruto, to truly be accepted and understood, loved regardless of that monster that caused him to be hated by everyone. It was the first time he had been held and told he mattered, that she cared about him. _

_For her, he was truly thankful._

_Neither of them noticed Kakashi standing behind a tree, smiling in pride over his too young jinchuuriki-ninja. No doubt they would face troubles in the future holding bijuu, but for now, embracing each other with smiles on their faces, they're just kids, just best friends, just happy and that's what they're meant to be. Happy._

* * *

"I don't suppose so, you're still yourself after all" Neji said after a minute's thought.

"Really?" Kari said surprised. Neji nodded, his arms folded. He was still trying to figure out the reason for her sudden canine-like extras. But no matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldn't think of any logical answer. And it irritated him. Oh how it irritated the genius to not be able to work something out. "**NEJI-KUN!**" the girl cried, throwing herself on the unsuspecting Hyuuga. He stared at her in confusion (and also slight pain; she was hugging rather tightly). "I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore because I looked like some freaky science experiment! I mean I got such funny looks, I was sure I'd be an outcast or something and—" Neji placed a finger on her lips to stop the flow of stressed speech. She was talking too fast for him to understand properly.

"It's all right, no one who knows you will think of you differently. If they do, I'll have a word with them." Neji soothed in the best way he could. Her eyes shined and for one tense moment, Neji thought she was going to flood him with gratitude again and pull him into an even more suffocating hold. To his relief however, she pulled away and a bright smile lit her face.

"Arigatou Neji-kun I needed that" she said. "And thanks for looking out for me, same for you, any problems and I'll go kick ass" Neji lightly chuckled. He almost believed she could solve his problems, if only it was that simple… "Oh! Hinata-chan! Is she ok? I kind of scared her with my… you know" Kari motioned to her triangular wolfish ears. Neji's smile vanished as he hmphed and turned away scowling. "Neh? Oi Neji-kun, what's with the sour look, did I say something wrong?" Kari asked frowning.

"It's a long story Kari" he grumbled, still refusing to look at her. She scooted in front of him and sat on his feet, her chin resting on his knees. Neji almost laughed at how dog-like she appeared.

"I got time, now come on, your feet will go numb and I'll get uncomfortable" she coaxed. Neji placed a hand on Kari's head, a smile creeping onto his face at how her ears twitched at his touch. He really was fond of her, all her little ways of cheering him up and getting him to smile. It was a rather rare occurrence these days. In the little time he'd known Kari he'd really gotten fond of her. After a few hours non-stop of questions and training she had become comfortable around him. He was glad; he found it hard to get close to people, yet she just had a way of getting through.

"Very well, though you should make yourself more comfortable" Neji said, patting the space on the porch beside him. She immediately sat there and stared at him with interest. "You see, the Hyuuga clan has two families. The head family, who control the clan and live in the head house, make all the decisions and such, and the branch family who are to serve them until death." Kari bristled a little and Neji was glad to see she didn't agree, even with the little he had told her so far. "I am of the branch family—" Kari's fur on her tail stood on end as she looked to explode into a rant. Luckily though, she held it in. Neji appreciated this as it was easier to keep going when he had started. "Hinata-sama is of the head family, she is the heir to the clan."

"She is?" Kari said tilting her head to the side. Neji nodded and continued.

"Hiashi-sama, her father, is the head of the clan and also my uncle."

"Then surely you should be in the main family too?" Kari cried.

"Hiashi-sama was older than my father Hizashi by a few mere minutes yet, those few minutes meant he wasn't to be the head of the clan, he was thrown to the branch family to serve his brother, the cursed seal placed upon his forehead."

"Seal?"

"It gives the main branch the power to torture the branch member, activating the seal attacks the brain causing unimaginable pain and could very easily kill them. The seal turns your brains to mush." Neji said bitterly.

"Do you—?" Kari cried in horror. Neji nodded solemnly and was surprised when she squeezed his arm in a motion of comfort. She nodded for him to go on.

"But… worse than that... As a member of the branch family, my father was forced to sacrifice himself for his older brother. He was killed in Hiashi-sama's place. You see, when Hinata-sama was four years old she was kidnapped. Hiashi-sama killed the man instantly and rescued his daughter. However, the kidnapper was the leader of the Cloud Village. The leader had only just signed a peace treaty with Konoha. Despite the Sandaime's protests the Cloud Village were in fury, refusing to accept the truth. They believed their leader had been murdered for Konoha's own gain. They called for Hiashi-sama's head. Should they be refused, war was sure to break out." Neji paused before continuing. "But the Hyuuga elder came up with a plan to use my father's body instead of Hiashi-sama's. As twins they looked identical, there was no way to tell between them. And so… my father was killed in Hiashi-sama's place… and I was left alone."

"Oh Neji-kun…" Kari said softly. "But surely that's not Hinata-chan's fault?"

"She's one of them Kari, I hate the entire main branch" Neji spat.

"Well, sorry if I say I'm not going to stop my friendship with her." Neji shot the kunoichi a very dirty look. Kari smiled sadly. "Come on Neji, what could she have done? I agree Hiashi's in the wrong and is a complete prick, that the main/branch thing is a load of crap and that it was completely unfair on your father. But it wasn't her fault" Kari reasoned.

"Believe what you want" Neji said. Kari rolled her eyes. _Teenage boys… Got to hate puberty. _Wait… she was a teenage girl back in her world and was… _a woman_… Was she …_a woman_… here? Yes, she did have the necessary …_items_… required for …_monthly needs_… but she should be starting her cycle soon seeing as she's been here nearly a month… _and had just finished before coming_… Did anime people even have them? They must do… But did she have them now at the tender age of twelve? She was fourteen when she started. _How stressful…_

"Do you want me to lick you?"

"What?!" Neji cried moving away from her.

"I needed a tension breaker!" Kari cried indignantly. _Must be… I'm temperamental and all motherly over Naruto and Neji and Hinata at the moment. Oh KAMI what am I gonna do about Sasuke!? This will only end in my tears…_ "Just because I'm friends with Hinata-chan doesn't stop me caring bout you! Look, I'll go see this Hiashi guy and go give him a piece of my mind!" Kari cried immediately standing up and making her way towards the grander looking part of the Hyuuga compound. In horror, realising Kari was _completely serious_ about going and biting Hiashi's head off, Neji immediately grabbed her and held her back. "OFF! I'm gonna go tell this _He-she_ guy **exactly** what I think of him!"

"You can't go storming up to the head of the Hyuuga clan and rant at him, you'll be—"

"I don't care! He's not getting away with this!" Kari struggled fiercely against Neji's hold, the boy's heels dragging into the floor as he struggled to hold her back. Finally, after a ten minute struggle, Kari began to get bored. Neji was definitely winning there little struggle and she was sane enough to recognise defeat. "All right, all right. Now let go. I didn't exactly pick daisies on my mission and your pressing on my healing ribs."

"You were hurt?" Neji said. She could almost see him narrowing his eyes in displeasure. So Kari decided she'd share her story in payment for his. She explained about Zabuza and Haku, about both fights and the struggles she and her team mates faced and also about her new name (created by Naruto). She left out about the demonic chakra and how she jumped in front of Kakashi's attack and almost died and the fact she cried a little when Sasuke 'died' (she will never forgive him for that). "It sounds like a difficult battle, you must have really benefited. Did you struggle because of your inexperience?"

"Definitely. But thanks to you training me in the morning I didn't do too badly! Oh and I owe you a hug and a free serving of your favourite food in payment" Kari grinned at the mental promise she made to herself. "Without you I'd be dead meat!"

"Right… You don't need to repay me, just continue to allow me to teach you, I want to see how much you've improved in the three or so weeks since I last saw you." Kari inwardly whistled. _Three weeks huh? It seems like I've been here a lot longer, even if I haven't properly settled in. Wonder how everyone is back home… Never realised how much I would miss them all…_

"Well I'm off. Catcha later Neji-sensei" Kari said with a wave. She saw him raise an eyebrow at being called a sensei. "Neji-kun" she decided, changing her mind. _He's not old enough to be considered a sensei._

"Ja Hikari" Neji said simply. Yup, Kari had decided that her Naruto name may as well be '_Mitsukai Hikari_' after all, Naruto named her. Yes, she will always be known as Kari, she's grown incredibly fond of the name and feels it suits her, but Naruto named her 'Hikari' therefore that is her name. God bless Naruto, she loved the little dork to pieces.

"Anou… Kari-chan?"

"Aiyee! Who—? What—? Wh—Oh! Hinata!" Kari cried clutching her heart. "Holy mother of Kami you're good at hiding!" our dearest wolf-girl had skipped past Hinata without noticing she was there. Needless to say, Kari was feeling rather stupid at the moment. Hinata glanced at the ground, pressing her fingers together nervously.

"I heard… w-what you s-said to Onii-san…" she said quietly. Had Kari's not been a rather soft spoken person herself, she would have missed what Hinata had said. Kari had a natural quiet voice which she had inherited from her father back in her world. But if she was hyper or annoyed she could screech just as loud as Naruto, a trait she picked up from her grandmother on her mothers side.

"Who?" Kari asked rather cluelessly. My, wasn't Naruto rubbing off on her…

"N-Neji-niisan…" Kari instantly paled. _Kuso! Had she said something offensive? _

"O-oh! Yeah I was talking to Neji! I umm… GOMEN! I didn't mean to upset you in anyway!" Kari blurted out throwing herself into a bow of apology, in the tradition of Japanese manners.

"Upset me?" Hinata repeated, her lilac orbs questioning. "Y-you didn't upset me Onee-chan… I just… w-wanted to th-thank you… f-for defending me" Hinata said softly.

"That's ok Hina-chan" Kari said warmly, placing a comforting hand on the shy girl's shoulders. "If you don't mind me asking, why'd you call me Onee-chan?"

"I j-just… I w-well I… w-wanted t-to… I won't if y-you d-don't want me t-to…" Hinata said softly. "You s-seem like an older s-sister. Standing up f-for m-me and such…"

"Well there's no need to stutter in front of big sisters are there Hinata-imouto?" Kari said smiling. She couldn't help but find the shy Hyuuga girl adorable. She was so kind-hearted, if she could just build up her self confidence she would be able to see it for herself. Hinata's cheeks flushed as a shaky smile crept onto her face. She nodded, her dark blue bangs swishing with the slight movement.

"Do you want to come in and sit down?" Hinata offered, without so much as a trace of a stutter. Kari beamed with pride at Hinata's inner strength, seeing great promise. _You sure are a strong-hearted person aren't you?_

"Neji-niisan seems to like you" Hinata said softly, from her seat across from Kari. Hinata's room was simple and clean painted lilac and white. Light flooded in from the open window and the pleasant scent of fresh air mixed with flowers drifted across the room. Kari had come to notice an increase in sense awareness. Things seemed louder to her, smells more strong and she found she could see clearer and further and in much more detail than before. She was incredibly happy about this, as it made her feel more in tune with nature. Kari shrugged.

"What's up with your dad though? Why does he have this Main and Branch family thing?" Kari questioned. Having your own relatives as slaves, it didn't get much harsher than that in Kari's opinion.

"It's been Hyuuga rules for a very long time, to be honest I don't agree w-with it e-either…" Hinata said softly fiddling with her fingers again. What Kari had realised is that Hinata only stuttered badly when uncomfortable, and played with her hands when she was nervous. Kari smiled and nodded in approval.

"That's a good thing Hinata-chan, it shows you know the difference between right and wrong. You don't seem that keen on your father though." Kari had noticed she became more withdrawn with the mention of her father and seeing as Kari didn't have the best impression of the Hyuuga head she would most definitely go and obliterate him if he was abusing Hinata.

"It's n-n-nothing…" Hinata said softly. Kari gave her a stern stare, it made Hinata slightly uncomfortable but she could see it wasn't unkind.

"You can tell me anything Hina, if Neji trusts me I must be good for something" Kari said softly. She couldn't help but feel the need to shelter and protect the shy girl, having had shyness troubles of her own in the past.

"W-well… he has very high exp-pect-tations of m-me…" Hinata admitted. "A-and H-Hinabi-chan m-my younger s-sister… she… she shows m-more p-promise than m-me…" Hinata admitted awkwardly. Kari felt her heart melt.

"Hyuuga Hinata" Kari said, Hinata's eyes snapped up to meat Kari's. It was strange how different they are. Hinata's pale orbs of the moon with an ever so slight tint of lilac, Kari's eyes alive with a mixture of greens, greys and blue's, ever-changing with her moods yet holding a beauty regardless. "Everyone's special in their own way, just because you may not be as strong physically as other people, even your younger sister, it doesn't mean you're not strong. You've got inner strength Hina-chan; you just need to see it in yourself."

"I do?" Hinata said surprised. She wondered if Kari was just being kind, she was a lovely person from what Hinata knew about her so far, greeting her with a smile when she saw her on her way to train with Neji and was ever so friendly. But there was some sort of sincerity in Kari's words that Hinata found strength from, found courage. A smile made its way onto Hinata's face; it hurt her cheeks slightly, as the shy girl was not used to smiling in such a way but it felt wonderful. _Is this what its like to smile like Naruto-kun?_ Her cheeks flushed as her smile soften slightly, yet with the same amount of happiness. Kari's smile mirrored Hinata's, able to read the girls thoughts easily. _She'd be great with Naruto, they'd complete each other… She looked so loving when she saw Naruto at the ramen stand, what sweet puppy love…_

"How 'bout we make a promise?" Kari said as the idea struck her. Hinata looked up in slight confusion. "We'll be friends forever, no matter what!" Kari said happily. She and Naruto had done something of the sort between themselves, a super secret, unbreakable contract to always, _**always**_ be friends. It had been Naruto's idea and Kari thought it was the sweetest thing. She thought Hinata might like it, especially since it was Naruto's creation (not that she knew that, it could be a conversation for when they were a little closer). Hinata's eyes shone as she nodded; amazed at the girl in front of her. Hinata barely knew Kari and yet, the girl was willing to swear to be her friend forever. It took a special person to make such promises and Hinata knew that Kari would keep it, taking their friendship to the grave and beyond.

"I promise Kari-neechan, we'll always be there for each other" Hinata said, her hands taking hold of the blonde kunoichi's, her Hyuuga's eyes filled with determination. Kari was slightly taken aback by the fire in Hinata's eyes, but was incredibly happy for her.

"Best friends 'till the end."

"Sister's forever."


	22. NinWolf

* * *

**A/N:** _Thank you to the reviewers, your comments made my day and made me smile (:_

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is sadly... **NOT** mine... If it was, it would most probably be unsuitable for children...

**Claimer:** Kari and Kita **ARE** _**my**_ babies. Mine. **_MINE._ MINE.**

* * *

**Nin-wolf**

_To serve Konohagakure until the end;_

_The requirement to bear a Konoha hitai-ate._

* * *

"Get up Kari…"

The said girl buried further into her den, curling up in the warmth, eyes shut.

"Kari… now. Your wolf is whining."

"Go away…" Kari complained, pulling the cover over her head. This effort was proved in vain though, when someone dragged the warm cover off her. She groaned, pulling the pillow over her face to block out the light, her tail wrapping around her as she shivered from the sudden lack of warmth. "Tired… Day off… Don't wanna get up…" A sudden yank on her tail jolted her into waking up and meeting the exploding pain of her head crashing on the floor. "Sasukeee!" she whined, half-heartedly smacking his shin.

"You're up aren't you" Sasuke said scowling down at her, arms folded. He'd been in a bad mood since yesterday when she came back from the Hyuuga compound. Kita was asleep and Sasuke was pacing deep in thought. "Now go see what your pet wants."

"Her name is Kita!" Kari snapped, trying and failing to get out of the awkward twisted position she was in. "Can you help me up?"

"No." _Honestly! He wakes me up, steals the cover, drops me on the floor and almost cracks my head open and he won't even help me up!_ She huffed her arms flopping onto the floor as she tried to get herself up. Then she realised the reason for her difficulty. _He was still clutching her tail._ You see Sasuke had yanked her out of bed _by the tail_, he thought it wouldn't hurt much. **IT DID.**

"Let go goddamn it!!" Kari cursed, trying to pry her tail for the Uchiha's grasp. He just watched her, an amused smirk creeping onto his face. Giving up on the retrieval of her tail, Kari lifted her arms up, motioning for him to help her up. Sasuke let go of her, and her rear end crashed to the floor painfully. Then he just left her there, smirking all the way out the room.

Kari cursed, rubbing her aching back. She went to have a soothing shower, planning where she should go today. Naruto was out today doing… whatever he said he was going to do. Hinata has a long training session with her team after her missions, so she's out all day_. _Neji's sparring with his team until late afternoon and won't want her irritating them. Sakura's out with her mom. Kakashi… Kari shuddered at what he might do in his spare time. Besides he said he had a lot of paperwork to do. Then it hit her.

"I need to go see the Hokage about Kita…" Kari mumbled. She suddenly felt very sick. _What if Kita had to be put down? No way. No way in hell…_

Kari exited the bathroom after performing her essential hygiene needs and trudged towards the kitchen looking for comfort food. Of course, Sasuke had nothing sweet so in the end she didn't bother. _She'd only puke it up when she's this stressed…_

"What's the matter with you?" Sasuke said, peering at me out the corner of his eye. He was sure she hadn't been in such a glum mood when he left her. She gave him a depressed look, as though he had just asked if she was ok when she had an incurable illness. Sasuke turned to face her; curious at what was bothering her.

"Going to take Kita to see Hokage…" she muttered weakly. So that's it, she's expecting the worst. Sasuke sighed and the words tumbled out before he could stop himself.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Her ears perked as she looked at him. She had such a hopeful look in her eyes it was like a child about to get a new puppy. That probably wasn't the best example to use considering circumstances…

"Would you?" she asked. He could see how worried she was and inwardly cursed himself at having his heartstrings pulled. He huffed. It's just payback for her kindness back in the Wave Country, that's **it**. He nodded grudgingly, flinging his book to the side. He was just reading up on the tree climbing exercise and yes, it was an actual way to improve chakra control.

"Whatever, I'm going training anyway. I'll just take you first or you'll be a nervous wreck" Kari picked up Kita, who had wandered over sleepily having just woken up. She looked at Sasuke lovingly, she could have kissed him she was so grateful, but that would've just been… yucky…

* * *

"Are you going in or not?" Sasuke grumbled. She'd just stared at the Hokage's office door for the last ten minutes not moving a muscle. She simply clutched Kita to her, frozen. Sasuke rolled his eyes opened the door and shoved her inside. She made a pitiful '_eep_' noise and stared at the bored-looking Hokage as if he was the devil himself.

"Ah Kari-chan, I was going to send for you" the Hokage said smiling. He seemed slightly puzzled by her expression of pure terror. "Are you feeling alright? You're very pale."

"She's fine" Sasuke answered, seeing Kari was clearly not going to speak. "She came to talk about the wolf, err… Kita" Sasuke decided if he was actually going to be _nice_ to her today, he would have to call the wolf by its name, it irked Kari beyond belief when her precious Kita was offended in any way (in her eyes calling Kita 'the wolf' was incredibly rude).

"Ah yes, Kakashi mentioned something about that…" the Hokage said becoming serious. Kari simply held Kita even closer to her; so that Sasuke was beginning to worry the wolf was being suffocated. "Can I have a look?" Kari's eyes bulged as she went rigid. Sasuke resisted the urge to smack her round the back of the head. The Hokage wasn't going to _eat_ the damn thing—Kita. Sasuke inwardly sighed. This would be a long process.

"Kari, you're smothering it… Kita needs to breathe. Now give her to the Hokage before I forcefully take her out your arms." Sasuke said annoyed. Kari turned and gawped at him in horror as though he had proposed he was about to chop off her tail. Kita stirred, waking up from her nap on the way and looked puzzled at the scene in front of her.

"Momma?"

"EEE!" Kari screeched jumping out her skin; surprised at the sudden noise and on edge about the situation. Sasuke seized this opportunity and freed Kita from her mothers grasp and plopped her on the Hokage's desk.

"Well hello there little one" the Hokage said kindly, placing a wrinkled hand on the top of Kita's head. The wolf's ears twitched in a way identical to Kari's when Kakashi placed a hand on the kunoichi's head. "Anata no o namaeha nanidesu ka?"

"Watashino… namaeha… Kita!" Kita cried happily, she looked round at Kari wanting confirmation she had said it right, she had struggled a little with the words but was proud she got them out.

"Kita, ne? That's a nice name, it suits you" the Hokage said smiling. He was treating Kita like a young child, which if you think about it, she was. Well, she had the mind of one.

"Arigatou!" Kita cried in delight. She was a little confused at why she was here and why her Okaa-san looked funny, but she was a good girl and wouldn't disappoint her Momma. Besides, this was good talking practice, she found speaking difficult, especially words that felt funny to say, her muzzle wasn't exactly made for talking.

"I'm the Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure Kita" the Hokage explained.

"Really?!" Kita cried. He must be really important; Naruto said that he wanted to be Hokage because Hokage's were the greatest Shinobi_. But… he's an old man? Is he really strong? I bet I could beat him in a race! And I could definitely howl better! _"Hajimemashite! Nice to meet you!" Kita didn't know if she needed to say it in both languages but she wanted to anyway. Her Okaa-san found Japanese confusing; she had to keep questioning Sasuke.

"Haha! You certainly are a character aren't you!" the Hokage said happily, giving her a pat. "I need to have a little look at you is that all right?"

"Only if Okaa-san says so, Okaa-san knows best!" At this moment Kari suddenly grabbed Sasuke's arm holding onto it for dear life. Sasuke's patience was really stretching thin at her worrying, but he could see it was only because she cared about Kita so much. He guessed losing Kita would really be like losing a daughter. He had more than his fair share of experience with losing family and knew how painful it could be, but for heavens sake Kita was a freaking animal. With a sudden sympathy Sasuke decided he would allow Kari a slight comfort. So dragging his arm out of her vice-like grip, he took her hand, allowing her something to hold on to. Kari gave him a watery look before nodding meekly.

For the next few minutes, there was a heavy silence, only broken by the Hokage's mutterings and a sneeze from Kita, then the Hokage's questions and Kita's answers.

"How old are you?"

"Umm… two weeks old."

"How long have you been able to speak?"

"For a week I think?"

"Can you use chakra?"

"What's chakra? Is it that ninja-y stuff? If it is I dunno…"

"That's right, how did you come to be?"

"From Okaa-san silly!" Kari inwardly cringed at Kita calling the Hokage silly. Surely she wasn't allowed to do that! "Okaa-san made me!"

"_Made_ you? Kari is this true?" the Hokage questioned astonished. From the iron grip on his hand and the silence from the wolf girl, Sasuke guessed he would have to yet again answer for her.

"Hai, on the mission to the Land of Waves, during our training, Kari created the wolf—Kita" Sasuke inwardly cursed. He always thought of Kiba's dog as 'Kiba's dog' he didn't bother with pets names.

"Ah yes… Kakashi said. Well Kari, I think you'll have to take her to go see Inuzuka Hana, I don't know if you've met Kiba, she's his sister, as a vet she'll be able to give Kita a better look over" the Hokage said rubbing Kita's ear as Kita's tail swayed left to right in a happy wag. "Her intelligence is incredible, at least of a six year old child."

"You're not going to put her down are you?" Kari asked meekly. Sasuke looked at her surprised, thankful she had finally regained her voice.

"Well, no one knows what the future holds" the Hokage said seriously. Noticing Kari's gaze on the floor, Sasuke gave her hand an awkward squeeze; he really hoped she didn't cry, he was never good with emotional people. "But at the moment I wouldn't dream of it." Kari's face snapped up. The Hokage smiled widely. "She's a wonderful little soul; she doesn't seem to have a bad bone in her body. Of course in the future she may change, but under your care she should flourish." Kari smiled in relief, her shoulders sagging, finally freed from the tension.

"Oh! Oh!" Kita cried suddenly. "Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" She looked hopefully at Kari and to the kunoichi's surprise, Kita's voice spoke inside her head.

'_Can I have a headband thingy? I go on missions with you after all! Please Momma?'_

"Umm Hokage-sama?" Kari asked shyly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow wondering what on earth she could want. "Kita-ko wants to know if she can have a hitai-ate as she's going to be accompanying Team 7 on missions."

"Well" the Hokage said in surprise looking round at a hopeful looking Kita, puppy-eyes shining. He chuckled appreciatively. "I don't see why not, after all, she's serving Konoha" he then took a hitai-ate out of his draw. Kita's eyes widened.

"Okaa-san! Momma look!" Kita cried overjoyed. The Hokage handed it to Kari.

"Give it to her after her check up; go when you have a spare moment, I'll let Hana know you're coming."

"Arigatou" Kari said smiling.

* * *

"I'm going training, are you alright getting to the Inuzuka compound then back to my place?" Sasuke said once they were out of the Hokage building. Kita was chasing a butterfly a few feet away, trying to touch it with her paws.

"Yeah I'll be fine. Look Sasuke, thanks for coming with me, it really helped me out." Kari said smiling at him in gratitude.

"Whatever. You looked out for me on the bridge" Sasuke mumbled. He tensed. "Get off of me woman" she had embraced him out of the blue catching him off guard. He hated it when girls did that, at least she wasn't squeezing him to death though.

"Meh, thanks again misery guts" she said, running off with Kita at her heels. Sasuke shook his head as he watched the two disappear from sight. A light smirk appeared on his face as he trudged towards the training grounds. _Doushimate Kari._

* * *

"Kita-chan do you know where the Vets is?" Kari whined after two hours of wandering around. Kita had bounded along, pointing out random things that caught her eye and asking what they were.

"What's a vet Okaa-san?" Kita questioned, trotting along at Kari's side.

"A doctor for animals" Kari replied simply, looking around for a sign that would point her in the right direction. Kita huffed.

"I'm not an animal, I'm a Kita!" the wolf cub cried indignantly. Kari giggled at this, deciding not to go into a huge discussion about a wolf being an animal and that a 'Kita' was not an animal. Kita meant 'North'. "Let's go… this way!" Kita cried, bounding off to the right. Deciding that Kita probably had a better sense of direction, Kari followed.

* * *

"Ugghh! Shino! Get them off me!" a boy's voice whined from up ahead. Kita bounded into the clearing, Kari followed and observed a boy she met at the ramen stand complain to another guy. Hinata sat beside a woman with long dark hair and piercing red eyes. "Eh? Look a wolf!"

"I'm not a wolf, I'm a Kita!" Kita cried as though stating the obvious. "I'm a Kita! Kita! Kita!"

"Kita's your name honey, you are a wolf" Kari explained. Kita tilted her head to the side.

"Are you a wolf Okaa-san?"

"Ehh sort of" Kari said, reasoning she did have wolf-like ears and a wolf-like tail. "But I'm mostly human."

"Am I human?"

"No Kita-ko you're a wolf" Kari inwardly sighed. This would be a very long process.

"Kari-neechan!" Hinata cried. Kari looked over recognising the voice.

"Hinata-chan! What are you doing here?" Kari cried in surprise.

"We were training, what are you doing here?" Hinata replied. Kari blushed realising she had just walked into a training session. _Well… That was embarrassing…_

"Heh… Anyone know the way to the vets? I'm meant to go see Inuzuka Hana" Kari said awkwardly, suddenly aware of everyone staring at her.

"I'll take ya, Hana's my Onee-chan and I live at the Inuzuka compound. Inuzuka Kiba at your service!" the boy said grinning. _Haven't we met before?_

"You've met her before Kiba."

"Shuddup Shino! I know that!" Kiba cried awkwardly.

"So you're the Kari-chan Hinata can't stop going on about" the woman said, rising to her feet and walking up to a confused looking Kari. "I'm Yuuhi Kurenai, Hinata's sensei" she explained.

"Hajimemashite!" Kari and Kita cried in unison. "As you've been told I'm Kari and this little white fluff ball is Kita."

"Ah, you're Kakashi's new genin aren't you" Kurenai said. _She knows Kakashi? Is there some love in the air?!_

"Yeah, I've been on Squad seven about three weeks now" Kari said. "So… could someone tell me how to get to the vets?" she asked awkwardly.

"I'll take you! I'll catch you later Kurenai-sensei, Hinata-chan, Shino!" Kiba said, taking hold of my wrist and starting to drag me away. "I'll train better tomorrow!" he called back with a devilish grin.

"See ya Hina-imouto! Kurenai-sensei! Shino-kun!" Kari cried, waving with her free hand.

"Hinata…" Shino said. "Why does she have a tail…?"

* * *

"So you're that Kari-chan girl then? We didn't really get a chance to talk at the ramen bar." Kiba said grinning. A yip cam from his jacket and a white dog poked its head out. Kari cried out in delight recognising the familiar brown ears. "I see you remember Akamaru eh? Ha! I love a girl who's obsessed with dogs!"

"Who wouldn't love him, Akamaru's adorable!" Kari cooed, rubbing the top of the puppy's head. Feeling left out, Kita jumped on Kari's shoulder, giving her a nudge with her nose. Kari immediately caressed the wolf's ears, causing Kita's tail to swing like a pendulum.

"Glad you think so! You seem like a real dog-lover. Inuzuka's are dog breeders; ever since I was born I was raised beside dogs. My Onee-chan's a vet and my Okaa-chan leads a unit of dog-nin on missions." Kiba explained in pride.

"Same here really, back home I raised dogs from birth. I'm an only child so they felt more like siblings to me" Kari said grinning. She felt really drawn to Kiba as they both had a love for dogs in common. He seemed like a mixture of Sasuke and Naruto in Kari's eyes; loud, humorous and obnoxious with a bit of cockiness and a superiority complex.

"Good to finally meet someone who understands! So how'd you get Kita to learn to talk, she seems very young for that" Kita stuck her tongue out at him as Kari shrugged. "Is that why you're going to see Hana?" Kari nodded.

"You better take good care of Hinata-chan for me kay?" Kari said smirking. "She's like an imouto to me after all."

"Hinata-chan's great, she's really sweet and Akamaru's really taken to her" Kiba said grinning. "So what's it like being on a team with the infamous heart-throb Uchiha Sasuke and his number one fan Haruno Sakura? And what about Naruto-baka?"

"Eh? They're all fine. Naruto-kun is the best! Sasuke… he's kinda quiet and angsty. Sakura's a little obsessive over him… But they're all right. I'm still getting used to them."

"You should've come on my team. You're fun to talk to. We're here, I'll go see Okaa-san then I'll come see you when you're done" Kiba said. Kari nodded, taking Akamaru out of Kiba's jacket and smothering him in hug affection.

"Nyaaa ai shitteru Aka-kuuun!" she cooed, while Akamaru barked in her ear, wagging his tail, enjoying the attention. She then pulled Kiba into a hug too. "And thanks for showing me the way Kiba-kun!"

* * *

"You must be Kari, come on in" a woman who resembled Kiba said, motioning to the examination table in front of her. The kunoichi hesitantly put Kita on the table in front of the vet. Hana immediately set to work, checking Kita's coat, running her hands along her body, taking measurements, checking her ears, nose, mouth, eyes, paws, legs...

"How is she?" Kari asked after an hour of silence.

"She's two weeks old?" Hana asked. Kari nodded. "She's growing at a speedy rate, she could end up huge."

"She was that size when I made her" Kari said quickly.

"I'm aware, that's why she's such a peculiar wolf. She has a chakra system, though it's not very developed yet. Her teeth and claws are sharp and long in comparison with her body. Her muscles are all in extremely good condition, like that of a wolf in its prime, showing she's going to be stronger and faster than any wolf ever recorded. Even the fastest of Inuzuka dogs won't be a match for her when she's older. Her ears and eyes are slightly large, which probably means she'll have very good senses. Her speech is hugely developed; even the most intelligent of dogs wouldn't catch on this fast. Also her coat is white, which it should only be in winter, though it has a slight silver tint. She's very well behaved, she has a lovely temperament" Hana said finishing with a smile.

"And Hokage-sama said I'm intelliligent!"

"Intelligent Kita honey" Kari corrected.

"That's what I said Okaa-san! But it's a long word, long words are confusing" Kita said matter of factly.

"Well you're free to go, bring her in for check-ups now and then so we can see how she develops mentally and physically. Make sure she has a good diet and lots of sleep, she's still a baby after all." Kari nodded, Hana's words imprinting themselves on her brain. She walked out, returning a wave to Kiba on her way then looked around outside.

"Er… Kita-ko? Do you remember the way back by any chance?"

* * *

Sasuke sighed running his hand through his raven locks. He ached from hours of training and decided to get back before it got too dark. He wanted to check if Kari was there and if he'd have to go out looking for her again. _Baka girl…_

He didn't see the point in knocking on his own door so strolled straight in, not expecting anyone there anyway. He kicked off his shoes and stretched. His shower was calling to him, then his fridge, then his bed. The Uchiha boy was more than happy to oblige but inwardly cursed reminding himself he had to go search for a lost little wolf girl and her pet puppy.

With all this cursing, he was surprised to say the least when he found the object of his cursing fast asleep on the couch with Kita curled up on her stomach, also in dreamland. He walked over to them and bent down so his head was level with Kari's face. She was so peaceful, so still, so quiet. Slightly unnerved by her silence and motionlessness he quickly checked for a pulse, to his intense relief a dancing beat tapped against his fingers. Looking closer, he could see Kita gently rise and fall with each of Kari's breaths. Sasuke fell back into a sitting position. _Ughh… baka worrisome troublesome girl…_

"Hey, when'd you get back?" Kari asked sleepily.

"Gomen, did I wake you?" Sasuke asked. _Why am I apologising? It's my apartment._

"Nah… As long as you didn't wake Kita I'm good" she replied, looking down at the sleeping wolf cub nestled against her body. "Good training?"

"Average" Sasuke replied boredly. He rose to his feet and headed in the direction of food. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"No, I ate when I fed Kita, I should probably train tomorrow… It's our last day off" Kari groaned at the thought of her last day of laziness.

She would sorely miss lazing around not doing a hell of a lot. The minute they got back (which was rather late) Naruto dragged Kari to the ramen shop where they were treated by Iruka-sensei. Kari sniggered at the fond memory of Naruto spilling Iruka's ramen down himself **and** his former sensei. Her fox-brother had kindly walked her back to Sasuke's appointment holding her hand and swinging their arms back and forth as he skipped along (Kari was too full and tired and refused to skip the whole way). Her hand and arms felt like they were about to fall off by the time they reached Sasuke place, she just about mustered the energy to give Naruto a grateful peck on the cheek before she collapsed on the bed in a deep sleep.

Sasuke had not been impressed with an object smacking him in the gut. You see, Sasuke had been lying on the bed at that moment and Kari was too tired to notice or care. Thus, she had collapsed **on** Sasuke. The poor boy had to throw her legs onto her side of the bed and in the end gave up trying to get most of the rest of her off them. He was just thankful Kita had claimed the couch as her bed and wouldn't be laying all over him like her mother.

"Sasuke do you feel like carrying me?" Kari asked lazily as he ate his food gracefully. Kari inwardly sighed. He just _had_ to be perfect at **everything**. He ate his food with good posture and the best manners. Kari usually slumped and got paranoid she had stuff around her mouth. But in her defence she couldn't be as bad as Naruto, he tended to have a food moustache and beard when he finished his ramen. The thought of Naruto's despicable manners cracked a smile across her face. Stuff Sasuke, Naruto was much more amusing when he ate, even though watching him left Kari feeling rather queasy.

"No. I do enough of that. I'm beginning to wonder if you can even walk you get carried so much" Sasuke said.

"Kakashi-roba loves it" Kari said simply. She got up and laid Kita comfortably on the couch before wrapping her arms round Sasuke's shoulders. "Thanks again for helping me today; I don't know what I would've done without you."

Usually, this would put Sasuke in a bad mood and he would rudely tell the girl hugging him to get off and go away. But she was different. She said it out of gratitude, not as a way of sucking up to him and winning his love. She was thankful for his presence when she needed someone. She would act the same around anyone else that had been there. But Sasuke felt sort of good in her arms at that moment. She held him loosely and he was leaning back comfortably into her chest. It was nice to be held like that, it brought back echoes of his mother. But with those echo's, came the reminder he had revenge to carry out. Friendship and love only get in the way. But he didn't want Kari to let go, he just wanted her to hold him a little longer so he could savour the feeling of being cared about, being wanted. Those fan girls only desired him; they were infatuated they didn't care about him as a person.

Sadly, Kari pulled away, leaving Sasuke with a rather hollow feeling in his gut. He looked round at her, already missing the security and warmth, the gentle affection. He missed the feeling of her heart beating against the back of his head. He inwardly slapped himself. It must be hormones. They touched upon the subject of sex in the academy once or twice, about puberty and so on. Sasuke supposed he was going through it; after all he was nearly thirteen.

"Sorry about that Sas, just the way I am. Once I've got enough money for my own place you won't have to worry too much" Kari said grinning sheepishly at him. She seemed slightly embarrassed, her cheeks taking on a rosy glow.

"Why move if you can stay here for free?" Sasuke asked grumpily. The thought of living alone again was awful. That echoing silence and the intoxicating cold would be suffocating. He couldn't endure that again. "Besides… It's good to have some company."

"You want me to stay?" Kari said surprised. For the few weeks spent living in his presence (she included the mission as living with him as they were in the same room), he had only made out she was a nuisance, but hear he was, admitting he appreciated her company. What was the world coming to?

"I don't like always being alone" Sasuke muttered to himself. His eyes were shadowed by his dark bangs and had Kari not had her accursed, freakish canine-ears, she would've missed it. Deciding to push it, she pulled him into yet another embrace. "Kari what're you…"

"Baka, I'd always come to bother you. Besides, without my irritating existence in your presence you'd be lonely. Well…" she sighed. "I'd be lonely. You can really grow on people, I'd miss you too much and come back" she smirked as she paused "regardless of whether I was wanted back or not." An almost invisible smile graced Sasuke's lips and he was grateful she couldn't see him. He was glad she cared about him enough to say that, cold as he appeared he really did miss company and friendship. Just this one wouldn't hurt. She pulled away and Sasuke looked back to see her heading towards their room.

"Kari" he said, at once she stopped and turned back to him. "Arigatou" he said with a soft smirk. She smiled and flashed a peace sign.

"Any time Sas-kun, but put up with me, you put up with my hugs, you've been warned" she said and without further ado, walked into the room and from the creak of bedsprings, Sasuke supposed she flopped on the bed. His smirk widened as he got up and headed towards his bathroom.

"Hn… I guess I'll survive…"

* * *

_Sorry for the Sasuke OOCness, he was tired bless him. Finally some SasuKari lovey-doveyness! (:_

**_Review!_**


	23. Improving Skills

****

A/N:

I'd really like to thank **Yami416 **that was a really lovely review, it made me really happy and I was smiling like a idiot for agood hour afterwards :) I know about the Pov confusion so I've put the story into 3rd person now, I'll edit the first few whenI can. Thank you to all reviewers keep up all the good work!

* * *

**Improving Skills**

_She moved with grace and fluidity;_

_lost in a serene trance as she danced._

* * *

Sasuke regretted saying Kari could stay when he was jolted awake at four in the morning. She had unconsciously taken all of the cover and when Sasuke tried to get a little of it back she groaned in her sleep and sent him flying out the bed with a kick to his side. Let me tell you this;

_A sleep deprived Sasuke is not a happy Sasuke._

So Sasuke decided to wake her up in revenge, only for her arm to shoot up and smack him in the nose. Kari still remained oblivious, mumbling something about 'Naruto shouldn't have a pet bunny' in her sleep. So Sasuke did the meanest thing he possibly could.

_**SPLASH.**_

Yes, Sasuke got a huge bucket of ice cold water and threw it all over her, soaking his own bed, but soaking her in the process. With a yelp, Kari abruptly awoke, tail fur on end and goose bumps sprouting over her pale skin. Her wide eyes blinked away the fogginess to see a smirking Uchiha.

"_**SASUKEEE!"**_

* * *

"I'm going out" Kari said rather huffily. Sasuke scowled at her, his throbbing headache making her voice a lot louder than it usually was. She had tackled him and started beating the shit out of him, giving a particularly hard thwack to the crown of his head. She had then rung her soaking hair out on him, soaking him even more and stomped off to have a shower (and use all the hot water).

It's safe to say their little _moment_ yesterday had been forgotten. Well, not exactly forgotten, more ignored. Sasuke was still horrified he had said such stupid things and had been planning to give the wolf girl the silent treatment. But that was before she kicked him out of the bed. Sasuke was tempted to start teasing her and say she was dreaming of having it with Naruto, but his throbbing head told him otherwise. She had become significantly stronger over the last few weeks (but nowhere near his level of course).

"Whatever…" Sasuke mumbled, not in the mood to talk with her at that particular moment. He leaned back into the sofa, resisting the urge to shove Kita off the end of it but his cursing thoughts were cut off with a knock to the door. To Sasuke's sheer horror, Kari advanced towards the door, with the full intention of _**opening**_ it. The Uchiha survivor mentally screamed at himself for not telling her the rules of the house, one of them being; _never open the door to an unknown person_. But then again, she'd probably do it anyway being in the foul mood she was with him. Sasuke groaned when he heard a familiar voice.

"Ohayo Kari-chan, is Sasuke-kun in?"

_Say I'm out… For kami's sake say I'm out… _

"Yeah come on in."

_Shimatta._

"Alrighty then you two, me and Kita are off out. Make sure you're finished by the time I get back. We have sensitive eyes…" Kari grinned evilly at Sasuke who shot her a burning glare. Kita bounded from the sofa to Kari's shoulder in one impressive leap. "Ja ne!" happily oblivious to Sasuke intensified glare, Kari skipped out the door, leaving Sasuke in an extremely foul mood with an excruciating headache, made only worse by dearest Sakura.

* * *

"What to do Kita-ko?" Kari sighed, looking around in boredom. "Who's lazy? We could do with a nap after that rude wake up call." Kita tilted her head to the side, observing her Okaa-san sideways. "Hey, I met that girl before didn't I? Inu—no Ino." Kari walked into the flower shop, heading towards a bored looking blonde girl. Kita gave a loud sneeze alerting the dozing girl to their presence.

"Oh hi, Kari right?" Ino asked, a smile automatically spreading across her face. "How can I help you?"

"Hey Ino, do you know where that Shikamaru guy is? He's on your team isn't he?" Kari questioned, looking around at the brightly coloured flowers that covered the room. Ino heaved a tired sigh.

"Yeah… He'll be in the field with that little hill. It's near the training grounds. You're so lucky being on Sasuke's team you know, I'd die to be on his team" Ino said, gazing off with an unfocused expression.

"Mmmhmm" Kari said smirking, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Ino laughed at her expression. "Puppy love?"

"You could say that. He's so handsome and strong… Wouldn't our kids be attractive!" at this, Ino let out a loud high-pitched squeal that almost knocked Kari unconscious. _Oh my sensitive ear drums they bleeeed…_

"I don't think he's doing anything today. Seriously what do you people see in him? He's so… angsty and moody and _Sasuke-like_" Kari shook her head, not seeing it. Yeah he was pretty sweet yesterday when she was freaking out, and unusually lovely in the evening but he was deathly tired and people say things they don't mean when they're like that.

"Really?! I'll have to go see him later! Here, have a free flower on me for your valuable information!" Kari blinked as Ino shot off somewhere.

"Uhh… thanks?"

* * *

"Hey Shika" Kari said giving him a light nudge. He raised his hand in greeting not bothering to open his eyes. Kari giggled slightly and lay down beside him. "Too troublesome to be energetic on days off, I just want to sleep" she looked up at the clouds. "There are some funny shaped clouds out today."

"You noticed too huh?" Shikamaru said, opening his eyes to stare lazily at the drifting clouds. "That one there looks like a monkey." Kari nodded in agreement.

"I wonder what it means, clouds can sometimes tell stories you know" Kari smiled remembering the fond childhood memories of her goggling out the car window at clouds and trying to figure out what they resembled, creating stories of 'what things in heaven did during lives' or 'great stories the sky has to tell' she was blessed with an extravagant imagination and no matter how long the car journey, she was kept entertained.

"Hm, I heard that too. The birds are unusually quiet, how troublesome" Shikamaru noted, glancing at the odd trees around. No bird twittered in reply.

"Way too quiet, you mind if I play some music? After that I'm catching a nap, I only had a bucket of freezing water thrown over me when I was asleep by Sas-_**gay**_" Kari said grumpily. Shikamaru snorted as he chuckled.

"How troublesome… Never really spoke to Sasuke, he was a bunch of the '_cool group'_ if you get what I mean. Miserable guy, shot glares everywhere. And you can if you want, as long as it isn't a load of crap and you don't play it too long" the lazy boy agreed, closing his eyes. Kari smirked shaking her head. He was certainly a character wasn't he? As though on her hearts desire, an acoustic guitar appeared in her hands, with a faint glow of chakra surrounding it. She rarely played, not having her own guitar, but in music classes when guitars were used, she had a sort of knack for it, even if she struggled a little with her small hands. Without hesitation, her fingers caressed the strings creating a melody and she softly sang, Kita watching curiously. She sang a song that was easy to play on her shaky skills, a song by Taylor swift called "Outside" which goes all right with her voice.

"_I didn't know what I would find  
When I went looking for a reason, I know  
I didn't read between the lines  
And, baby, I've got nowhere to go  
I tried to take the road less travelled by  
But nothing seems to work the first few times  
Am I right?_

So how can I ever try to be better?  
Nobody ever lets me in  
I can still see you, this ain't the best view  
On the outside looking in  
I've been a lot of lonely places  
I've never been on the outside

You saw me there, but never knew  
I would give it all up to be  
A part of this, a part of you  
And now it's all too late so you see  
You could've helped if you had wanted to  
But no one notices until it's too  
Late to do anything

So how can I ever try to be better?  
Nobody ever lets me in  
I can still see you, this ain't the best view  
On the outside looking in  
I've been a lot of lonely places  
I've never been on the outside

How can I ever try to be better?  
Nobody ever lets me in  
I can still see you, this ain't the best view  
On the outside looking in  
I've been a lot of lonely places  
I've never been on the outside…"

Kari finished, her hands sliding over the strings. A dull ache hit the tips of her delicate fingers but she ignored it, content she had been at one with music. She felt relaxed and at peace now and most probably had a dumb smile on her face. _Ah well, sod it._

"You got a pretty good voice" Shikamaru said opening an eye. "It doesn't hurt my ears… unlike Ino's attempt at singing." Kari blushed slightly but grinned and shrugged. She laid down, the guitar disappearing. Kita curled up on her, her head resting above Kari's heart. The little cub adored the sound; it made her feel safe and protected to be so close to her Okaa-san. The red rose Ino had gifted them with was placed on Kita's hitai-ate, the stem held in place on the inside of the fabric. Within minutes, the Konoha nin (including Kita as a wolf-nin) fell into a well deserved slumber.

* * *

"Well Shika-kun, I'm off" Kari said stretching. Kita's tail waved merrily to and fro, waiting for her Okaa-san to be ready. Shikamaru nodded with a yawn, clearly not bothered. "So we're pretty much friends, eh? We should hang out when I've got days off!"

"Yeah, I guess you're not too troublesome, especially for someone on Naruto's, Sasuke's and Sakura's team. Surprisingly you're almost bearable." Shikamaru agreed. "But you still are a troublesome woman." Kari simply shook her head and gave him a wave.

"Sayonara Shika!"

"Ja Kari."

* * *

"**AH! LEE! YOU'RE SUCH AN EXAMPLE OF YOUTH TO THOSE AROUND YOU! YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO MAKE A SENSEI PROUD!!"**

Kari was taken back by the loud booming voice as she wandered through another training ground. She actually fell over, but luckily avoided squishing Kita by falling onto her back. Mumbling ripe unladylike words she peered through the bushes and was confused to say the least at the sight in front of her.

Neji, TenTen, Lee and Bigger-Louder-Clone-of-Lee.

All of a sudden the 'Bigger-Louder-Clone-of-Lee' spun around and pointed directly at Kari's hiding place. In a loud booming voice with the expected volume of an opera singer he dramatically exclaimed the words; "**A SPY?! COME OUT FIEND!**" Poor Kari was confused and was thankful that Neji motioned to her to come to him, Byakugan activated.

Kari sighed in relief and went to obey when she suddenly remembered something.

_--__**Flashback—**_

"_Agh!" Kari whined, falling on her backside, glaring pitifully up at Neji who looked down at her, arms folded. "That wasn't fair Mr! I'm new to this!"_

"_My apologies. I didn't mean to go overboard" Neji said monotonely, Kari swelled in huffiness, being reminded of Sasuke far too much. "You're speed is quite impressive for a novice, though you definitely need work on practically everything else."_

"_Pfft. You need work on being expressive, you're too emotionless." Kari retorted indignantly. Suddenly a light bulb struck her. "Compromise, I work hard for you, you open up to me?" Neji observed her sternly, trying to figure out her strange request. She radiated innocence and sincerity so he supposed he could give it a try and work on his social skills so when needed to he could deceive the enemy…_

"_Very well. It seems around the same amount of difficulty, now stand up and prepare yourself. I won't go easy on you this time…_

_--__**End**__—_

_**Ouch.**_

_**Nasty Neji.**_

_**Nasty painful poking fingers.**_

So Kari weighed her options, go to Neji or face the scary 'Bigger-Louder-Clone-of-Lee'. Heck, she'd rather face Neji.

"Kari-hime!" Lee squealed at the sight of her. TenTen smiled in greeting and Neji gave her a curt nod as she stopped at his side. Kita blinked tilting her head trying to make sense of the situation. Miffed, she turned to Kari for an explanation. Conscious of five pairs of eyes staring at her she awkwardly raised her hand in greeting.

"Ugh… Hi?"

"**AND WHO, YOUNG LADY, ARE YOU? AH! YOU MUST HAVE COME TO MEET THE GREAT MAITO GAI!**" exclaimed the 'Bigger-Louder-Clone-of-Lee'.

"That would be Maito Gai, my sensei" Neji said, noticing her puzzled expression. "Gai-sensei, this is Kari. She's the genin I've been training; I told you all about it before."

"**AHA!**" Gai boomed. "**YOU MUST BE NEJI'S LITTLE LADY! MY, MY NEJI! WHAT FINE TASTE!**" Neji stiffened, TenTen shook her head in exasperation and Lee tried to explain that Kari was not dating Neji, using a lot of frantic arm waving. Kari and Kita just stared in confusion; Kari was waiting for her little voice to explain things for her, which it didn't as it only helped in Japanese language. Kari was sure it was another voice with Kita and in battle, but didn't for the life of her understand it so gave up trying to. Anyway, sadly, no little voice gave her an explanation.

"I'm _**only**_ training her" Neji mumbled through gritted teeth. Gai waved it aside and started blabbering something about 'the joys of youthful love'.

"Just ignore him Kari, he's always like that. You get used to it and learn to tune him out" TenTen reassured. "Oh you have a puppy! She's beautiful!" TenTen cried smiling at Kita who was staring with her head tilted at a dramatic Gai who was talking animatedly to an equally enthusiastic Lee, the only one who would listen.

"Ah but Kari-hime is a delicate flower of beauty and kindness that Neji may not appreciate Gai-sensei!" Lee cried.

"**SO YOU LEE! YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH THIS DEAR YOUNG LADY?!**" Gai cried in delight.

"Kari-hime has beauty too great for someone as unworthy as me sensei! Her kind-heart is deserving of the best and I am not yet good enough! Oh my undeserving heart!" Lee cried clutching the green spandex fabric over his chest.

"Lee, you're sweet and all but seriously. Sakura's way better than me" Kari reasoned, thinking of her unique friend. Naruto was obsessed with her for a reason, she was beautiful.

"Sakura-chan? Perhaps she is for me?" Lee repeated getting the complete wrong end of the stick. Kari sighed; her shoulders sagging, causing Kita to almost slide off and to jump on Kari's head instead, Kari's ears twitching. It was then Kari's canine features were noticed.

"**EHH??**" TenTen, Lee and Gai screeched. Neji, having seen it before, still seemed a little confused by her ears and tail, but not to the extent the others were with their jaws dropped and their eyes bulging. Kari awkwardly placed a hand on the back of her head, a habit she had unknowingly picked up from Naruto.

"Err… Yeah 'bout that… The ears and tail umm…?"

"Kari-hime! You look adorable!" Lee cried grabbing her hand, his eyes shining with glee. Who cares if Lee looks funny and is too energetic? He's lovely! She grinned as a blush was painted across her cheeks. "It seems to complete you, making you unique and special in your own way! Would you not agree Gai-sensei?" Lee cried. Gai grinned and nodded.

"Beautiful Lee" he wiped his eyes and Kari was relieved he wasn't currently shouting (her ears throbbed). TenTen sighed.

"Well Kari, did you need me?" Neji asked. Kari looked at him and blinked, looking comical with Kita lying on her head. Neji held in a chuckle at the amusing sight "Why are you here? Do you want me to train you?" Before Kari could so much as draw breath she was cut off.

"**THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA! TEAM! FROM NOW ON KARI-HIME SHALL BE OUR APPRENTICE!!**" Gai cried striking a pose. Kari fell backwards, her eardrums close to shattering.

'_Okaa-saaaan! He's so loud!' _Kita cried through the telepathic link they seemed to have. She licked Kari's face to get her attention causing the young kunoichi to giggle. Neji unfolded his arms and observed her, Byakugan activated.

"Very well, let's begin."

* * *

"You're really mean ya know that" Kari mumbled, burying her face into Neji's hair. By the time she had finished training, she was absolutely exhausted. She couldn't even stand. Neji was carrying her piggyback to the Hyuuga compound. He had that emotionless mask on that annoyed the hell out of Kari. She sighed causing him to shudder and grumble at her not to do that. Grinning, Kari blew on the back of his neck again, cackling to herself. Neji blushed, glaring ahead. Kita was happily walking beside them, looking around taking everything in, her keen eyes missing nothing.

"The training was beneficial to you; you wouldn't have improved as much if we went easy on you." Kari sighed supposing he was right. She was sure that she would never miss a target again after TenTen's weaponry lecture. If the wolf girl did, she would be sure to face an annoyed TenTen's wrath. At least Neji agreed to help her instead of leaving her there (like Sasuke would've done). "We're here anyway. Go find Hinata-sama and clean up."

"Ahh Hinata-imouto" Kari sighed after a nice shower. She was laying on Hinata's unearthly comfortable bed in a change of Hinata's clothes. The Hyuuga girl preferred clothes which were comfortable and Kari was hugely grateful for it at this moment. Her yukata was loosely fitted and was lovely and soft.

"Did Oniisan work you hard?" Hinata said softly, stroking Kita who was snuggled up to Kari's side. Kari nodded with a long-suffering expression. Hinata simply giggled, not even noticing how she didn't stutter at all this visit. Kari was struggling not to fall asleep, she wanted to sink into the bed and fall into hibernation (regardless of the fact it was past hibernation time). "Kiba-kun said that he enjoyed your company and that he wanted to kidnap you so that you could be on our team, Shino-kun told him not to be silly but Kiba-kun was adamant that you were in need of rescue" Kari smirked. Rescue from Sasuke, _I wish…_

"Meh, Hina-chan. I better get going before I fall asleep on your bed" Kari said smiling. "Is it all right if I drop your clothes off tomorrow?"

"Oh keep them Oneechan, I have too many clothes" Hinata said simply. "Being an heiress does not mean I have need for so many possessions, one day I hope people will learn that."

"You deserved to be spoilt rotten, you're such a warm-hearted person" Kari said, pulling her into a hug. "Are you sure though? They're too comfy to be just given away. They must have cost a fortune! The shorts and yukata are so well made I really couldn't and—"

"Oneechan" Hinata said, placing her hand on Kari's shoulder. "Keep them, you'll be doing me a favour. They don't fit me anyway" Hinata smiled and ushered her out before she could argue the case anymore.

* * *

"Oh Kita-ko I don't deserve Hinata-chan as a friend" Kari sighed, hugging the small pup to her. She loved the feel of the fabric, and the obi gave her good posture and gave her back support, a great comfort after training. She'd wear kimono/yukata style shirts more often if she wasn't so paranoid about how easy they could open from the front. Kita yawned and looked up at Kari. "Hey Kita, go head home, I'll take my sweet time. I'll go see if Naruto-kun's at Ichiraku." Kita immediately obeyed, streaking off in the direction of Sasuke's place. Kari grinned at her speed, impressed and proud as only a mother could be.

'_This way.'_

Kari jumped out her skin at the male voice speaking into her thoughts. It was familiar but she couldn't place it. Suddenly, she was yanked by the wrist through the bushes, across some training grounds over some roofs and into the forest. The speed was incredibly fast and she only just managed to keep up.

"Impressive. You're speed is unnatural for a genin" a voice said, two piercing crimson eyes staring at her out of the darkness. Kari squinted, trying to make out his face. Her eyes widened and her lips slightly parted as she recognised him. It was that Itachi guy.

"How'd you do that? Talk inside my head?" Kari questioned folding her arms while thanking the lord she had sent Kita off beforehand. Itachi stepped closer so the moonlight revealed his face. He had a slight smirk on his face as his eyes were gleaming.

"So you're already that developed" Kari immediately took it the wrong way and her face flushed. She pulled her folded arms higher up, self-consciously hiding her chest. "I didn't expect you to awaken telepathy at least for a few months." Kari tilted her head to the side. Wasn't telepathy mind-reading? "When did you gain canine characteristics?"

"Why should I tell you?" Kari said defensively, her ears unconsciously twitching.

"Have you activated the chakra already? That shouldn't have happened unless you were in battle and you're life was in danger. Or in the case of extreme emotional stress" Kari's eyes travelled around her surroundings, trying to pretend she didn't know what he was talking about. "You're a terrible liar. What happened?"

"Hey! I wasn't lying I was playing dumb!" Kari cried indignantly. Itachi simply stared at her, his face unnervingly blank. Kari sighed, something inside her telling her she could trust him. _Though she had a feeling in her gut that Itachi was the guy Sasuke wanted to kill. But that's really none of her business and a very awkward question to ask, even if deep down she knew the answer._ "Well we went on a C-rank mission to the Land of Waves. Then this Zabuza guy showed up and—"

"Momochi Zabuza one of the seven swordsmen of the mist?"

"Err… the what?"

"My partner, Hoshigaki Kisame is also one of the seven. I'd heard a rumour that Zabuza had been killed. I'm guessing it was Kakashi. You Genin wouldn't have stood a chance."

"Give me a break; it was only my… second mission? Anyway yeah there was a huge battle and one of my team-mates was really hurt and I thought he was dead. Then this really weird thing happened." Kari refrained from using Sasuke's name, not wanting things to get awkward. Itachi nodded for her to continue, his gaze just as intense. "Well I felt a huge rush of emotions, rage and pain and all that. Then it was as though energy was pushing itself out of my body and there was like tingles on my head and down my spine and in my mouth. Then it was really windy and my eyes burned. Then I was attacking the guy that was responsible. But I was moving so fast and the air took on a kind of golden tone and there were white and black wisps in front of my eyes. Then… I was injured and I woke up with these" she motioned to her ears and tail. "And I can use these wings" she flapped her arms up and down to try and explain. "But only when I push them out, though I'm sort of bad at flying because I need more practice and…"

"I see. I'll research what I can, though there's not much known about bijuu's effects on Jinchuuriki. Then later on I'll try and teach you to control your chakra." Itachi interrupted saving her from further explanation. His eyes narrowed. "Open your mouth" Kari blinked. But obliged, reasoning that he wasn't going to rip her tongue out. "You're canines have lengthened considerably and they're very sharp."

"I'm a vampire?" she asked. He just stared at her, making her feel stupid. "Anyway, I'm sure that's not the only reason you're here" Kari pressed.

"Draw your katana. I'm going to train you starting with your swords" Itachi said, pulling out a long, thin silver blade from underneath his cloak.

"I haven't had a chance to use them yet" Kari said nervously, quickly backing away. Looking up he was again, just staring at her, waiting. "But- Well- I- Ugh… Fine. But it's not my fault if I suck." Kari placed her earphones in her ears, she'd taken her ipod with her and had listened to music as she and Shikamaru dozed. Music always calmed her and gave her a sense of rhythm, so she supposed it would help her. Of course, with those damn wolf ears she had to use a slight chakra barrier to hold them in place and prevent them falling out, especially when she moved. "All right then, let's go!"

Without hesitation he flew at her, with a slight yelp of surprise Kari brought her katana up to defend herself, she struggled against his weight then pushed away, but not without getting a semi-deep cut across the side of her shoulder. Knowing full well he was serious she charged at him, her movements were in perfect time with the song pounding into her head. He blocked her effortlessly, twisting his wrist to turn his sword and block her attacks. She seemed to be in a trance and Itachi's Sharingan rotated as he tried to predict her movements. With a sharp swing to the left side of him, she twisted and aimed a kick at him. Itachi avoided with ease and with a light push to her back, caused the young kunoichi to fall face first in the dirt. She propped herself up on her elbows and glared at him with mud streaked across her pale face.

"I've been training all day and that was my first time, you can't expect me to be as good as you" she mumbled.

"In fact you exceeded my expectations" Itachi said, looking down at her. "You're speed is highly above average for your level, you're very light on your feet and move silently. Your movements are graceful as though you're in a dance" Kari's ego inflated slightly as a blush crossed her face. "However…" _There's always got to be a damn however… _"Your defence is poor. You rely far too much on your right side and your blocking needs a lot of work. You focus almost entirely on attacking leaving you open to counter attacks." Kari sighed, falling back into the dirt. He couldn't have been any more blunt. "But you have potential, even though it was only a few minutes you picked things up quickly and became at ease with using your katana. We'll work more on your weaknesses next time. Until then, train on your own and build up your speed. It seems that is your greatest strength."

"I can go a bit longer!" Kari cried stubbornly, her face looking up at him once more, even dirtier that last time. Itachi shook his head in disagreement and Kari decided not to push it. "Fine… When will you be back?"

"When I have time to spare. I have other important business to take care of."

"All right then, ja ne" Kari said, flopping once again onto the ground. After a rather long pause, when she thought he was gone, Itachi spoke again.

"Are you just going to stay there all night?"

"Yup."

"You'll just get sick, then you're training will be delayed."

"Yup."

"Do you even know the way back?"

"Nope."

With a rude and sudden pull, Itachi started dragging her along. She didn't even try to keep up with his speed this time, she was too tired. So he placed her under one arm, to make her easy to carry. After a minute or so he dropped her, and she responded with a light 'oomph' and muttered insults under her breath. Itachi just stared down at her, tomoe slowly turning.

"Go home and rest. You've reached your limit" Itachi said turning and disappearing into the shadows, seemingly ignoring her comment that she 'didn't have a home'. With a slight whine Kari closed her eyes getting ready to sleep. She couldn't face the walk back, heck she'd probably be wandering for hours on end. But then, the Gods blessed her and a lovely voice called out to her.

"Okaa-san!"

And then the gods cursed her and a grumpy voice began scolding her.

"Baka you look a mess."

And with that she was hoisted off the ground and placed on something warm and lulled by the plodding movement of someone walking beneath her, her eyes closed and she fell into a contented sleep.


	24. Getting Back to Normal

**A/N**: Ahh, finally. My Science exam is done! Wasn't too bad either, finished after half an hour and went to sleep (I always have a 10 minute nap in exams, it's tradition) it was my best guy friend's birthday Sunday, so happy birthday to him :) Also, thank you for the wonderful reviews, do you think I should reply to them? It's up to you, say at the end if you'd like a personal reply. Enjoy...

**Disclaimer: All aspects of 'Naruto' belong to Matashi Kishimoto-sama. Love him.**

**Claimer: Kari and Kita are mine.

* * *

******

**Getting Back to Normal**

_Feeling at peace she smiled,_

_At last, for now, it all seems right._

* * *

"Ughh it's too quiet, where's Naru-kun" Kari sighed sadly, leaning back onto Sasuke's legs. The Uchiha's eyebrow gave an annoyed twitch as he gave her an irritated glare. It had been a nightmare getting her up at five this morning; she had been sleeping like the dead. Kita was currently asleep in Kari's arms, it still being too early for the young cub to be running about.

"Speak of the devil" Sasuke mumbled, as an orange blob appeared in the near distance, heading straight towards them.

"Heeeey! Ohayo Kari-chan, Sakura-chan, what's up?!" Naruto said happily. Kari got up from her comfortable position and proceeded to embrace her dear fox-brother.

"Thank goodness! I was so bored" Kari whined. Sakura chose to ignore Naruto and seize the opportunity to scoot closer to Sasuke. Her movement didn't go unnoticed and Sasuke's glare soon made her back off again. The handsome Uchiha then turned his glare onto the conversing blonde shinobi. Catching this, Naruto immediately shot a glare back, pausing his conversation with Kari. The wolf girl expected it anyway so hoisted herself up to sit on the railings of the bridge, which Sasuke was leaning on beside her. She chose to ignore the glare he sent her and entertained herself by turning her ipod up to full blast and humming along to the song.

* * *

"_**Aghhhh! I'm soooo damn bored**_!" Naruto shrieked a couple of hours later. Kari wasn't paying attention, her ipod was now off and she was enjoying the pleasantries of the world. The sun warmed her leaving her skin slightly tingly and the breeze ran through her long golden locks, blowing it out of her face. She could hear the water trickling in the stream beneath her, as well as the steady rhythm of her team-mates hearts and breathing patterns. Kita was now awake, sitting comfortably in Kari's lap and watched as the clouds rolled lazily across the sky. "Ne, ne, Kari-chan? Are you asleep?" Naruto asked. Kari simply smiled and shook her head, not seeing the need to open her eyes.

"How can you be so calm? Aren't you at least a little impatient?" Sakura asked looking up. Kari shrugged, her bangs tickling her face as the wind ran its fingers through her golden hair once more. True, she wasn't the most patient, but for some reason the sounds, sights, everything was so much clearer, so magical. She was grateful for this new found appreciation of the world, even if she had to put up with the stares of people that saw her peculiar canine characteristics.

"She's at peace, leave her be" Sasuke said, surprising everyone. "She's quiet, I want her to stay like that" ah, never mind...

"Hey guys, ohayo, sorry I'm late. I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life" Kakashi said as he appeared in a poof of smoke on one of the arches over the bridge. He offered a lazy wave as three of his four students shot him glares.

"_**NANIII**_?" Sakura and Naruto screeched in outrage. They'd been waiting _hours_ and he comes up with a pathetic excuse like **that**?

"Hey Kashi" Kari said with a wave, her eyes finally opening. As the silver haired jounin jumped down to join them, he took her new nickname into account, glad she'd stopped calling him 'Kakashi-roba' for now. Kashi was far more tolerable.

"I'm ready for the next ninja mission sensei! And hey no more of this dumb beginner stuff ok! I wanna chance to prove myself! I'm talkin' a real mission where I can show what I'm made of! I gotta break out and burn it up! **SEE!!**" Naruto cried with a huge amount of gusto.

"Uh... yeah I get it, that's great Naruto now take it easy would you" Kakashi said, trying to get the young shinobi out of his face. Naruto glared at Sasuke. Sakura glared at Naruto. Sasuke looked bored. Kari sighed at the chain of glares, thinking their immaturity was a poor example to Kita.

"Geez Naru-kun why are you getting so fired up? It's only Sasuke" Kari sighed, placing a hand on top Sasuke's head. She grinned in pride at being able to do so, ignoring the fact she could only reach because she was sitting on the railing. She subconsciously noticed how beautiful his hair was and how it was wonderfully silky to the touch. Sasuke narrowed his eyes to continue the chain of glares and Kari immediately prepared herself to grab hold of him if he felt the need to shove her off the side of the bridge. Kakashi chuckled awkwardly, placing a hand on Kari's head, sensing she was the only one of his students in a fairly good mood. Her ears immediately twitched and she leaned into his touch.

"**DATTEBAYO!!**" Naruto roared all of a sudden, his eyes ablaze with determination.

"Let me know when you're done fantasising Naruto so we can start the mission all right?" Kakashi said, flicking his book open with his spare hand as he started rubbing one of Kari's ears. Kari half-hated him and half-loved him for this, it felt wonderful, but he was treating her like a freaking dog. Like anyone, she held her fair amount of pride.

"**RIGHT!**" Naruto cried, still in his fiery daydream. Everyone just looked at him, all thinking along the similar lines of the word _**baka.**_

* * *

"Ughh! Could you **NOT** be so annoying Naruto! Just for _**ONCE**_!" Sakura cried reaching the end of her tether. Dear, innocent, little Naruto was struggling to pull out stubborn weeds and with the last one he dragged out, he had sent a shower of dirt all over the bubblegum kunoichi.

"Well I'm gonna beat Sasuke anyway!" Naruto cried indignantly, ignoring Sakura's comment as he rolled up his sleeves. His eyes held that fiery determination again and Kari sighed as she had a sense of foreboding. Kita who was watching her Okaa-san pull weeds from in-between Kari's ears, lying on the top of the wolf-girls head watched with interest at Naruto's strange behaviour.

* * *

"Oh dear…" Kari said as she looked up at the green mountain a triumphant Naruto was standing beside. "Naruto-kun, you're in such deep shit…"

"Okaa-san what's shit?" Kita asked. Kari instantly stiffened.

"Err…It's a vulgar word for saying poo. Kita's do not use naughty words like that."

"What's a naughty word?" Kita said tilting her head.

"A word that is naughty" Kari replied. "Words that you aren't allowed to say Kita-ko."

"**HEY YOU!**"

Kari immediately tensed again and glanced round at a beaming Naruto and a very, very angry client.

"Hey lady! I got rid of all your weeds pretty cool huh?!" Naruto cried happily, gesturing to the weeds, flowers, herbs and all of the other plant life that had been carefully planted in the garden by the lady. The lady's face was an angry blotchy red, her eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched. "Eh? Doushita?" Naruto asked, wondering what in the world was wrong.

"You pulled the weeds and you also pulled up my plants! Those were special herbs I've been growing and you **DESTROYED THEM!!**" the lady shouted beating up Naruto with her broom. Kari covered Kita's eyes and quickly scooted behind Sakura and Sasuke for safety, hoping they didn't notice one or two accidental herbs in her piles.

* * *

"Ah I see, my apologies on behalf of Naruto" Kakashi said awkwardly to the fuming woman. Dodging a violent swoosh from the client's broom, Kakashi proceeded to explain our next D-rank mission. "Well team, we have a mission to clean out the river" Kakashi said, flicking open his book and leading the way.

"Hey Kashi! Where were you?" Kari called chasing after him. The grey haired jonin placed a hand on top of her head and smiled under his mask, not giving her an answer. Kari folded her arms and gave him a scolding look. "You were reading porn again weren't you" she said. Kakashi chuckled and shook his head.

"Would I?" Kakashi asked innocently as he walked on again. Kari refused to let him off the hook that easily and chased after him, leaving Kita to ride on a bruised Naruto's head while Sasuke ignored Sakura who struggled to strike up conversation with him.

* * *

"Well, get to it. The sooner you start the sooner you finish" Kakashi said as he sat under the shade of a tree, Kita's head resting on his knee. He leisurely began reading the next chapter.

"Oi Kashi!" Kari called, sending an almighty splash at him. Kakashi simply used one of his many jutsu to send it back at her. "Hey! That's cheating!" she whined. Naruto started splashing her too. Kari began an onslaught of soaking Naruto causing him to slip and fall off the edge of the waterfall. "Oops. Hang on Naruto-kun!" she called as she threw her basket and litter picking stick on the bank, oblivious to Naruto screaming his head off. She dived underwater and swam through the current. They both hurtled over the edge, Naruto screaming in fear, Kari screaming in delight. She grabbed hold of Naruto's ankle and prepared to sprout her wings and attempt to fly, but her falling was ceased by Sasuke grabbing hold of them both. She scowled at the spoil sport until a delightful idea struck her.

"Swing us!" Kari cried excitedly as Naruto stopped screaming, finally realising he had stopped falling.

"No baka. Throw Naruto over in Sakura's direction, you're both to heavy to hoist up together." Sasuke said boredly. Kari inflated indignantly.

"I'll have you know I can lift myself up! I'm not that heavy _**you're**_ just lazy!" Kari cried pointing accusingly. Unfortunately, to point, she had let go of Naruto, throwing him rather violently in Sakura's direction.

"**AAAAAAH!!**"

_**Splash.**_

* * *

For their next D-rank, Naruto was rather damp, having been thrown into Sakura, resulting in a very ruthless punishment. Sakura was incredibly scary when angry and Kari made a vow to never be on the receiving end of her rage and when she seemed in a bad mood, to put Sasuke in-between them for protection.

Of course, from the selection of dogs they had to walk for their mission, Naruto demanded the biggest, strongest, most masculine looking dog. Sasuke was stuck with a tiny, girly looking dog that was almost identical to Sakura's and was stubbornly trying to hump it, much to Sasuke's disgust. Kari had a Siberian husky, the best deal in her opinion. Kita asked a million questions on why these animals looked a little like her and if they were types of 'Kita'. Kari once had to explain that Kita was a wolf, and try to explain the ancestry of dogs and wolves. Kita became confused and questioned further but their little lesson was interrupted by Naruto's desperate bellowing.

"**NO**! **STOP! WE CANT GO IN THERE! HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU**!" The massive bulldog-like-dog took no heed of Naruto and continued to drag him along, unaffected by Naruto attempting to yank on the lead or dig his heels into the ground.

"Loser" Sasuke mumbled.

"**UH!** Of course! He just _**HAD**_ to have the biggest dog" Sakura said annoyed as she watched Naruto struggle.

"**STOP PULLING WOULD YOU! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO OVER THERE!**" Naruto shouted desperately to the happily oblivious dog. Kakashi sat in a tree peacefully reading his book, though Kari knew he was secretly watching Naruto from the corner of his eye. After all, the jonin had already nearly been decapitated with a broom this morning; he didn't want another angry client after his blood. "**THAT'S NOT A PLACE FOR DOGS IT'S A MINEFIELD!!**" Naruto shrieked as he was dragged to his doom. Explosions went off with Naruto's cries of "_**AAH**_!" every few seconds; Kita watched the light show excitedly as another '**BOOM**' went off. All of us stared blankly and then sighed. Naruto came out smoking while the dog panted happily beside him, unphased and unharmed.

"Kita I hope you learned something today" Kari said as Naruto fell onto his front.

"Hai Okaa-san! Don't go into minefields or places that go boom without a Naruto-kun!" she replied happily.

* * *

"Look at you! You're hopeless Naruto!" Sakura scolded looking back at his worn form. Kari and Sasuke each had one of his arms over their shoulders and were dragging him along, his feet leaving little furrows in the ground.

"You really are just one big problem dobe—OW!" Sasuke was cut off when a fist collided with the back of his head. He shot a glare at Kari who was giving a scolding look.

"Give him a break, or I'll drag you through a minefield and see how you come out."

"Kari! Sasuke-kun is perfectly right! Naruto should have left the larger dog to someone more capable!" Sakura cried, immediately taking Sasuke's side. Kari rolled her eyes; hating the fact Madam Bubblegum was so one-minded. Surely as friends they should back each other up and just _**once**_ tell Sasuke he was wrong. Ok… we don't want to get ahead of ourselves…

"**SASUKE!**" Naruto shouted letting go of his support and preparing to pounce and beat the living daylights out of the stuck up Uchiha. Sakura flung her arm in front of Naruto to protect her precious Sasuke. Sasuke ungratefully began walking off looking bored.

"**IF YOU KEEP THIS UP I'LL FINISH YOU OFF MYSELF**!" Sakura threatened, glaring daggers at poor Naruto. Kakashi sighed.

"I guess we're not making a lot of progress on the teamwork thing" Their Sensei observed sadly. Kari nodded sadly in agreement.

"We're all doomed…"

"Actually, you're not too bad Kari-chan, but the others, well..." Kakashi trailed off looking thoughtful.

"**THAT'S RIGHT OUR TEAMWORK'S ALL MESSED UP AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU SASUKE!!**" Naruto shouted angrily at Sasuke's back. "**YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!**"

"Not everyone" Sasuke said slowly. Kari raised an eyebrow sceptically. Well duh, of course he wasn't as good as Kashi or Neji, and Lee and TenTen are pretty awesome too.

"Just you Naruto, face it, I'm better and stronger than you are. It's a fact unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong" Sasuke said sending the fox-boy a smirk. Naruto glared at him. Kari went to defend Naruto but Kakashi put a hand on her head as a gentle warning. Instead, she decided to change tactics, one which wouldn't involve her getting locked out of the apartment tonight.

"Yeah but..." the rivals turned their gaze onto the young kunoichi, Sakura too turned her attention to Kari hoping what she had to say would finish the argument. "You're stronger in different ways" she said simply. Naruto grinned in appreciation while Sasuke scoffed.

"**SEE! KARI-CHAN LOVES ****ME**** MORE!**" Naruto cried victoriously.

"Tch. Why would _**anyone**_ like you?" Sasuke said. That was the last straw for Kari as she sent the cocky Uchiha a protective glare. Kakashi, seeing that this was going nowhere decided to take his leave.

"All right guys, lets call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp another time anyway I have to file my report on this mission. Ja Kari-chan" Kakashi said as he disappeared into a poof of smoke.

"Ja Kashi" Kari said with a wave. Good thing he said goodbye, she would have told him off tomorrow morning if he didn't.

"Whatever I'm outta here" Sasuke mumbled, turning and leaving.

"Hey! I wasn't finished!" Kari cried. Aware she hadn't properly scolded Sasuke for picking on her beloved Naru-kun. Kita looked up at her, telling her Okaa-san through a telepathic link that she would stay and watch over Naruto for her.

"Whatever, you can come if you want" Sasuke said.

"Wait! Sasuke-kun! I'll go with you too!" Sakura cried rushing over to him. "So why don't we um… you know, let's do something more personal! I mean to improve our teamwork and all—"

"And maybe we can ditch poor little Kari-chan on the way" Kari mumbled.

"And maybe we can— Hey! I wasn't going to ditch you Kari!" Sakura cried indignantly. "I just thought it would be better if I and Sasuke-kun had some time alone!" Kari grinned and suppressed her giggles when Sasuke shot her a nasty glare. He hadn't forgiven her for allowing Sakura into his apartment, it had taken a full half hour to get rid of her, and an extra hour after that before his headache finally eased.

"I swear you're just as bad as Naruto, instead of flirting why don't you practice your jutsu and make the team stronger? Let's face it you're actually _**WORSE**_ than Naruto" Sasuke said.

"HEY! Sasuke that was harsh! Lowering her confidence isn't gonna help! And she's smarter than you and much more experienced than me! Besides every girl and guy goes through the flirting stage, do you not have hormones?" Kari said, immediately standing up for Sakura, hating it when people were put down.

"You actually did something, you nearly got killed but at least you contributed. And I don't let my feelings interfere with my fighting."

"She protected Tazuna!" Kari cried indignantly, standing in front of Sakura and glaring up at him. Sasuke scoffed turning away, uncomfortable with the close proximity.

"Besides you're only coming because you got moved in with me and I have the key" Sasuke continued, choosing to ignore her comment.

"How come you get the key?!" Kari cried. Sasuke ignored her and walked off. "I'll be back later Naruto-kun, once I get that damn key! Sasuke! Oi Sasuke! Hey wait up!"

* * *

"Sakura-chan just forget about Sasuke! Me, you and Kari-chan can develop our teamwork all day!" Naruto cried, oblivious to the real reason for Sakura's depression. Hearing something he looked round, completely forgetting about Sakura. A square boxy, rocky, err… thing, walked forward. Testing out his theory, Naruto ran forward and back a few times getting faster every time. The rock followed. Naruto stopped turning and glaring dramatically at the rock, taking on one of Iruka's poses – Hands on hips, leaning forward with a menacing glare and slightly bulging eyes. Naruto then pointed at the 'rock' accusingly with the air of a hero catching a villain.

"That's the _**worst**_ disguise I've ever seen, there's _no such thing_ as square rocks! **IT'S COMPLETELY OBVIOUS!**" Sakura looked up from her depressed sitting position to stare at Naruto blankly. The bouncy orange-clad boy failed to notice the even more obvious fact that the rock was _moving_ and was simply a cardboard box with a fair amount of tape keeping it together. Hell there was even a few random stickers on it.

"You saw through my camouflage again! You're slick boss, just what I'd expect from my _**greatest rival**_!" a voice cried. The box exploded and pink blue and yellow smoke appeared. After a moment or two, it cleared to reveal three kids on their knees coughing. "I think we used a little too much gunpowder you guys" a boy Naruto recognised as Konohamaru said. Noticing Naruto's blank, confused stare, the three immediately jumped to their feet and sprang into poses.

"I'm Moegi the sexiest kunoichi in pre-school check me out!" the girl cried, pulling what she obviously thought was a flirtatious pose and that Naruto found disturbing.

"I love algebra Udon!" the geeky looking boy said, which Naruto found even more disturbing.

"And _**I'm**_ the number one ninja in the village; Konohamaru! And when we're all together we're the Konohamaru ninja squad" Konohamaru cried as the three of them struck yet another pose. Naruto doubted he could be any more disturbed, but hey it was cool in some… weird… demented way. He used to play ninja all the time when he was a kid.

"Yeah, I knew it was you Konohamaru—hm? What are those things? Those goggles you're wearing on your head?" Naruto asked, recognising them from somewhere. Konohamaru laughed.

"You used to wear goggles so we're copying you!" Konohamaru cried happily, grinning widely at Naruto.

"Uh..." Naruto said confused. Oh how he wished Kari was still there, she could easily make it interesting!

"C'mon boss! Why're you being like that?! You ought to be more excited!" Konohamaru cried disappointed, folding his arms and giving Naruto a huge pout.

"So do you want something?" Naruto asked in the same bored tone.

"He's just tryna be cool" Konohamaru whispered to his two friends.

"You know what we want! Are you busy now?!" Moegi asked.

"I have to train! Dattebayou!" Naruto cried, quickly making up an excuse.

"NANI!? But you promised that you would play ninja with us today! C'mon!" Konohamaru whined. Naruto chocked on his breath and dissolved into a coughing fit but managed to turn it into a shaky laugh as he awkwardly looked round at Sakura, Kita sitting beside her with her head tilted in confusion.

"How can ninja play ninja?" Kita asked confused. She didn't want to bother her Okaa-san with such a strange question, but her childish inquisitiveness was too stubborn to ignore.

"Oh did I say that?" Naruto asked, trying the act dumb tactic.

"Ugh a ninja playing ninja that is so twisted" Sakura said rolling her eyes. Kita glanced up at Sakura, finding the kunoichi's reaction puzzling.

"Huh! Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, spinning round to face her. She was staring at him and he started turning red in embarrassment, he had completely forgotten she was there.

"Hey boss who's that girl anyway? **OH**! I get it you're a smooth operator boss c'mon I know that she's your girlfriend!" Konohamaru cried wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Naruto held in a snort, knowing that was Kari's favourite way of teasing, that and he just found it hilarious when someone did that...

"Well, you can tell she's really crazy about me huh?" Naruto said, puffing his chest out with pride with a wide grin across his blushing cheeks. His moment was entirely ruined however, with the sudden pain of a fist colliding with his skull sending the poor kyuubi-boy crashing into a sharp, splintery fence.. Beyond the stars and dots dancing in front of Naruto's watering eyes he made out an extremely angry looking Sakura, with a puzzled Kita where she had been sulking a few moments before.

"BOSS!" Konohamaru cried, immediately rushing to Naruto's side. Moegi and Udon immediately followed in a line as though it were a game of 'follow the leader'. With an angry, disbelieving glare Konohamaru rounded on Sakura. "**WHAT KIND OF GIRLFRIEND ARE YOU!?**"

"I think she crushed him!" Moegi cried worriedly, crouching over Naruto's bruised form.

"We gotta check his pulse!" Udon cried anxiously.

"You're a witch and you're ugly too!" Konohamaru cried, unwisely continuing to push Sakura's patience. Sakura cracked her knuckles, alerting them all to the fact she had reached the end of her tether. Konohamaru screamed trying desperately to get away.

* * *

Sakura stormed off after violently beating Naruto and Konohamaru to within an inch of their lives. Huffily stomping her way back towards her previous place where she had been brooding over Sasuke. Kita scooted away from her slightly and luckily remained unnoticed.

"Hey Konohamaru are you ok?" Udon asked, nudging the young boy.

"Uh I don't even think she's human! Did you see how wide her forehead is?!" A severely bruised Konohamaru complained. Sakura completely froze her body rigid. Kita, who could see the kunoichi's face made a soft squeak.

"Uh oh…" she said. Slowly Sakura turned round with the most terrifying face Naruto had ever seenin his whole entire life. Like a rampaging bull, she started running towards Naruto and Konohamaru, who screamed and ran in opposite directions.

Konohamaru ran smack-bang into someone's leg. The two unknown people looked down with a menacing glare.

"Do you need something?"


	25. Winds Of Change

**_A/N: _**Once again, thanks for the reviews. Some new faces in this one :) It all seems so light hearted doesn't it? But it won't always be...

**Disclaimer:** My birthday is October 21st. If you want to buy me the rights to 'Naruto' I'll love you. But at the moment, I don't own the lovable Kyuubi-holder or anything to do with him. Please pass the tissues.

**Claimer: **Kari and Kita are mine. I am their biological creator.

* * *

**Winds of Change**

_And looking into his eyes, _

_She knew that things would soon change._

* * *

"Sasukeeee"

"No."

"But--!"

"No."

"Why--!?"

"No."

"So _**why**_ can't I have a key?!" Kari asked again, glaring her frustration at the back of his head. Sasuke huffed, shoved his hands even deeper into his pockets and kept walking, refusing to look at her.

"I told you, you'll lose it" Sasuke said, his voce cool and calm and to Kari's dismay, devoid of irritation.

"NO I--" Kari began indignantly but froze mid-sentence.

"Kari?" Sasuke questioned, confused at her sudden silence. Her eyes were wide in surprise, but then narrowed as her expression became serious. Her wolf ears twitched and her eyes faded into a piercing white. Sasuke almost gasped and began accusations of the Byakugan, but shook it off. She didn't have the trademark lavender-tinted eyes of the Hyuuga. These eyes were necessary for the Byakugan. Sasuke supposed it was just her eyes changing colour again. He had observed how they melted into a mixture of blue's greens and greys, constantly changing shade, but so slightly it was difficult to notice. Of course, he with his Sharingan had noticed.

"We need to get back" Kari said grabbing hold of his wrist and yanking him back in the direction they had just come. Sasuke struggled to keep up, perplexed by the speed she moved. With her lazy attitude he expected her to be slow, average at most, but then again he hadn't paid her much attention in battle. He really should observe his team mates more, in particular Kari, of whom he knew barely anything about.

Sakura had intelligence; she was a quick thinker and good at planning and remembrance. When it came to knowledge she sucked it up like a sponge. Her physical strength, stamina and weaponry skills however, left much to be desired. She wasn't particularly stealthy either and was slow and loud when moving.

Naruto was a complete dumbass with incredible stamina; his chakra is pretty impressive with all those Kage bunshin too. But his aim is terrible, he slow and clumsy, he doesn't think things through and acts rashly. And he's an idiot. A complete idiot.

Kari was rather mysterious. She had a tendency to be as rash as Naruto in defending other people and seemed to get injured easily. Yet never once had he heard her cry out in pain. Yes, she showed a wince here or there, cursed rather a lot, but mostly suffered in silence, struggling on her own. Her aim had been impressive back with the Chuunin that had jumped them on the way to the Wave Country. But she didn't seem to be very strategic, and she was incredibly inexperienced. The only thing Sasuke knew about her fighting style was that she was quick, and now he paid attention, it was only his own feet that made noise. So she was stealthy.

"Sasuke" the Uchiha turned his attention to her, pulled out of his thoughts by the seriousness of her tone. "It seems our team-mates have just run into foreign ninja with bad tempers. Be prepared for possible butt-kicking."

* * *

"**KONOHAMARU!**" Naruto cried. The teenage guy Konohamaru had run into picked the small kid up by the throat. His pale face was painted with bright purple patterns, covering most of his face. He wore a black, cat suit type of thing and had a large bandaged object tied to his back.

"So? Does this hurt punk?" the boy asked, a wicked grin spreading across his pale painted face.

"Put him down Kankuro or you'll know you'll pay for it later!" the girl snapped. She had sandy coloured hair with bright green eyes. She wore a purple ninja dress with a plate on her chest. On her back, was what appeared to be a large fan.

"Hey I'm sorry the whole thing was my fault" Sakura said awkwardly, her mint green eyes darting between the two unidentified ninja.

"**YOU BETTER TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HIM RIGHT NOW!**" Naruto cried, glaring at the guy holding up a squirming Konohamaru.

"We got a few minutes 'til he gets here why don't we mess with these punks?" sneered the guy who seemed to be Kankuro.

"**LET GO OF ME YOU JERK!**" Konohamaru cried in a similar way to Naruto, kicking out in vain against the larger boy.

"You're feisty, but not for long" Kankuro said evilly.

"**PUT HIM DOWN!**" Naruto shouted, deciding the time was for a hero. Without hesitation, the orange-clad ninja charged at Kankuro only to be sent flying backwards somehow. "**NANI?!**"

"You're a leaf genin too? Looks like your village is full of wimps" Kankuro mused.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto, Moegi and Udon cried. the latter two almost in tears.

"Hey! Cut it out! It hurts!" Konohamaru cried, his face flushing from the pressure on his throat as he flailed about.

"**THAT'S IT DROP HIM NOW OR I TAKE YOU APART YOU GOT THAT FOOL!**" Naruto threatened. Sakura immediately pulled the poor fox-boy into a rough headlock.

"_**YOU'RE**_** THE FOOL! MAKING THREAT'S ISN'T GOING TO HELP NARUTO!**" Sakura shrieked, enraged at her comrades stupidity. Kankuro smirked.

"You're annoying, all of you. I don't like runts or any other scrawny weaklings, so when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth... I just wanna break him in half" Kankuro shouted angrily. The four watching Konoha-nin gasped.

"Uh fine I'm not involved in any of this okay?" the sandy-haired girl said boredly, shooting Kankuro an irritated look.

"First I'll take care of this little squirt then I'll take care of the other one!" Kankuro cried pulling his fist back, preparing to punch the living daylights of a barely conscious Konohamaru. Naruto hastily got up and ran towards them desperate to help, when a stone hurtled into Kankuro's hand causing the larger ninja to drop the boy, Kankuro held his wrist, scowling up at the tree's where the rock had been thrown from.

Sasuke tossed a rock up and down as he glared at the unknown ninja. Kari sat behind him smirking, proud her throw had been dead on target. TenTen-sensei would have been so proud.

"You're far away from home and way out of your league" Sasuke said cockily. Kari held in a sigh and resisted the urge to push him out the tree and tell him to pull the stick out of his ass.

"**SASUKE-KUN!**" Sakura squealed. Causing poor Kari to clamp her hands over her ears as her eyes watered. Those ears would be the death of her, she just knew it…

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried happily, grinning up at her. The wolf-girls heart warmed and turned to mush as she smiled back down at her dear Kitsune-niisan. God bless Naruto, he always made her smile. The guy Kari overheard as being 'Kankuro' with her accursed ears, glared up at Sasuke. The sandy-haired girl also had her eyes on Sasuke, but a blush adorned her cheeks and her eyes were rather glossy. Kari smirked deviously, nudging Sasuke in the ribs with her elbow.

"Ne, ne, Sasuke-kun? You've stolen yet another innocent girl's heart" Kari teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut it Kari" the irritated Uchiha mumbled, giving her a disgusted glare. "You can't exactly talk" True enough, the Kankuro guy was blushing and smirking up at her, making her feel slightly queasy.

"**NARUTO!**" Konohamaru cried running over to the said future-Hokage. Naruto shot a sulky glare at Sasuke, which the Uchiha ignored, his eyes glued to Kankuro.

"Great another wimp to tick me off" Kankuro said crushing Kari's little pebble to dust, Kari looked at it sadly and snatched Sasuke's stone instead, sulkily noticing how it wasn't perfectly smooth like hers was, wasn't a perfect oval like hers was and… well just wasn't the same.

"Get lost" Sasuke said coldly, intensifying his glare.

"**AAAAH THEY'RE SO COOL!**" Udon and Moegi squealed. Sakura of course only said Sasuke was cool as Kari blushed and awkwardly waved at her adoring fans.

"**HOW COME YOU'RE NOT COOL LIKE THEM!**" Konohamaru bellowed, turning on Naruto.

"**EHH?! WHAT'RE YOU TALKING ABOUT I COULD HAVE TAKEN THOSE GUYS OUT IN **_**TWO SECONDS FLAT**_**!**" Naruto cried, waving his arms around in a dramatic way.

"Hey punk get down here" Kankuro said, glaring at Sasuke again. "You're one of the pesky little snots I hate the most all attitude and nothing to back it up! Heck that girl next to you could do better!" Kankuro said. Well, Kari did throw the stone after all, though Sasuke would have found a way to do it better than her. She was proud of that throw, though had the feeling Sasuke was getting the credit for it. Poor Kari-chan's are so unappreciated. Kankuro pulled a…_thing_ off his back. Kari's eyes shot to the side, her advanced senses noticing something.

"Nani!? You're going to use _**that**_ for _this_?!" the girl cried, looking at Kankuro in horror.

"Kankuro. Back off." Everyone looked round to find a boy, his hair was a bright ruby red and his eyes a light aqua. He was pale with thick dark rings around his eyes that could only be that of insomnia, or way too much eyeliner. He wore dark clothing with a white toga sort of thing wrapped around him. Attached to his back was some sort of gourd. He was hanging upside down in the same tree Sasuke and Kari were in.

"So the others finally realised you were there" Kari mused smirking. She had hold of the guy's wrist; ignoring the fact his arms were folded. The redhead turned his eyes on her, his gaze piercing. But she didn't feel alarmed or uncomfortable, in fact she felt a strange sort of connection to him, like they had met before, or he had a special unknown meaning. She smiled, tilting her head to the side, their eye-contact never faltering. "I apologise for my behaviour, it comes as a reflex to me." After a minute or so, he tore his eyes away, nodding in reply. He narrowed his eyes, and with the same blank, stoic expression spoke again.

"You're an embarrassment to our village" the boy said scathingly. The two foreign ninja tensed, becoming awkward and anxious in his presence.

"Er... Hey Gaara!" Kankuro said smiling sheepishly as sweat trickled down his brow. Gaara looked at Sasuke and narrowed his eyes into a glare, which the Uchiha more than happily returned. Sasuke hadn't sensed this guy; he just popped out of nowhere. How Kari had somehow detected him was beyond Sasuke, though slightly bothered him.

"Have you forgotten why we came all the way here?" the redhead now known as Gaara asked.

"Er... I know, I-I mean they challenged us! They started the whole thing you see here's what happened-" Kankuro cried, immediately thinking up alibi's and excuses.

"Shut up" Gaara said coldly. Kankuro flinched. "Or I'll kill you." Kari blinked. Well isn't this guy a little ray of sunshine?

"Right I was totally out of line… Gomen Gaara… I was… totally out of line" Kankuro said fearfully.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused" Gaara said, turning back to Kari for another staring contest. She smiled again, earning her a confused look from the red-head. She released her hold on his wrist and bowed in politeness.

"I apologise for the trouble my team-mates may have caused your comrades. Sasuke, keep your glares to yourself" with that, Gaara disappeared and then reappeared at ground level in a flurry of sand and Kari swiftly jumped down, landing a few feet in front of Naruto and the others.

"Let's go we didn't come here to play games" Gaara said, with one last glance at Kari before turning to take his leave.

"All right sure I get it" Kankuro said sheepishly, as he and the girl turned to follow.

"**HOLD ON!**" Sakura cried. Kari shot her a warning glare, knowing these three were not people to mess with. Gaara had a strange aura, as well as a different chakra to any other ninja Kari had ever sensed. "**HEY!**"

"Nani?" the girl said boredly, the three of them turning back to face them.

"I can tell from your hitai-ate that you come from the Sunagakure no sato; The Village Hidden in the Sand. Of course the land of fire and the land of wind are allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission. So state your purpose and it better be good!" Sakura cried, hands on hips.

"Geez, Sakura-chan you need to tutor me…" Kari mumbled. Konoha means leaf and is in the land of fire? Shouldn't it be in the land of earth or the land of trees or something? How can she tell from hitai-ate's? Who's allies with what? Shimatta…

"Really, have you guys all been living under a rock or what?" the girl sneered. Kari slightly scowled as her eyes flickered to the small amount of dust that had once been her rock. "You don't know what's going on do you? We _**have**_ permission" she said holding up a pass. With Kari's excellent eye-sight, she read the name 'Temari' and an authorization stamp. "Of course, you are correct that we are Suna genin and our home is the land of wind. We're here for the chunin exams, get the picture?" she said.

"The choo-nin exams what's that?" Naruto asked, looking at me in hopes of an explanation. "Well I've never heard of any _choo-nin_ exams dattebayo!"

"You're totally clueless" Temari scoffed. Kari inwardly sighed as Kita jumped into her arms, Moegi finally having stopped hugging her. The wolf cub retreated to her Okaa-san's safety, away from the hands of small children.

"Hey boss, they're exams every Genin has to take to become full on Chuunin" Konohamaru whispered. Kari wasn't too sure on the ninja rankings. All she knew was the missions' lecture she had half listened to when the Hokage was talking and Naruto was blabbering about ramen.

"_**OH!**_ **WELL WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?! I AM SO THERE!**" Naruto cried excitedly. Gaara had his eyes fixed on Kari again, his face blank. In the depths of his eyes she saw a slight flash of gold, and a strange pattern within his eyes. She felt the stirring of sand, thick and wet in the centre, heavy. Then lighter at the edges, softer, faster… She felt things stir within herself, energy, lots of it, lots of different types of it.

'_Suna, beware the suna.'_

_Beware the sand? Wait? Who are you? _

Her thoughts were cut off as her eyes met with a red and white symbol of a fan, the sign of the Uchiha. Sasuke had jumped down in front of her, half blocking her from Gaara's view. She walked round him giving him an odd look.

"Hey you! Identify yourself." Sasuke demanded, his arm extending in front of Kari like a barrier, preventing her from getting any closer to the Suna shinobi. She gave him a slight glare, she didn't need protecting.

"Hm? You mean me?" Temari asked smiling and blushing.

"No, the one with the gourd on his back, what fascination do you have with my team-mate" Sasuke said, his eyes fixed on Gaara.

"My name is Subaku no Gaara, Gaara of the desert" Gaara replied. "I'm curious about you too, who are you?" his pale aquamarine eyes now fixed on Sasuke.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Sasuke replied with a cocky smirk. Gaara then looked round at Kari, fixing her with an intense stare.

"And you?"

"They call me Kari, Mitsukai Hikari" Kari replied, smiling in memory of Naruto giving her that name. Kankuro suddenly smirked, but it soon disappeared after a glance from Gaara. Yet again, Kari and Gaara had become locked in each others stare. Sasuke glared at Gaara, wanting to know what his infatuation was with the wolf girl. Yes she was decent looking, yes she was peculiar with those ears and that tail, but what the heck was his problem?

"As for your second question, I find interest in what lays in her eyes" Gaara said, before breaking his gaze and turning to leave. The other two immediately followed suit.

"**HEY THERE!** I bet you're dying to know_** my**_ name!" Naruto cried excitedly.

"I couldn't care less" Gaara said. "Until we meet again… Hikari." The three of them jumped away. Sasuke smirked, that guy would be a good challenge for him, he could sense that guy had power. The Uchiha's eyes flickered over to Kari. But he should keep that Gaara guy away from Kari. He didn't like the way they looked at each other, reading far too deep into one another's eyes. It gave Sasuke shivers just thinking about it.

"Hey Konohamaru do I seem uncool or something?" Naruto whispered solemnly.

"Naruto-kun don't worry about it you rock" Kari said smiling at her dear Kitsune-niisan. Naruto grinned. Honestly, Kari sometimes believed she was the older one, but Naruto's birthday was ten days before hers.

"Well compared to Sasuke yeah, you're pretty lame" Konohamaru said ruining Naruto's moment. "Oh and personally I think that Kari girl is way prettier and way nicer than Sakura" he whispered offhandedly to Naruto.

"Well as a matter of fact -" Naruto began blushing. Kari raised an eyebrow. The Kyuubi vessel coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject. "Anou… Hey! Kari-chan did you get the key?" Kari shot the Uchiha a very nasty look as she folded her arms and scowled. Sasuke ignored Kari's glare and decided to do a bit of Naruto-mocking.

"Hn, see even they think I'm better than you" Sasuke said, looking down his nose at Naruto.

"**ARGH! YOU'RE NOT GONNA SHOW ME UP **_**SASUKE**_**!**" Naruto screeched, jumping to his feet, his charging halted by Kari's grip on the back of his jumpsuit.

"Hn back off loser" Sasuke said smirking. Kari sighed at their immaturity, but was completely distracted by the chakra signatures of three more foreign ninja. They had a dark aura and sent shivers down her spine to the tip of her golden tail.

"_What do you think Dosu?_"

"_The usual weaklings, nothing special. But that one from the Uchiha clan, the girl with animal characteristics and the desert rat… we should watch them... __**carefully…**_"

Kari's eyes flashed to a piercing red for an instant as a growl threatened to erupt from her diaphragm. The fur on her tail stood on end, as her eyes tried to find the three masses of chakra. Her eyes weren't like the Byakugan and couldn't clearly see through objects, but she could see the overall shape and the piercing blue of chakra. Her eyes weren't designed to see the chakra system; she only saw a human shaped blue flame. She could smell metal, a weapon of sorts. A slight rustle alerted her to their retreat, her eyes faded back to their natural mix of blue, green and grey, but they were sharp and aware.

"I'll see you later guys, I'm going to train. Kita-ko, you stay with Sasuke and make sure he doesn't lock me out." She didn't tell them that Kita was to protect Sasuke, the Uchiha would be insulted if he heard such nonsense. But those unknown ninja made her feel uneasy. Kita could immediately alert her if Sasuke encountered danger. Naruto and Sakura should be all right. Besides, she had a gut instinct of whether Naruto needed help or not, she felt the need to return before Kita informed her.

Her eyes narrowed as she ran. _Don't get too full of yourself Sasuke; I sense danger in the future. And my instinct tells me it involves you. Believe me Uchiha, my instinct is rarely wrong._

* * *

"My team has entered the Chuunin exams, it's about time for it to start again" Neji explained, having stopped his gentle fist practice. He had decided to 'train and talk' and was pelting Kari with chakra filled fingers, only allowing her a break when she fell on her backside. Her dodging had improved immensely due to her speed and ease of movement, her blocking… well, it was still terrible.

Hinata had shown Kari to where Neji was training, pleasantly conversing with her along the way. Kari told her a short version of her day, which Hinata always asked about and enjoyed listening to. The Hyuuga Heiress was a better listener than a talker, Kari was the same though found it easier to talk than the timid girl did. Kari new Hinata would find confidence, she had and she knew one day Hinata would. The two enjoyed each others company and had a comfortable friendship. They felt they could tell each other anything in confidence, it was a nice feeling. Kari felt close to her, even though they hadn't known each other that long. It was always Hinata who came and showed her where Neji was, the shy girl had explained she simply knew when Kari was near.

"You better watch it Neji, those foreign shinobi I've seen look pretty rough" Kari warned, dodging a blow intended for her shoulder. Neji didn't hold back with her, if that blow had landed she wouldn't have been able to move her arm for a good hour or two. But Neji said she was a very quick healer.

"I know, I've seen a few around" he agreed, effortlessly dodging one of Kari's punches. He was pleased with her progress and took pride when he saw her improve. Her attacks were quicker and sharper, her speed was impressive. It was her defence that needed all the work. But her speed should get her through, she wants to learn offence and channelling chakra, Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. Genjutsu wasn't her style. She understood how the mind worked, but when Neji had used a simple Genjutsu on her when they were training with Gai, she fell for it badly and when it came off was clutching her head in agony, shivering uncontrolably. Lee had gone absolutely nuts, trying to see if she was all right while TenTen furiously demanded to know what he had done. He had only confused her senses, whisperings, shadows, that sort of thing. But he supposed her senses were far more sensitive and it affected her more. SO he'd shown her how to break Genjutsu with chakra, which she found rather easy. She could recognise Genjutsu, she just couldn't cope well when her mind was attacked.

"You better be careful Neji, if you die I'll kill you" she said with a reverse turning kick, her toes lightly brushing his chest. That was the closest she'd got. Sadly, before she could feel pride over her victory, Neji sent her tumbling backwards with a palm strike under the indent where her rib cage was joined. With a painful sounding 'oomph!' she landed on her back. She coughed; the air knocked out of her, but stood up again, ignoring her balance being slightly off. With surprising speed she was behind him, her leg twisting to hit him on the right side, in the middle of his ribcage. Unfortunately, with his Byakugan, Neji twisted, catching her foot in his left hand, then did rotation and sent her flying into a tree.

"You can't kill someone if they're already dead Kari" he said smirking at her. She glared at him from her upside down view. She had done something Naruto typically did and fell on her head after she hit the tree. Her ears lay flat on the ground, her back was curved against the straight and sturdy bark of the tree and her legs were in the air, her tail lying limply between them and almost tickling her nose. He helped her out of her twisted position by nudging her in the side with his foot so that she fell onto her side.

"Pshh, I'd have to kill the person who killed you first wouldn't I?" she scoffed, rolling so she was straight. She rubbed the swelling bump on her head, scowling at the amused Hyuuga. "But I'd beat the shit out of you in the afterlife."

"Language" he lightly scolded, nudging her off balance again. He could continue to push her over all day, but it was starting to get dark and he had been very hard on her today. He'd feel guilty if he could see the small bruises littered on her body, but of course, Kari is modest and is very covered up. The only skin she actually shows is her face and neck. Showing mercy, he helped her up, allowing her to lean against him until she sorted out her balance. "Go and sleep Kari, I'll train you more tomorrow."

* * *

Kari dragged her feet through the streets of Konoha. Sasuke lived near the edge, near the creepy Uchiha compound. Not in the middle of the streets of Konoha. She let out a soft whine. She didn't want to walk all the way to Sasuke's place. Her legs hurt, her arms hurt, her head hurt – heck! Everything bloody hurt! Neji was brutal; she didn't need to worry about him getting hurt in the Chuunin exams. She should be more worried for whoever he had to fight. The Chuunin exams must involve fighting right? Neji didn't know that much a bout the Chuunin exams, only that they were held in a different country every time and that it was about making bonds with other villages, and that Genin were promoted to Chuunin of course. Apparently, what they involved changed every time. It all depended on the proctor and country hosting it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she sensed eyes upon her. Looking up, Kari saw that Gaara guy from before, sitting on the roof of what looked like a hotel. Without much thought, she jumped up and landed beside him.

"Hikari." He acknowledged.

"Gaara" she nodded. "Call me Kari; I don't get called Hikari much."

"What are you doing wandering Konoha at such a late hour?" Gaara questioned, his intense gaze focused on her.

"I was training" she replied, taking a seat beside her to rest her weary legs. "Can't you sleep, or do you have insomnia?"

"If I sleep it takes over my body, I must stay awake to suppress it. You have one too, don't you?" he said monotonely.

"It?"

"I was born a monster" with that, Gaara turned his gaze away. He seemed distracted by memories, he gave off a cold, distant aura, made to drive people away. The word monster triggered something within Kari, clear as day Naruto's voice rung in her head.

"_They called me a monster."_

"You contain a demon" Kari said, understanding what he meant. "You're right. I hold monsters too. Were you shunned?" He remained silent for a long while, debating whether to answer. In the same cold, blank voice he replied.

"I was."

"They say I have the Torai-Kenshi" Kari admitted, wrapping her arms round her legs and resting her head on her knees. "I don't understand it, I doubt I ever will."

"Shukaku. Shukaku the sand spirit. A one tailed racoon like demon that controls the sand" Gaara explained. Kari looked round at him. "It was sealed within my unborn self by the Kazekage, my father." Though horrified his father could do such a thing, she kept it to herself. He didn't want her sympathy, she knew it.

"I don't know how my bijuu came to be inside me. I woke up as a twelve year old with distant memories that make no sense and don't exist here." He opened up to her, he deserved the same courtesy. Neither went into details, they didn't want to and didn't need to. They had a silent understanding of each other. It wasn't friendship, it was simply understanding.

"We're both outcasts. We don't belong." Gaara said, voicing how Kari felt since she woke up. She didn't belong. Yet at the same time, she felt that she didn't belong back home anymore either. So they sat in silence watching the night sky, reasonably comfortable in each others company. For them, that was enough.


	26. Team Bonding

**A/N**: I got up to 50 reviews! I'm glad you all took time to leave comments on this story, thank you so much, keep it up!

Disclaimer: Naruto etc belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Claimer: Kita and Kari are mine. **Mine.**

**Note:** OOCness in this chapter, blame amoxycillin - I have a chest infection :(

* * *

**Team bonding**

_It seems to be her gift to make others smile._

* * *

Kari was not a happy bunny. She fell asleep for an hour or so on the roof with Gaara and woke to see the sunrise. She was basking in it's warmth before realisation hit her. She shot into a standing position and gave a hurried goodbye before running as though her life depended on it. She got back and thanked her lucky stars that Sasuke was asleep. She got into her side of the futon and prepared to get a few hours kip when Sasuke jolted awake and told her to get ready. She'd been asleep for only four minutes and seventeen seconds.

Four and a half hours later, Kari and her team were sitting waiting for Kakashi at their meeting spot of the bridge. Kari just sat there, dozing off every few minutes, subconsciously leaning on Sasuke's leg, only to be jolted awake when he nudged her with his knee and gave her a disapproving look. She really hated him at the moment. She couldn't win, Sakura was in a bad mood, Naruto was too loud, Sasuke was too rude, Kita was too small and was asleep and Kakashi wasn't here. Kari had no one to lean on. Sakura sighed. Then let out a shrill scream which made Kari physically jump, almost accidentally catapulting Kita off her lap.

"**AAAAAAH!! WHY, WHY, WHY?! IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME! HE SETS THE TIME, THEN WE HAVE TO WAIT **_**HOURS**_** FOR HIM!!**" Sakura screeched. Kari could swear her ears were internally bleeding and her skull had been fractured by Sakura's shrill voice. Glancing up at the position of the sun, Kari supposed it was about 11am. She sighed sadly, thinking about the last four hours she could have spent sleeping and recuperating.

"**IT'S NOT FAIR**!" Naruto cried in response, agreeing with Sakura in hopes to win her affection. Kita was awake now and sleepily watching the two loudest members of team seven. Kari's head was slowly leaning forward and her eyes were drooping. She lightly flopped sideways and met a support. Ah, now maybe she could get some sleep— if it wasn't for that sharp nudge to her head. Stupid Sasuke with his hard knees and strong legs!

"**WHAT ABOUT MY FEELINGS!? I RUSHED HERE SO FAST I DIDN'T EVEN GET TIME TO BLOWDRY MY HAIR!**" Sakura cried angrily, throwing her fists down and stamping her foot in anger. Personally Kari didn't know what she's complaining about. Anime people's hair always looks fine, and they never seem to have acne that plagued teenagers of her world. Kari glared at Sasuke's legs suspiciously. Heck they don't even need to shave. She smiled to herself, glad she wouldn't have to bother anymore. She would have smooth legs all the time with no effort! She'd rather have a furry tail and furry wolf ears any day.

"**AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO BRUSH MY TEETH OR CHANGE MY UNDERWEAR!**" Naruto agreed. Kari snapped out of her daze and stiffened. She looked and Naruto in disbelief.

"**Please** tell me you're joking" she said eye twitching at his lack of hygiene, hands covering her sensitive nose should he come near. Note: Kari does **not** appreciate unhygienic people when she has heightened senses.

"You er… didn't?" Sakura asked, rant forgotten. "That's really disgusting Naruto…"

"You did, didn't you?" Kari demanded, her sleepiness disappearing in the glare she gave the Uchiha. She quickly scooted a couple of feet away for her own safety.

"What do you think…" he mumbled in reply a light pink appearing on his cheeks for a moment, insulted that she could say such a thing.

"Oi ohayo minna. Sumimasen, I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life" Kakashi said appearing in his usual puff of smoke.

"**YOU LIAR!**" Sakura and Naruto cried in unison, accusing fingers a mere inch from Kakashi's jonin vest. Kakashi walked round them and motioned Kari to come closer, wondering why on earth she and Kita were a good ten foot away. The wolf girl obliged to her sensei's request, picked up Kita and went to stand beside him. He placed a hand on her head for a minute as his usual greeting for her and then turned to face the others.

"I know this is a bit sudden, but I recommended you for the chunin exams." The four genin's attentions were caught immediately. "All four of you, these are the application forms" Kakashi said, holding up four pieces of paper.

"Application forms?" Sakura repeated.

"You're repeating me Sakura" Kakashi scolded in a singsong voice "This is voluntary. It's up to each of you. If you don't feel ready, you can wait 'til next year" Kakashi said, taking his hand off Kari's head, preparing to hand them out.

"Yosh!" Naruto cheered in delight. "**KAKASHI-SENSEI YOU ROCK**!" Naruto squealed. He threw himself on the unsuspecting jonin and locked his arms around Kakashi's middle. The force of Naruto's jump sent Kakashi into a spin, Naruto's legs flying in the air and almost smacking Sakura in the face.

"Hey hey! Don't slobber on my vest!" Kakashi cried dragging Naruto off him with difficulty. With an awkward cough, Kakashi straightened his jacket and regained his composure "Well whoever wants to take the exams, sign the forms and come to room 301 at the academy. It's at 3pm, five days from now. That's it" Kakashi explained.

"**CHUNIN EXAMS! CHUNIN EXAMS**!" Naruto sang, attaching himself to Kari instead. He lifted her up and spun her round in sheer joy, causing Kakashi to smile behind his mask. He then had to suppress a snort as Naruto tripped over his own feet and fell on his back, Kari landing across his stomach. Kita fled from Kakashi's side and jumped on the top, wagging her thick white tail in delight.

* * *

As they walked along, the four genin were lost in thoughts of the chunin exams. Kita just sat on Kari's shoulder as Kari taught her to read, based on what the wonderful voice in her mind explained to her. Naruto was staring at his application form with the goofiest grin Kari had ever seen. Any minute now he'll trip over or, rip it, or drop it in a lake, or the wind will blow it away or maybe a bird will steal it! Kari grinned. The possibilities are endless.

"Chunin exams! I'll be up against a lot of wicked ninja like Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in delight. His cerulean eyes narrowed at Sasuke, and shot him a glare. '_I'll so kick Sasuke's ass!'_ Kari grinned, imagining him saying that. His voice was crystal clear in her mind. She ruffled Naruto's hair in an affectionate way. Did you know Libra's are also **very** affectionate? Kari's very much a Libra.

"You'll win against them all" Kari said confidently, he grinned widely. He then went into a giggling fit. Heck he was daydreaming again... Sasuke smirked. Damn it he was fantasising too. Sakura stopped and looked at the ground depressed.

"Hey Sakura-chan you ok?" Kari asked in concern. She turned and bent down slightly, trying to see Sakura's sad-looking face. She felt she'd been neglecting the pink kunoichi and was spending more time with the boys than her. Kari inwardly promised she'd think of something to do with Sakura. Oh but what if Naruto and Sasuke murdered each other in that time?! Something they can do all together then. Kita should probably go somewhere else in case Sasuke and Sakura get a little flirty. But Kari was meant to visit team eight today! She visited Hinata as often as she could and she also had training with Neji, Lee and TenTen (and hopefully NOT Gai). Gaara said she could visit 'if she must' (which she was planning to) and she desperately wanted to know more about him.

Naruto and Sasuke stopped and looked round. "About time you waited" Kari scolded. "Ne! Cheer up Sakura-chan! I'll support you with whatever choice you make, don't feel pushed into doing anything, okay?" Kari said, smiling, her tail swishing slightly in a gentle wag. Sakura nodded weakly, but still didn't look too convinced. "Anyway, Naruto-kun, we're all going to yours tonight to bond over a movie. Ja guys! I'm off!" Kari said, smiling at Kita who was ready by her side, by the time Naruto had blinked, she was gone.

* * *

"**NEJIIIIII!!**" Kari hollered as she stopped in front of him, sending a pile of dust over Lee. "**NEJI! NEJI! NEJI!**" she cried, jumping up and down and waving her arms about.

"What is it?" Neji asked, watching her bounce and debating whether to activate his Byakugan and check for brain damage. His brows furrowed as she stopped jumping about.

"**CHUNIN EXAMS!!**" she cried, as TenTen held Kita away from being stepped on. She was giggling at Kari's excitement, watching her bounce around like she had springs on her heels.

"You've already asked me about it remember? You asked me yesterday" Neji said, brain damage was becoming more and more likely.

"**I'M GOING!!**" she squealed latching herself onto the Hyuuga with all the strength she had. Lee let out a cry and praised Kari on her youthfulness and joined in the hug. In disgust, Neji pushed him off saying Lee shouldn't encourage her.

"Really? The rookies are going?" TenTen asked surprised. "It's the first time in the last five years apparently." She lazily flung a kunai at a target, hitting dead-centre effortlessly. "So we'll be competing against you Kari-chan?"

"Ne? Who said anything about competing?" Kari asked. "It's just an exam isn't it?"

"No one knows Kari, we're supposed to be unprepared" Neji said simply, trying to gently untangle her arms from round his waist. Her eyes became slightly watery as they widened.

"But I don't want to fight you guys, I don't want to hurt you!"

"Oh Kari-chan! Stop doing puppy-eyes you look adorable" TenTen cooed. Lee instantly agreed and began to cry for some unknown reason. Neji decided not to bother scolding Lee, and to stop trying to get Kari off him. Neither would listen to him anyway. "You could get away with anything doing that, especially with our sensei" TenTen said smiling. Neji huffed at the stupidity of his sensei. Honestly, they couldn't be that—

"Neji-kun do you think we'll have to fight?" Kari whined, turning to face him. Neji stiffened as he felt his face warm. Her eyes were glistening up at him and she was pouting slightly, he felt the few heart strings he had being tugged to the extent he thought they were being ripped out of his chest. He looked away, trying to ignore that look. She wasn't even doing it on purpose, Kami forbid should he ever find her crying. Apart from not knowing what the hell to do to comfort her, he'd go on a rampage to destroy the person that made her cry. He wasn't sure where that protectiveness came from, but he supposed she'd do the same for him, remembering the time she tried to go give Hiashi-sama 'a piece of her mind'. Not that he'd ever cry in front of her of course.

"Eh, I don't know" Neji said awkwardly, refusing to be sucked into those eyes.

"Well if we do, none of you can go easy on me! I want all you got!" Kari cried, abandoning her hold on Neji and setting her eyes alight with that spark of determination she had inherited from Naruto. The three older ninja nodded in agreement a smirk on their faces, apart from Lee who simply struck his nice guy pose and beamed at her.

"Will I meet this Sakura-chan there?" Lee asked hopefully. Kari stiffened; she had hoped he had forgotten about that…

"Err… Shouldn't you guys be training me? Come on! If I'm going to the chunin exams I need all the help I can get!"

* * *

"Hinata-chan, I ache" Kari sighed, Kita lying on the top of her head. Team Gai hadn't failed to deliver, she really hoped she didn't have to face them in the chunin exams. But she got praised by TenTen when Kari told her the story of throwing a rock at Kankuro. TenTen had been very pleased and given her impossibly difficult targets in all directions to aim for. Lee had been ecstatic in her improvement with Taijutsu, but she spent most of the time on her backside while Lee explained blocking and dodging trying to help with her defence. He had belted a speech of youthfulness and pride when she was keeping up with his speed. He went on about her elegance and other stuff she didn't particularly understand. Neji was just his usual self, beating her to a pulp with his gentle fist technique and sending her flying with rotation. Just one hit, that's all she wanted. One hit to Hyuuga Neji would make her day and the month that followed.

"Ah, Oniisan was being rough again today?" Hinata asked sympathetically.

"Isn't he _**always?**_" Kari said sadly, her shoulders slumping. Hinata giggled, taking Kita off the top of Kari's head and settling her in her arms. Kita sighed contentedly and snuggled into the warm jacket. Nothing beat her Okaa-san's arms but Hinata did have a very snugly jacket.

"Honestly Imouto, you're a complete saint having to put up with it all" Kari told her, as they headed towards the Hyuuga exit. The poor blonde kunoichi was exhausted just thinking about it.

"O-oh" Hinata said suddenly, looking round to the left. Kari followed her gaze to meet a young girl with typical Hyuuga eyes. "Ko-Konichiwa Ha-Hanabi" Kari frowned at Hinata's stutter returning with a vengeance and frowned even more remembering that Hanabi was Hinata's little sister and the more appreciated daughter. Still, Kari knew Hinata well enough that she wouldn't want her to make a scene, so decided to be nice.

"Eh? So you're my imouto's imouto ne?" Kari asked smiling. The girl just stared at her for a minute, before Hinata hesitantly introduced her.

"Hanabi th-this is Kari-chan, Kari-chan th-this is m-my imouto Hanabi" Hinata said shyly, her lavender orbs locked on the ground. Kari sent Hinata a reassuring smile then looked Hanabi over, seemed a little blank.

"Nice to meet ya" Kari said, Hanabi then smiled. Yes, actually smiled. It was more of the Hyuuga smirk (which Neji used to show he was smiling) but to Kari it was better than nothing.

"I'm going training Oneesan, Kari-neechan" she said, before walking off. Kari blinked and looked at Hinata for an explanation. The raven haired girl simply smiled and shrugged, walking beside Kari and chatting about how Kiba was really looking forward to seeing her, and she thought Shino was too, though it was hard to tell with Shino as he was well… _**Shino**_.

"Oh, Hina-chan your family are confusing" Kari sighed. Hinata giggled softly, but chose not to reply.

* * *

Through the rest of the day many ninja came into the village, all sporting different styles of clothing and different forehead protectors. Shino explained to Kari various different hitai-ate and how they symbolised the country they were from. Shino and Kiba sparred; Kiba got too cocky and tried to show off and got swarmed by bugs as punishment. Kari absolutely adored Kurenai, she was very mumsy in a teachery way, scolding Kiba like there was no tomorrow. She was also kind to Hinata and had taken to Kita, so Kari thought she was wonderful. Kurenai had told her she had seen a slow increase in Hinata's confidence and was very glad about it. She thanked Kari and said she and Kita were welcome to visit her team's training anytime, as long as they didn't interfere. Kari had a little spar against each of them and completely embarrassed herself when she screamed and ran away from Shino's angry hoard of bugs, causing Kiba to dissolve into fits of laughter, rolling around on the floor. Kita beat Akamaru at chase, making Kari a proud Momma indeed. Hinata was far more hesitant and gentle than Neji, but still managed to hit pretty hard. Luckily, due to being used to gentle fist, she evaded most of the attacks. She gave a few pointers on what she had learnt from Neji's style and Hinata took them on board and gave her a sharp poke in gratitude.

Kari had great fun in training, however the muscles either side of her spine knotted up and her fur stood on end. It was that sensation when she had things crawling over her, something she absolutely despised. Such a horrible feeling could only be caused by something equally horrible. On edge, her eyes were particularly sharp and her ears especially keen. She sensed something she didn't like, a feeling of foreboding writhed in the pit of her stomach. Something bad was going to happen, she knew it.

* * *

"Ah, Kari-chan. Can I help you?" the Hokage questioned, smiling at the young girl.

"I've been entered for the chunin exams!" Kari said with a wide smile. "I was just wondering if Kita could go too, or if she needed another examination or something."

"I heard from Kakashi" the Sandaime said with a nod. "Kita should be absolutely fine, she seems in perfect condition. You've been taking good care of her I see" Kari shrugged, smile still in place while Kita spoke in agreement. "Kakashi also said you get on well with Naruto and Sasuke, how are you finding your team?"

"I love Naruto-kun to pieces, he's so lovely" Kari gushed, hugging Kita tightly. "But Sasuke needs to open up more and stop picking on poor Naruto. Sakura needs to be nicer to Naruto and stop goggling at Sasuke and I need to get up on time so Sasuke can't moan at me" Kari said simply. The Hokage laughed, his wrinkles deepening.

"Ah it's good to see you're fitting in nicely! And even better to see Naruto with such a good friendship, he's full of joy these days. The way Kakashi explains your relationship it's seems you're everything to him. Keep up the good work!" the Hokage praised.

"Course! I'm working on Hinata-chan and Sasuke too, Hinata's the sweetest thing and Sasuke's stubborn. But they're making progress." Kari said happily.

"Ah, Hyuuga Hinata? She is indeed very shy. It seems you're good at making people happy, as Kakashi said; 'It seems to be her gift to make others smile'."

"Kashi said that?" Kari asked surprised, her ears twitching as she tilted her head.

"Kashi? Oh you mean Kakashi, yes he did indeed. He seemed very fond of you and I had to scold him for favouritism. How are you coping with your new… features. You're not receiving any trouble are you?" the Hokage asked, his eyes focusing on her ears.

"Just a few funny looks, Naruto just tells me to ignore them, or sing and confuse them" Kari replied with a slight giggle. The Hokage nodded in approval. He opened a draw and took something out.

"Here, it would probably be best if you covered them in the exams." Kari accepted his gift, wondering why the Hokage just gave her a thick silk ribbon. "As Hokage you are allowed some luxuries, I sometimes use fabric instead of bandages for comfort. Anyway, I'm glad you're making a difference for the better and I hope you continue doing what you do. It would be nice to hear you sing sometime, music can be very soothing" he gestured to his paperwork.

"Oh no, no! I can't sing to save my life!" Kari said, waving the idea away with a flick of her hand.

"Can too Okaa-san! We hear you in the shower or when you're listening to music!" Kita cried. Kari stiffened, her face taking on a crimson tone. _**We**_**? '**_We'_ did _**not**_ include _**Sasuke…**_ right?

"Either way, it would be nice to hear in the future. A ninja can't go back on their word!" the Hokage said with a smile. Kari stared at him; she didn't say anything like that! Did she? "Well, I have an awful lot of paperwork to do. As lovely as your company is, it needs to be done before the chunin exams. I wish you good luck by the way, make me and Konoha proud!" Kari grinned and Kita nodded, both tails swaying happily. They turned and headed for the door. "Feel free to come by anytime, I'll always be here to help you okay? Any problems, any worries, come to me." Kari smiled at him, thinking about how he was just a funny old grandfather figure.

"Hai Hokage-sama! Ja ne!" Kari called back with a wave.

* * *

"Kari-chan."

"_**EEEK!**_ W—Eh? Kashi?" Kari spun round to come face to, well vest; he was a lot taller than her, with Kakashi. "What were you doing sneaking up on me?" Kari accused. Kakashi chuckled, turning a page of his orange book.

"I need to take Kita off your hands and write a separate form on behalf of her. I'm going to get the Inuzuka vet to give her a check over too. Don't worry you'll have her back in the morning." With that, her cold hearted sensei stole Kita from her arms. "The others are already at Naruto's by the way, they're waiting for you" Kari got a last glimpse of Kita's white furry face and puzzled ice blue eyes before she disappeared with her kidnapper in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"Kari-chan there you are!" Naruto cried, opening his door wide. Sasuke was leaning against the wall in his typical cool-guy pose and Sakura was sitting on the bed. Naruto greeted her with a huge bear hug and shoved her inside before slamming the door. Kari took a seat next to Sakura.

"Where've you been" Sasuke demanded. He looked round at her seemingly in a grumpy mood. He never was one to be patient. He sat on the other side of her. "Where's the wolf?" Kari glared at him fiercely. "Where's _**Kita**_?" Sasuke corrected himself.

"Kashi took her awaaaay…" Kari whined, her heart throbbing with loneliness. Her baby had been stolen, kidnapped! Sasuke tapped her on the back of the head as punishment.

"Pull yourself together; she's not going to stay a baby forever" Sasuke said boredly. Kari looked at him in horror. She couldn't think of her baby growing up and going into the big wide world! No, no, no! Seeing the look on Kari's face Sasuke looked away feeling a slight stir of miniscule guilt and Naruto leapt away from the TV and into action.

"**Oi teme!** You leave Kari-chan and Kita-chan alone _**or else**_!" Naruto threatened, pointing at Sasuke and glaring down at him, seeing as Sasuke was sitting. Feeling superior, Naruto stretched to his full, under average height, so he could look more down his nose at his rival. It was nice to do it, instead of having it being done to him for a change. "And move it, I want to sit next to Kari-chan!"

"Hn" Sasuke replied. Folding his arms and ignoring Naruto's request. Kari decided to take matters into her own hands and jumped over Sasuke and shoved him sideways so Naruto could fit on her other side. Sasuke glared his eyes out, furious that he was now seated beside Sakura, but Kari ignored him, waiting for the beginning of the film.

It was the weirdest film she had ever seen.

It didn't have a particular genre; it was scary, funny, romantic, disgusting, weird, sad and action/adventure-ish. She didn't particularly understand it and Sasuke just stared at her like she was an idiot half the time. They all (excluding Sasuke) screamed when a random gruesome face popped up on the screen and clutched each other for dear life (Sasuke was _**being**_ held, he didn't grab the nearest person). They all laughed (excluding Sasuke) when the idiot fell into a lake (Sakura got embarrassed at Sasuke's irritated look and tried to cover it up, but failed miserably), then Naruto and Sakura screamed and clutched the nearest person (Sakura grabbed Sasuke, Naruto grabbed Kari) when zombies dragged him under the water and ate the guy (Sasuke wasn't phased and Kari had expected it). They all (excluding Sasuke) sniffled and let out a few tears when the boyfriend saved his love by sacrificing himself and she was screaming for him. They all cringed when a guys eyes fell out (Sasuke only did a little cringe but didn't shout 'EWW!' or 'UGHH!' at the top of his voice). The movie was also long, a whole **three hours **long.

"So, what do ya wanna watch now?" Naruto asked, looking round at Kari. She smiled and shrugged, the long time spent sitting still in the dark making her feel quite drowsy.

"We are _**not**_ watching another stupid movie" Sasuke growled, shooting Naruto the strongest glare he could muster. His arm had never felt so dead after three hours of Sakura's persistent hold. She had tried to slide her arm across his stomach and rest her head on his shoulder, pfft. Dream on. One look was all it took to scare her off. He almost activated his Sharingan to shock her into leaving him alone. But that was for a far more important event than getting rid of hormonal little girls.

"A game then?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side. He and Kari did rub off on each other. Kari practically oozed confidence with him, while he fell victim to her wishes with one look into those bright eyes of hers. He was a little more thoughtful, a little less argumentative, the slightest bit calmer. Of course, the change was miniscule, Naruto would always be Naruto. He smiled that dorky grin a hell of a lot more though.

"Ooh yeah! Like spin the bottle, Truth or Dare, Twenty Questions!" Sakura cried. Kari raised an eyebrow. Wasn't she a little _**young**_ to want to play such games? She was only twelve. Of course, nearing fifteen mentally (though trapped in a twelve year old ninja body) Kari knew she had played such games before, though couldn't recall a whole lot about it. Meh, she was probably drunk.

"We'll just go round in a circle, ask a person a question or dare them to do something, then once that person has done it, they can dare or question someone of their choice" Kari said matter-of-factly.

"Oooh! Me first!" Naruto cried as he and Sakura shifted slightly so they could all see each other. "Sakura-chan, who do you like more, me or Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke-kun" Sakura replied without hesitation, Naruto looked slightly put out and Sasuke's expression didn't change. "Sasuke-kun, who do you prefer out of us three?"

"Hn" Sasuke had to bite his tongue to avoid saying he hated all of them. He appreciated Kakashi's skill, but it was out of the genin and he wasn't included. Naruto was a loud idiot, Sakura was annoying and clingy and Kari was… well Kari. "I don't care."

"That doesn't count teme!" Naruto cried indignantly.

"Fine. Kari seems to be the most talented out of you so I'll go with her" Sakura looked heartbroken, Naruto gaped and Kari gave him a scolding look. "Kari, same question to you."

"Naruto!" she cried instantly, making Naruto beam in delight. "I feel closest to him, I can trust him and he gives me confidence. And he never gives up and I admire that" she grinned, remembering Hinata admitting that. They'd better end up together somehow. "Right then, Naruto. Who is the most attractive genin in Konoha" Kari asked. She knew it was unlikely, but if he said Hinata she sweared to kami, she would grab Sasuke and kiss him! (She truly did want Hinata and Naruto to be in love _**that much.**_)

"Ehh? Well! It's between you and Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried as crimson flushed his cheeks. "You're both super pretty in your own ways! Sasuke-teme, are you seriously gay?" Kari snorted and dissolved into fits of hysterical giggles, Sakura shouted Naruto's name in disbelief and Sasuke's eye twitched.

"No, I am_** not**_ gay" he growled. "Naruto I dare you to kiss Sakura and prove _**YOU**_'re not gay" Sasuke said scathingly.

"_**Ehh?!**_" Sakura screeched. Naruto leaned forward to do the deed but was stopped by a punch in the face throwing him off the bed. "No way! Naruto kisses like a fish! Sasuke-kun you should know that better than—"

"Ne?! Sasuke you kissed Naruto?!" Kari shrieked, pointing at her raven haired team-mate. Sasuke's cheeks flushed and he clenched his teeth.

"Sasuke tell her what happened, she'll want to know" Naruto said, returning to his part of the bed.

"It was a stupid accident. Naruto was crouching on my desk glaring at me. Guy in front knocked him. His mouth hit mine." Sasuke grumbled, his eyes closed trying to rid himself of the memory.

"Betcha liked that eh?" Kari said, grinning slyly as she nudged him in the side with her elbow, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"What the hell do you think?" Sasuke growled, looking at her in disgust. "Kiss him for yourself and find out!" Kari saluted lazily, turned to Naruto, and planted a light kiss on his lips.

_Silence._

"Whaaaaaaat?" Kari asked after a good couple minutes of silence. Naruto's face was a beacon of red light, Sakura's jaw was dropped and Sasuke was staring at her with wide disbelieving eyes.

"I didn't mean it" Sasuke said. Kari grinned and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

"Well… Naruto have you ever had a relationship with a girl?" Kari asked, she was slightly alarmed at his tomato skin tone, but tried to ignore it.

"No" he said in an unnaturally high pitched voice. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"She just a girl Naruto, get over it. Be glad she didn't insult you" Sasuke said, crossing his arms in boredom.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with my kissing! You haven't had any girlfriends either! Kari-chan I'm a better kisser than him aren't I?!" Naruto whined, turning to his best friend, his eyes pleading for her agreement.

"I'm not a whore Naruto, I've never kissed Sasuke" Kari said simply, feeling her cheeks burn. She noticed Sakura breathe a sigh of relief. Kari grinned wickedly, planning her next dare in her mind. _Sasuke and Sakura sitting in a tree, **K-I-S-S-I-N-G!**_

"It'd be wrong to ask you to kiss that _thing_" Naruto agreed, nodding towards Sasuke. Kari let out the breath she'd unknowingly been holding. Thank goodness. She thought she might have to—"Sasuke-teme! Kiss Kari-chan so I can prove I kiss better than you!"

"Wha?!"

"Nani?!"

"_**WHAAAAAT**_?!"

Uchiha's were known for their pride. They never backed down from a challenge. But this was just stupid. Sasuke was being asked to kiss someone he regarded as a friend at** most**. _Yes_, she was more attractive than Sakura (to him). _Yes_, he would rather kiss her than any other member of his team. But she was annoying. Seriously, Sasuke would either lose his pride or his dignity. What meant most?

Damn Uchiha pride.

So Sasuke grumpily did what he was told. His hand grabbed a fistful of golden hair at the back of her head, pulled her towards him and crashed his lips against hers. He could feel her heartbeat jolt from shock against his chest and subconsciously memorised the texture and taste. Her skin was like fine silk, soft and smooth. Her face held the warmth her hands lacked, enhanced by the blood rushing to her face in a heated blush. She tasted like a sweet fruit of some sort, strawberries? And she smelled sort of like fresh air.

He pulled away, mentally cursing everything that could have possibly made him do that, mainly Naruto. Close up, he could see her eyes discreetly fading into each colour they held; from a bluey-green to a more intense blue to a silver of sorts, then to a mixture of the three. Her cheeks were flushed and her bangs gracefully fell over her forehead and curved around her face. What _on earth_ persuaded him to do that?

_**Thud.**_

"Sakura-chan? Eh Sakura-chan?!" Naruto cried, shaking an unconscious kunoichi. Sasuke, realising his hand was still tangled in her golden locks, let go and took his hand back, her silky hair sliding through his fingers like water.

"Naruto" Kari said weakly. Dropping Sakura immediately, the Kyuubi-boy turned to face his friend in need. "Slap me." To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto gave her a light slap, though it echoed quite painfully. She took a deep breath and rubbed her red cheek. "I needed that…"

"Maybe we should go to bed. I think Sakura-chan's tired" Naruto said, plopping Sakura down beside Sasuke. "Wouldn't want her to think I'd been naughty" Naruto said with a snigger and an impish grin. He layed down beside Kari and pulled her into his arms. Within a minute he was sleeping like a log.

Sasuke too lay down; his head resting on one of Naruto's many (flat) pillows. Not wanting to face an unconscious Sakura, he focused on the back of Kari's head, prepared to roll over should she turn to face him.

_Well_, he thought. _That was strange._


	27. Preparation

**A/N: **Thank you for the lovely reviews! In particular, thank you to xXx.Murakami.xXx, Yami416 and ani-sand, who are responsible for the quick update!

As for your questions, I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see ;) One thing I can assure you, is that this story does go through the Shippuden period. Apologies on spelling, it may be different as I'm English, living in the UK. I know some US words are spelt differently. Any other typo's are my own mistakes and I'll try harder to avoid them.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's baby, not mine :(

**Claimer:** Extra characters, especially Kari and Kita, belong to me.

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Preparation**

_Better to be prepared._

_Hesitation leads to disaster._

* * *

Sasuke's eyes slowly opened. He was met with the now familiar view of a sleeping Kari. As usual, she slept silently, her pale face unmoving apart from the soft breathing Sasuke had to strain his ears to hear. It was comforting to see her beside him, a constant reminder that regardless of whether he wanted her company or not, she would always be there beside him. He wasn't alone.

Just as the young Uchiha was relaxing into the peace, he became aware things were quite different to normal. First off, his bed was larger and more comfortable than this. Second, there was a loud snoring coming from somewhere behind Kari (she had never been known to snore as of yet). Thirdly, body parts were sprawled all over him.

Of course. Kari arranged a sleepover at Naruto's, which he couldn't refuse because she'd track him down and drag him otherwise. That means the people laying over him were Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke tensed as he calculated the positions of the people around him. He was laying quite awkwardly. His head had been resting against Kari's chest, listening to the soft thud of her heartbeat. His arms were lazily round her sides, in the indent between her ribcage and hips which were due to her feminine body. One of her legs was between his, his right leg was over her legs (Sasuke cringed violently at this). One of her arms was under his neck, supporting his head while the other was lazily draped over his shoulder.

He could feel something against his stomach and looking carefully he figured out it was Naruto's arms which were wrapped tightly round Kari, slightly higher than his arms were. From the position of the blonde spiky hair that Sasuke could see, he guessed Naruto's head was nuzzled into either the back of Kari's neck or against her shoulder blades. Sasuke shuddered as his eyes shot down and saw Naruto's bare legs tangled with his and Kari's. Naruto was actually _**touching**_ him. And touching _**her**_… the sick perv.

Sasuke's stomach clenched horribly as his mind tried to figure out Sakura. Arms were suffocating tight across his abdomen. (He had wondered what that was; he had thought he needed to pee.) He had one of her legs over his hip. Her head was pressed into his back (and felt slightly wet so she must be drooling on him). Sakura too was snoring, but suddenly grumbled and her hands started to loosen from round him. Sasuke was relieved, until he felt one hand slide near to an area she simply **shouldn't** touch. On reflex he jolted away, causing Sakura to fall out one end of the bed and Kari to jump out her skin, wake up, and for her head to collide with Sasuke's.

Luckily though for Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura remained asleep and Kari fell unconscious from the impact between hers and Sasuke's skull. Sasuke sighed and stayed still; relaxing and trying to settle back to sleep. If he moved, Naruto would be sure to wake up and accuse him of every crime under the sun.

In his (desperate) attempt to get away from Sakura he had rolled on top of Kari (which scared the shit out of her). Sasuke's arm was wedged (and stuck) between Naruto's chest and Kari's side (she had rolled over), and his legs had ended up even closer to Naruto's the three of their legs tangled into knots.

* * *

He sighed, relaxing his body. He ignored as best he could the position of his (and more importantly those around him's) body, in particular the fact his face was against Kari's chest (again). He couldn't do anything about it and it's not like they would ever know. So he settled back to sleep.

* * *

"Oh my…"

Sasuke woke immediately, Kari shot into a sitting position (smacking her head on Sasuke's again and falling once again into unconsciousness) and the other two stayed asleep. Sasuke, with his throbbing head, didn't have the energy to move, so just glared at Kakashi with his Sharingan ablaze. He shut it off almost immediately.

"I came to tell Kari-chan she could come pick up Kita. It's a good thing I didn't bring her with me" Kakashi said surprised. His visible eye took in the scene before him; Sakura on the floor with her legs in the air, snoring away, the other three a tangle of bodies, Naruto snoring even louder. "Mind explaining?"

Sasuke growled, knowing full well his sensei would believe nothing but the truth.

"I woke up and we were all tangled up, Sakura was trying to touch me up in her sleep, I jolted away, scared the hell out of Kari, knocked her out when she hit her head against mine like she did a minute ago and got one of my arms and one of my legs stuck" Sasuke mumbled angrily.

"Ah" Kakashi said simply. "You know, it can be painful for women if you lay on their breasts. You should lie between them" Sasuke's face heated as he looked enraged at his sensei and his accursed orange book. "It's a fact. As well as that, Naruto shouldn't be holding her so tightly. Her lungs and ribs were severely damaged in the wave country, pressure could cause the ribs to break again as they're bound to be more brittle, and the last thing we need is for her to have another punctured lung. Tsunami had trained to be a nurse before she had Inari, so managed to get a chest drain sorted out" Kakashi said.

"No Saku-rahh, you don't cook ramen like thaaat…" Naruto whined, burying his face more into Kari's neck and wrapping his legs around one of hers and Sasuke's legs.

"Oi Kari-chan." Kakashi began. "Time to wake up kiddo."

Like magic Kari awoke. A hand shot to her forehead and she groaned, one of her eyes closed. She grumbled something about concussion and Sasuke sat up to prevent another head butt. (Not **at all** straddling her. Of course...)

"Kashi?" Kari asked groggily. "Whadda you want?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my favourite student?" Kakashi asked innocently.

"Hokage said don't be biased… go awaaaaay" Kari moaned, sitting up and head butting Sasuke in the collarbone. He heard a muffled '_ow_' and turned to his sensei in hopes of help.

"Enjoy it while it lasts Sasuke," Kakashi advised. "She'll go ballistic when she properly wakes—"

"_**SASUKE-TEME! HOW DARE YOU! TAKING ADVANTAGE OF POOR INNOCENT KARI-CHAN IN HER SLEEP! I SAW YOU LAYING ON HER TEME! YOU DISGUSTING—**_"

"Naruto" Kakashi said with his soothing voice, trying to ease the suddenly awake and **extremely** angry young shinobi. "Kari-chan has a headache, be quiet." Kari uttered about 'stupid Sasuke's' while Naruto turned his insults to a ferocious half whisper. "Come on Kari, I'm sure you missed Kita. She's been asking for you since she woke up this morning."

"Coming Kashi…" Kari said groggily. She managed to escape the two boys and walked over to him and he placed his arm round her petite shoulders, guiding her through the **door** and away from the door **frame**.

* * *

"Okaa-san do you feel alright?" Kita asked worriedly. Kari sighed mournfully. She was truly stupid to go join Team Gai's training (including Gai) when she had the worst splitting headache of the century. She was resisting the urge to just keel over and die on the spot. But that would make Kita upset and Kita's happiness meant practically everything.

"What have we here?" spoke an unfamiliar voice.

"Go away Iruka-sensei, you've tested the others but I don't feel too well ok? Go treat Naru-kun to a big bowl of Ichiraku ramen for me." Kari mumbled looking round at him. The rain nin (that she knew was Iruka) picked up Kita by the scruff. Kari's arm jolted by reflex into the weakest part of his elbow, making him drop Kita instantly. She smirked, owing it all to Neji's gentle fist, teaching her by experience the weakest parts of the body, and Lee improving her taijutsu a hundred fold. "C'mon Iruka, I can sense your energy and life force, I know it's you"

"Very well" Iruka sighed in defeat and poofed out of his transformation. He rubbed his arm which ached terribly, yet smiled impressed at his favourite student's best friend. "That was impressive Kari-chan, it seems like you're more than ready for the chunin exams after all." Iruka praised.

"More than ready for an aspirin to be honest" Kari said sadly. "Sorry bout that, but no one touches Kita-ko" Kari pointed to Kita who sat on her shoulder, her furry white chest puffed in pride that her Okaa-san loved her so much.

"Ah, I'll leave you be then" Iruka said smiling. "Get Naruto to bring you along to ramen sometime, I've been told all about you, but haven't really spoken to you. It's hard to understand Naruto waffling about how amazing you are when I barely know you."

"Naruto-kun's just sweet" Kari said modestly. "Go give him good luck ramen."

* * *

"Kari you need to get up" Sasuke said, nudging the poor exhausted wolf-girl.

"Okaa-san you've got to get up!" Kita cried, jumping on the bed.

"Go away the both of you… " Kari grumbled, swatting away the live alarm clocks. Her face was buried deep into her (**not** Sasuke's) pillow and her body was a lump of pure achiness. The last couple of days she had trained like she had never trained before. She started in the early hours and finished far into the night - paying visits to Gaara and returning to Sasuke's place at sunrise.

She'd visited Kurenai's and Gai's teams most as Kakashi was leaving them to train on their own. She trained with Naruto, which turned into a playful wrestle half way through as the both of them rolled around on the ground laughing. She had trained with Sakura, which turned into an exercise of vocal cords as they chatted away and then went to get some tea. For some reason, the Japanese liked their tea. It was a hell of a lot nicer than the tea she'd tried!

And then she trained with Sasuke. She had thought no one was as ruthless as Neji, **_boy..._** was she wrong. Sasuke didn't give her a break. Sasuke pelted her with fire and tons of shuriken. If it wasn't for her speed and Team Gai's training she'd probably be lying dead somewhere. Her Taijutsu had definitely improved but he could block really well (unlike her). Now she knew why he was such a prodigy, he was good at pretty much **_everything_**. She was tempted to pull out her katana, but that would hardly be fair against his kunai. She did manage to land a couple of hits, but she came off worse than him with nasty burns and shuriken sticking out of her.

He had yanked all of them out of her, and then put this stinging stuff on her burns. Then he was a complete and total prick telling her that she was terrible at defence and didn't take him seriously enough. She didn't do this right, she should have done this, she was too careless, and she should be more perfect like him (ok, she made the last one up but he was insinuating it).

So poor Kari was burned, bruised and battered. And here was Sasuke, one of the people who had burned, bruised and battered her most, telling her to get up and get ready before he dragged her to the chunin exams as she was.

"Ughh, Sasuke you aren't black and blue" Kari groaned, clutching her pillow. There was a rush of air as the cover was thrown off her. Her legs bent more towards her body, goose bumps sprouting over her limbs at the sudden lack of heat. She wore shorts and a tank top in bed, they weren't that warm! Then to make things worse, her tail was yanked (and nearly _**torn off**_) as she was thrown off the futon. She landed on the hard floor with a thud and she scowled at yet another bruise that would most definitely come up.

"Regardless of that, we have to go to the exam. Get up" Sasuke said, folding his arms and glaring down at her. _**He**_ may be ready to go at the early time of five am but Kari herself was not. They didn't have to be there for another _**ten hours**_! She looked sadly at the multiple bruises littering her arms and legs. Most were small, from Neji's gentle fist. Quite a few were large, mainly from Sasuke, one or two from Naruto or Kiba. Of course, there were also a few burns courtesy of a nasty Uchiha boy. She would hate to see the condition of her torso and back… Still, at least they avoided her face. Her sprained left ankle, fractured right shoulder and dislocated wrist had luckily magically been healed overnight.

"Up" Sasuke repeated, as he pulled her roughly to her feet. She didn't bother to take any of her weight; she just let him support her. She was used to him dropping her, if he did she could feign unconsciousness and go back to sleep. Then she'd have a nice hot bath when he was out. "You're not a damn baby, I'm not washing you" Sasuke growled, glaring at her. With a sigh of defeat, she placed weight on her legs.

* * *

"I'm going training before we meet the others, are you coming or not?" Sasuke asked, standing next to the door, arms folded. Kari pulled her left glove on, flexing her fingers.

"Are you mad? I'm not training with you this early and just before an exam. Besides, the last thing I need is panda eyes and a split lip to match the rest of me." Kari said giving him a scolding look. She bent down and tied Kita's hitai-ate round her fluffy neck. She wouldn't let her sleep in it so she'd be more comfortable. She then pulled on her right glove, the knuckle guards reflecting light onto the wall.

"Its a few bruises, get over it" Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. Kari huffed, tying her hitai-ate in a similar way to Sakura's, over the thick white ribbon the Hokage gave her to cover her ears. She thought it'd be better to hide them from the other participants in the chunin exams. It was rather uncomfortable, like an itch you just couldn't reach.

"Few bruises my ass, I'm mummified to stop Naruto-kun seeing. He'd beat you to a pulp if he saw them." Kari said smirking at him. "All my friends would come beat you up" she started laughing happily as she checked her weapons pouches; Sasuke smirked and shook his head.

"You wish" She ignored him and fastened her katana straps over her chest. After tugging on them to make sure they wouldn't come undone, she tied one of Kiba's jumpers around her waist to hide her tail. After stealing it from him and saying it was hers and she wasn't giving it back, he agreed to let her keep it. It was a black zip up hooded jacket which was too big for her, but seeing as it was Kiba's she treasured it. Sasuke had just looked at her like she was an idiot when she had pranced in and shoved the item of clothing in his face, then with a gleeful expression declared Kiba had given it to her. He then ignored her for the following hour and a half.

"Right, I'm good to go!" Kari said with a salute to her room mate. Kita yipped and tried to salute too, but only managed to touch her ear with her paw. Kari cooed and picked her up telling her how clever she was as she rubbed her face against Kita's. The little wolfs tail wagged in delight as Sasuke rolled his eyes again.

"Girls…" he muttered, leaving them to it. Kari shot after him and scolded him for not waiting for her.

* * *

"Naruto-kun!" Kari cried, jumping up and waving wildly. Sasuke spotted Naruto in the distance, frantically waving back and hurrying towards them. With a sigh, Sasuke shoved his last rice ball into his mouth before it was stolen or knocked out his hand by his male blonde team mate.

"Kari-chan! I haven't seen you in **ages**!" Naruto cried, wrapping his arms around her tightly and spinning her round. Sasuke scoffed, two days wasn't ages. He'd _love_ a two day break from her.

"Hey! I missed you too Naru-kun but watch the ice cream!" Kari cried laughing. Sasuke had been talked into buying lunch for the three of them (he had to buy lunch for Kita too). He had a normal lunch of rice balls and tomatoes. Kari declared it was too hot and decided she wanted ice cream. So he had to hand over his hard earned money (well actually it was both of theirs seeing as she allowed him to keep her payment from missions in payment for living with him. But she still used her share of money) and let Kari buy an ice cream for Kita and herself.

Sasuke was going to point out that wolves were carnivores and didn't eat ice cream, but Kita seemed to be enjoying it and Sasuke decided to just leave it to Kari's motherly instinct (and retardedness). Kita ate her ice-cream quickly (though got a lot on her nose and whiskers) but Kari still had hers. Sasuke decided to give Naruto the usual greeting of a glare. Naruto ignored him, Kari's offer of a bit of ice-cream far more interesting. Naruto got most of his bite round his mouth causing Kari to giggle, and then she went back to eating the remaining ice-cream. Sasuke cringed. She was pretty much licking _**Naruto's saliva**_.

"Ehhh! Cold!!" Naruto cried, clutching his head with a grimace as he was struck with brain freeze. Kari just smiled at him and continued licking her creamy dessert. Sasuke's eyes narrowed noticing how long her canines were. They were like you'd expect a vampire's to be, long and sharp. How she hadn't sliced her tongue in half was a mystery. Had she always been like that?

"I wonder where Sakura is" Kari mused, looking round for any sign of a flash of bubblegum pink. "She's going to be late if she doesn't hurry." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her worried expression. He honestly couldn't understand how anyone could like Sakura; the pink haired kunoichi was even more of an annoyance than Naruto half the time. Then again, Naruto was Kari's best friend so it made sense...

* * *

During the next half hour, people passed them on their way to room 301. Sasuke was getting impatient at Sakura taking up their sensei's habit now of all times, while the other two looked worried. Kita was asleep in Kari's lap, sleeping off her ten minute sugar infused hyperactive dash around. Kari was sitting on the ground, resting on Naruto's leg. Seeing as he smelt perfectly fine (in fact he smelt of fresh ramen) she was pretty sure he was wearing clean underwear. She was paranoid and cautious of Naruto's hygiene now. Especially due to a sensitive nose and a young pup that could be influenced easily.

"Hey Sakura you're late!" Naruto cried as Sakura walked up. Kari noticed she seemed miserable and scowled. When she found out the cause for Sakura's misery she was so going to—

"Uh... right, sumimasen guys" Sakura said with a weak smile. "Ohayo Sasuke-kun" Sakura said with a slight glare. Kari almost had a heart attack as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

_Holy mother of Kami! What the fudge?!_

"Yeah" was Sasuke's response, he narrowed his eyes wondering what the hell was up with his other female team-mate. She had never been unhappy with him (apart from when he persistently ignored her or refused her advances) and had most definitely never been angry with him.

"Sakura-chan… Are you ok?" Kari asked with the same gobsmacked expression. Sakura nodded. "Ok… Well let's go guys!" the wolf-girl jumped to her feet, a sleepy looking Kita looking up at her.

"YOSH!" Naruto cried, pumping his fist in the air. He linked his am with Kari (almost causing her to drop Kita) and marched towards the academy. Kari grinned as Sasuke and Sakura followed. As long as her team and Kita were with her everything would be fine!

_But why then, wouldn't this horrible feeling go away?_


	28. Catching Attention

**A/N: **Ahh, sorry for the late update. Had a bad chest infection and couldn't breathe. But I'm sort of well again and my brain is functioning enough to write. Also, apologies on Kari's slight Sue-ishness. There is a reason for that which will be explained later on and it is actually crucial to the plot. But don't worry! Honeymoon period will soon be over ;)

Thanks again for the reviews, **especially** to those constant reviewers. Much love to you.

Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine, I doubt I'd share him with the world. Thank Masashi-sama for his kindness!

* * *

**Catching attention**

_Somehow, no matter where he went, heads turned and girls' hearts swooned._

_He got attention without even trying._

* * *

"**HEY!**" Kari screeched at the top of her lungs. All eyes of the crowd in front of them turned on her, including the bewildered team mates beside her. "You leave her the hell alone you baka!"

With her keen eyes, Kari had managed to see the little scuffle between TenTen and an unknown guy. From his energy signature Kari could tell he was a young adult male who was either chunin or jonin. Beside him was another guy with a similar chakra signature. Both were in a transformation jutsu looking like fourteen year old genin. They were being complete assholes, when TenTen had politely asked for the two disguised guys to let herself and the rest of the crowd of genin there pass through the door marked "301" the guy had harshly turned and punched her in the face.

"Delicate little girls don't belong here" the guy snorted, his eyes turning on the fuming blonde kunoichi. Kari growled under her breath, everyone **always** assumed she was fragile because she was small and slight. It got on her nerves to no end.

"We're just thinning the crowd. You won't pass anyway, so go home and play with your dolls" the other guy said to TenTen. Kari started stomping towards them, her tail bristling in anger under Kiba's jacket. Her team mates followed with a lot less rage, until the four of them (and Kita) were standing in front of the two guys.

"Real nice speech, now both of you step aside and let me through. And while you're at it, reverse the genjutsu. We can see through your illusion anyway, we're going to the third floor" Sasuke said confidently. Kari blinked. They were on the third floor weren't they? They needed to go to room 301 which was the room the two idiots were blocking. She looked round at TenTen who Lee was pretending to help (come _**on**_, they're **way** stronger than _**that**_! They must be disguising their strength like they were discussing yesterday).

"Well, well."

"You noticed the genjutsu huh?"

Sasuke turned to Sakura. Kari's heart thudded thinking he was finally about to declare his love for his pink-haired team-mate._ They'll get married and have babies! Lots of pink haired Sasuke look-alike babies!_

"Go ahead Sakura, I'm sure you saw it before anyone else did" Sasuke said. Kari's shoulders slumped, her wild daydream destroyed. But he was being_**nice**_ to her! It was the first sign of affection from Sasuke towards Sakura!

"Huh?"

_Oh Sakura… you just __**had**__ to ruin it didn't you…_

"You have the best eyes on this squad and you have the best analytical skills. You must have seen it from a mile away" Sasuke said. Kari's hands automatically clasped together as her eyes shone. He complimented her! He even said she was better than **he** was at something! Kari struggled to hold in a squeal and fought back the urge to hug them both. That's so— **HEY!** She has the best eyes! She saw TenTen get hit from the other end of the corridor when there was a huge crowd of people in the way. Oh well, at least _**Shino **_and_** all of team Gai**_ admitted she had unnaturally amazing eyesight. Taking a deep breath she smiled to herself. It was the first compliment Shino ever gave while on Team eight apparently. That was worth so much more than a mere compliment from _**Sasuke**_. Plus Shino said he'd give her a pair of his Ozzy Osborne style sunglasses today! She had flipped, ran and dodges away from his bugs for an entire hour yesterday and had impressed the bug user, so he had promised her a reward.

"I must have?" Sakura asked struck-dumb she was being complimented by _**Sasuke**_, her cheeks flushed a bright red. Kari grabbed hold of Naruto in a chokingly tight hug as she denied her urges to let out a loud high-pitched squeal. Kita lay on her head, away from her mothers crushing embrace. "Well sure of course I spotted it right away! This is only the second floor" Sakura said. Kari inwardly sighed at her own stupidity. Well, it's not like she attended the academy, so she couldn't be expected to know. Plus, Neji had explained her weakness was Genjutsu. Her taijutsu was higher than average, but she hadn't learnt any ninjutsu as of yet. She made a mental note to ask (or beg on her knees if she had to) Kakashi to teach some to her.

"Err… Right!" Naruto cried. Kari smiled as she continued hugging him. There's nothing like knowing Naruto is more of an idiot than she is to make herself feel better when she has a 'blonde moment' (she doesn't have them that often surprisingly, even if she is blonde herself). The sign changed back to '201' in a swirl of energy. Watching it made Kari feel a little queasy. Nope, she was** definitely** not a genjutsu person.

"Well aren't _**we**_ the smart ones" one of the cocky guys mocked "You saw through an illusion, big deal. Now let's see you deal with this!" he cried, swinging a kick at Sasuke. Kari was about to explode at him, already annoyed by his arrogance, Sasuke went to kick him too, but all of them were stopped by Lee, who appeared in the middle catching the kicks. He pushed them away from each other in time to catch Kari as she jumped on him, joyfully shrieking "_**Lee-kuuuuuun**_!!" at the top of her lungs. Kita had jumped onto Naruto's head, sensing it before her Okaa-san moved.

"Kari-hime!" Lee cried in delight, spinning her round in a circle before stopping to squeeze her in a typical Lee-hug.

"Hey what happened to the plan? I thought you were the one who said to keep a low profile and don't let anyone see our skill level" Neji said, arms folded, scowl in place. Neji didn't like it when plans went wrong. He liked to be organised and in control of the situation.

"I know, but..." Lee said sadly, letting go of Kari to look guiltily at Neji.

"Never mind, it's over, forget it" TenTen sighed, trying to keep the peace. Kari appeared in front of her.

"That guy didn't actually hurt you when he hit you, did he? If he did I'm so gonna rip out insides and make him eat them with a spoon!" Kari said viciously. TenTen nodded, pleased Kari was taking after her with violent insults. Neji shook his head murmuring about how they weren't being at all lady-like. While TenTen was reassuring Kari the guy was a weakling and couldn't hurt her if he tried, Lee skipped over to Sakura. Kari noticed and stiffened, the colour draining out her face. _He wouldn't dare… even Lee isn't that stupid…_

"My name is Rock Lee; you are Sakura-chan right?" Sakura looked Lee up and down cautiously before nodding, completely missing Kari's wild gestures and over exaggerated miming of the word '_**NO**_!'. Kari's heart was pounding at high speed as she panicked. Surely Lee was just introducing himself, surely he would know not to—

"Please be my girlfriend, I vow to protect you with my life!" Lee cried, striking his nice-guy pose; wink, thumb up, teeth sparkling. Sakura's face went _**blue**_. Kari started cackling uncontrollably, while TenTen slammed her palm to her forehead. Neji looked away, pretending he didn't know any of these stupid people.

"Definitely..." Sakura said stiffly. TenTen's and Naruto's jaw dropped, Neji and Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Kari choked violently on her laugh.

"**Not**" Sakura finished over Kari's violent coughs and TenTen smacking the wolf-girl on the back loudly. Sasuke, sick of the noise the blonde kunoichi was making, went up to her and did what Kari called the 'humping manoeuvre' and knocked the choked breath out of her. Satisfied with her quieter coughing, Sasuke let go of her.

"Why?" Lee whined childishly. Kari loved it when Lee did that, he was so adorably immature.

"Because you're a weirdo" Sakura said. Kari started another fit of hysterical giggles after awing at 'poor Lee'. Sasuke gave her a glare that said quite clearly 'I'm not helping you if you choke again'.

"Hey you, what's your name?" Neji asked looking round at Sasuke.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's" Sasuke said coldly. TenTen giggled and Kari turned on Sasuke, hands on hips as she glared up at him.

"Don't you talk to him like that!" she scolded, poking Sasuke in the chest. The Uchiha ignored her, looking over the top of her head at Neji. Kari, infuriated at the difference in height, went and stood beside Neji (which was rather pointless as Neji was even taller).

"You're a rookie aren't you? How old are you anyway?" Neji demanded, sounding an awful lot like Sasuke with that demanding tone and slight arrogance to his voice.

"I'm not obliged to answer" Sasuke said simply, glaring at Neji.

"What's that?" Neji said coldly.

"Uchiha Sasuke, aged twelve, my team mate, in denial about his love for Sakura, has kissed another boy, likes to injure poor innocent little girls like me, is a complete and total—OW!" Kari put a hand on top of her head, where Sasuke had just hit her to shut her up. Neji and TenTen folded their arms unimpressed. Gai had boomed a speech about how Kari was as good as a member of their team, that they would all love each other as comrades, that they would protect her, that she was youthful and full of life and— Kari then started having a discussion with TenTen on whether spears (which TenTen had been teaching her to wield that day) were bendy (she had been thinking of them sticks used in the Olympic games back in her world) TenTen had explained how they usually weren't, as the handles were usually made from either wood or metal.

"Come on Kari" Sasuke said turning and starting to walk away. Kari stuck her tongue out at his back.

"Good luck guys, not like you'll need it but anyway" Kari said smiling. They were both taller than her; _**everyone**_ seemed to be taller than her.

"You too, I miss your ears, you don't look the same" TenTen said, her eyes focusing on where Kari's ears would usually be. Neji placed a hand on her shoulder, his pale eyes locked in a glare with Sasuke's contrasting onyx ones. Smiling and tilting her head to the side, she flashed a peace sign before walking towards a grumpy, impatient looking Sasuke. On her way, she passed two depressed looking Shinobi, heads down, leaning on their left arms, their hands against the wall.

"A weirdo..." Lee said depressed.

"No one wants to know my name..." Naruto said sadly. Kita was sitting between them, looking from one to the other, trying to figure out what on earth was wrong with them.

"Lee-kun you're wonderful the way you are, you're the sweetest guy I've ever met and Naruto-kun _**I**_ wanna know your name!" Kari cried in an attempt to cheer them up.

"**KARI-HIME**!" Lee cried throwing himself on the smaller girl. "I am undeserving of your kindness! What in the world did I do to achieve the friendship of an angel so pure and wonderful?!"

"…I love you too Lee-kun… But... can't... b-breathe…!" Lee immediately released her, spurting thousand of apologies. She reassured him, patting him on the head (if she enjoyed it so much, other people must like it too).

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke, Kari let's go!" Sakura cried, heading towards the other end of the corridor where the next set of steps would probably be. Kita wagged her tail by Sakura's side, a little yip of agreement coming from her.

"Come on guys!" Kari said, grabbing hold of one of each of their hands. "Join on an end Sakura!" Kari said grinning as Kita jumped on the blonde girl's head. Sakura of course, grabbed hold of Sasuke's other hand.

"All right don't pull!" Sasuke said annoyed, deciding not to bother trying to free his hands. Sakura would never let go (judging by the way she clung to him when she was asleep) and Kari, for someone with small hands, had an extremely strong grip (he should know, he has to struggle to get his half of the cover each night).

* * *

The train was broken when they reached the stairs. Kari had her arm linked with Naruto's, deciding that she didn't actually want to let him go. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, planning a full blown interrogation on _**who**_ those shinobi were and _**how **_Kari knew them.

"Hey! You with the attitude! Hold on!"

The four of them span round (Kita falling off Kari's head and onto her shoulder) and looked up on the higher level where they had just walked down from.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, folding his arms and looking up at Lee.

"Don't be so rude to Lee-kun!" Kari hissed, giving Sasuke a glare. There seemed to be an awful lot of glares between those two, especially scolding ones.

"I want to fight. Right here and right now" Lee said, looking down at Sasuke.

"You wanna fight me here and now huh?" Sasuke said cockily.

"Dude. No wonder you knew straight away he was talking to you when he said 'the one with the attitude'" Kari said, earning herself a familiar glare from Sasuke. Honestly, it happened as often as Naruto smiling at her – it didn't stop…

"Hai!" Lee said jumping down off the balcony. What an entrance! Kari made another mental note to get Lee to teach her how to do that _**without**_ hurting herself or anyone around her. "My name is Rock Lee; you said it was common courtesy for a challenger to give their own name first, right? Uchiha Sasuke!"

"So you know me" Sasuke said, leaning back onto one leg.

"I told him" Kari admitted. Lee had a habit for good hearing; you'd have to, to be on Neji's team. When Neji's annoyed or angry (or when he's embarrassed which is rare) he mumbles under his breath.

"I challenge you!" Lee cried dramatically. "Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see if it is true! I figure you will be a good test for me! As well as this, I noticed that you injured dear, sweet Kari-chan, I am afraid that is unacceptable!" Lee cried. Kari grinned; Sasuke gave her an irritated look. She replied by sticking her tongue out at him.

"And also..." Lee turned to face the other kunoichi of the group, red blush present on his cheeks. Kari stiffened again, oh dear god _**no**_. **PLEASE** do _**NOT**_ use any of Gai's '_Techniques to winning a young lady's heart'_. "Oh Sakura-chan! Ai shiteru! Kari-chan did not lie saying you were beautiful!" Lee cried, admitting his love for the girl he had just met. Sakura screamed in horror while Kari pulled out every excuse she could think of, mainly '_It was Sasuke! He told me to do it I swear!'_

"**AAAH! THOSE EYEBROWS **_**CAN'T**_** BE **_**REAL**_**! NO!** Your hairstyle is horrible too and those eyebrows are so _**bushy**_! **YOU'RE SUCH A WEIRDO**!" Sakura shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"You are an angel sent from heaven" Lee said, unphased by her insults. He winked and a heart instantly appeared next to his face, He gently blew it in Sakura's direction.

Now Kari is as romantic as the next person. If a guy appeared on her doorstep, spurting romantic randomness with roses and an extra-large box filled to the brim with chocolate, she'd turn to complete goo. Well, the roses would die by the next day, but she'd have a great time eating chocolate until she was sick. But this was just plain _creepy_.

Sakura screamed like a banshee, dodging it violently causing it to stick to the pillar behind her with an odd squelch. Undeterred, Lee brought a new wave of sticky wink hearts charging towards Sakura. She managed to avoid them all, including the last one which she had to literally bend over backwards to avoid (and hit her head on the floor).

"**HEY KEEP YOUR CREEPY LITTLE VALENTINES TO YOURSELF! I WAS DODGING FOR MY LIFE THERE!**" Sakura shrieked, her face pale.

"You do not have to be so negative Sakura-chan..." Lee said sadly.

"You've heard of the Uchiha clan yet you're challenging me? You must be even more psycho than you look. If it's possible..." Sasuke looked Lee up and down, taking in the green spandex, the bowl hair cut, the elmo eyes and the bushy eyebrows. "You wanna know more about my clan? Then I'll teach you. _**The hard way**_."

"You're so in for it… **GO LEE-KUN!"** Kari cheered, pumping her fist in the air, narrowly missing Naruto's cheek.

"Bring it on" Lee said, sliding into his ready stance. Kari had to hold herself back from sliding into her own battle stance. She was so used to training with him it was almost like a reflex.

"**HOLD IT**! I get him first this weirdo's mine!" Naruto cried. Completely missing Kari's '_**No, no, no!**_' gestures.

"Go for it" Sasuke said smirking.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

"NO!" Kari shouted. They all turned and stared at her. "Er… umm… I want to fight him?"

"You can go next Kari-chan! Besides, it'll take me what, _two minutes_ to have this guy begging for mercy!" Naruto cried. Kari sighed sadly in defeat.

"Iie arigatou, right now the only one I want to fight is Uchiha" Lee said, eyes focused on the Uchiha.

"**I GOT NEWS FOR YOU, SASUKE CAN'T COMPARE TO ME! DATTEBAYO**!" Naruto hollered as he charged at Lee. Kari's eyes immediately brightened as her mind immediately knew what Lee would do next, being completely used to his fighting style. As Naruto went to punch the older boy in the face, Lee simply pushed his hand downwards, causing Naruto to almost head butt the floor. Spinning on his foot and regaining his balance, Naruto aimed a kick at him. He dodged sideways and with a sweeping kick sent Naruto into a wall and knocking him unconscious. Kari looked at the poor boy sympathetically; the wall's got to be even more painful than a large, thick, oak tree…

"Just accept it you have no chance against me your skills are inferior -**OWW**! Kari-hime!" Lee whined.

"We have an exam in ten minutes and you go and knock him out?! You're a bad Lee! Bad, bad, _**bad**_ Lee-kun!" Kari cried, poking him in the side of the head, as Lee held the bump on the top of his head. He suddenly straightened, eyes glistening.

"You have become so strong Kari-hime! You are flourishing as a kunoichi and I can not even begin to explain my pride!" Lee cried, grasping her hands in both of his. Sasuke and Sakura just stared at them, having no clue what was going on.

"Ten minutes Lee! No time to hear your youthful speech about youthfulness!" Kari said through her gritted teeth and forced smile, her eyebrow twitching.

"Ah yes! You see Uchiha, out of the top leaf genin _**I**_ am the best! Fight me and I will prove it to you!" Lee cried confidently. Kari gave him a tired look; Neji wouldn't be too pleased to hear about that now would he… Sasuke smirked.

"This'll be fun, lets do this" Sasuke said, readying himself. Kari's tail bristled as she narrowed her eyes at him. _Payback is oh so sweet…_ Should she tell Lee about the burns and bruises and cuts too? Get Sasuke's butt **super**-kicked? Nah, Lee'd go off the rails and tell Neji, and Neji would blow a casket. Even a tired, pissy Kari wasn't _**that**_ mean.

"There's no time Sasuke-kun! We've got to register by 3 o'clock, that's less than half an hour!" Sakura cried. Half an hour, wasn't it ten minutes? Kari glanced at the clock. Oh. Never mind.

"Relax this will all be over in five seconds" Sasuke said confidently.

"Whatever but don't complain to me all day when Lee-kun beats you into next week" Kari said happily. She looked over to Naruto and looked sadly at Kita "Kita-ko you are the only sane member of this team" Kari said rubbing her soft ears, poor Kita had been told not to speak. Who knows what reactions people might have?! Besides, it could be a good weapon. Without warning, Sasuke charged. He went to punch Lee, but Lee was too quick. Sakura gasped he had disappeared, but Kari's eyes were instantly locked on her green senpai, easily keeping up with his speed

"Konoha Senpuu!" Lee cried, using his infamous leaf hurricane technique (which was a high powered kick). Sasuke ducked then went to block Lee's oncoming punch, but was kicked in the face.

"**SASUKE-KUN**!" Sakura cried, her hands clutched against her chest. Kari shook her head. A fight for Sakura's love. Had _**SHE**_ been in that situation (which she had many times) she would have jumped up to avoid his kick and brought the fight into the air. She found it easy to manoeuvre in the air for some reason and where Lee's attacks were slightly slower without the support of land to apply extra force, Kari's movements were hardly hindered at all. She supposed it was to do with having those wings (which she desperately needed to practice with).

Sasuke got up off the floor. He didn't look that annoyed, which caught Kari's attention. He smirked and she sensed a quick build up of chakra around his eyes.

"I've been waiting to try this out" Sasuke said, adding drama to the moment with a pause. He lifted his head activating the Sharingan. Kari deflated as Sakura gasped and squealed. That's it? But she's seen the Sharingan loads of times, even it is beautiful to look at and gorgeously contrasting with the paleness of his face and darkness of his hair. Oh pretty eyes… Almost as pretty as Naruto's and Neji's eyes! Sasuke charged, Sharingan ablaze, certain he would be able to defeat Lee now. Pfft, foolish little boy… Noticing a spaced out Sakura, Kari gave her a quick nudge.

"Sa-ku-raaah you're going through the greatness of Sasuke-kun in your head again" Kari sung. She ignored her fellow kunoichi, causing Kari to pout and turn back to the fight. Sasuke got kicked in the chin which sent him flying backwards. Kari subconsciously rubbed her jaw knowing full well what Lee's hits felt like. Poor Sasuke…

"You see my technique is not ninjutsu or genjutsu..." Lee said, explaining why Sasuke couldn't see any tricks with his Sharingan. Sasuke couldn't find a solution to Lee's physical ability; it depended solely on the comparison between physical strength.

"**SASUKE**!" Naruto cried in shock and confusion, he had just this minute regained consciousness, to see his team-mate flying in the air. Sasuke got elbowed in the rib, he winced holding his side. Kari was still calculating Lee's moves.

"You get it now? I am using_** taijutsu,**_ that means no tricks Sasuke!" Lee cried. He suddenly appeared behind Sasuke. "It is martial arts, nothing more"

"Why you!" Sasuke growled trying to backhand him but Lee easily dodged.

"I know your technique, forget it! It will not work not on me! I know you can see through your opponent's jutsu, that the Sharingan gives you the ability to read his chakra and decipher his hand signs and movements. You can guess what he's going to do almost before he knows himself. The problem is taijutsu is a little bit different" Lee said. Kari was paying complete attention, none of Team Gai having the Sharingan, they hadn't really discussed it with her. Neji only touched upon the subject when explaining his Byakugan.

"Right so what's your point?" Sasuke said scowling.

"I do not try to hide or disguise my moves. I do not have to, even if you can read them, you still cannot stop them. You are too slow, your eyes may be quick enough to see one step ahead of me, but if your body cannot keep up, what good does it do you?" Lee asked. "Had you trained with Kari-hime, you might have noticed this beforehand" Lee said, causing Sasuke to send a scowl in the blonde kunoichi's direction.

"What?!" Kari said, sending a full-hearted glare back. He didn't use his Sharingan against her he just battered her! Well, she had been working mainly on defence (which she was still admittedly terrible at) so she hadn't been on the offence that much. She had been learning about the Uchiha's fighting style.

"You know what? This is what I believe" Lee said, Kari smiled, remembering how Lee had explained this too her after being defeated in a spar by Neji. "There are two different types of ninja. Those who are like _you;_ **born** with talent and do not have to work at it. Then those like _me_ the ones who have to train every day of our lives!" Lee cried dodging Sasuke's punch. Kari felt a swelling feel of affection for Lee, he had such indomitable spirit, it really inspired her. "The fact; is your Sharingan is the worst match for my extreme taijutsu! Here is what I mean!" Lee kicked Sasuke sending him flying. In an instant he appeared underneath him.

"**ROCK LEE! GAI WILL NOT BE IMPRESSED!**" Kari scolded. It wasn't the only reason she was discouraging Lee. After getting into heated combat, a _certain move_ left her in absolute **agony**. Lee had burst into tears and apologised, but it was still painful, she had to have a whole two pots of Hinata medicinal cream before the pain eased, and that was after at least three hours. She didn't want Sasuke to go through that, especially when he knew nothing about Lee's strength.

"Dancing leaf shadow…" Sasuke said.

"Good eye… Now I will prove my point; that hard work beats out natural talent" Lee cried as his bandages rapidly started to unravelled. "You're finished!"

Kari hesitantly reached for her katana. She didn't want to do this, but Sasuke could be really hurt by that attack. Besides the after effects wouldn't suit lee too much either. No, she had to step in. She started to draw her katana, the light gleaming off the silver metal of her blades.


	29. Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover

**A/N: **Im free from school! Confetti so hopefully, updates should be more frequent :) As always, love to the amazing reviewers, for whom this story is dedicated to. Keep it up! Happy Summer!

* * *

**Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover**

_Behind the unusual face, behind the large round eyes_

_Hid an inextinguishable flame of strength_

* * *

A kunai stopped her, shooting out of nowhere pinning Lee's bandage to the wall. She froze, the grinding of her katana against their sheaths silenced.

"This is bad" Lee and Kari said in unison, his bushy eyebrows furrowing as her eyes darted in the direction the kunai had come from.

"_**ALL RIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH LEE!**_" a… _giant turtle_ hollered. Kari blinked. Then blinked again. _Turtle?? _She let go of her katana, allowing them to slip back into their sheaths with a slight '_ching_'. Lee grabbed hold of the bandage, using it to pull himself down. _Oh dear, Lee's in for it now_…_ But what's with the turtle? Is it a summon? _

"**SASUKE-KUN**!" Sakura shrieked. Kari jumped out of her skin (having been staring wide-eyed at the peculiar turtle) and looked up to see a falling Sasuke. She just stared at him blankly, wondering why on earth Sasuke's were falling from the sky, before Kita's 'Okaa-san!' snapped her out of her daze. With speed like that of Lee's, Kari shot forward, catching Sasuke, before falling on her back and sliding along the floor.

"Ah! Kari-hime! You shouldn't catch people like that!" Lee cried. Catching the turtle's glare Lee immediately turned back to him, head bowed. Kari groaned; the bruises from before throbbing and her spine burnt from sliding on the floor. She tried to shove the heavy boy off of her, but Sasuke wasn't cooperating. She sat up and tipped him off lap, rubbing her sore back. Then she hoisted him up by the arm, allowing one arm round her shoulder for support. Kari shot Sasuke a quick, annoyed '_I so **told** you so, but **noooo**_' look behind his back as he leaned on her. Ah, it was a strange switch of roles!

"Sasuke-kun are you okay?" Sakura fussed, rushing to his side, a hand hovering in front of his chest and behind his back, should his balance be off. She secretly hoped it was so he could fall into his arms. Kari shot her sly grin, knowing what lines she was thinking along.

"You were watching the whole time?" Lee asked guiltily, his eyes glued to the floor as he stood before the large turtle.

"Of course! That last technique is forbidden you know that!" the turtle shouted, causing Lee to wince.

"I am sorry I did not mean to..." Lee said quietly. the turtles glare intensified, like that of a lion that had been poked in the eye. Lee immediatly spurted excuses to try and escape the turtles wrath. "I was not planning to use a forbidden jutsu! It is just… I was in the middle of a fight and… I mean-- you understand right?!" Lee cried, trying to get his point acros. That was what he had explained to Gai while Neji and TenTen had to take Kari to the Hyuuga compound to rest (despite her stubborn complaints she was fine, though she was clearly not).

"**I'M RIGHT THAT TURTLE REALLY IS HIS SENSEI**!" Naruto cried suddenly.

"Oro?" Sakura asked, looking round at an excited Naruto.

"**HEY GUYS**!" Naruto cried. Kari tilted her head, was itjust her or was he rather hyper after being knocked out.

"Nani Naruto?" Sakura said sounding annoyed.

"The weird thing he's talking to a turtle, right?" Naruto asked.

"_Obviously_ what do you think it is?!" Sakura said irritably while Kari just nodded. Sure, Kita could talk. But she wasn't a turtle.

"Ok, then... maybe it means turtles can be sensei's too!" Naruto cried in excitement.

"How would I know if they can be sensei too?!" Sakura argued. Kari was lost in a daydream of Kakashi being a donkey and a sensei at the same time. Waving his tail around and twitching his long grey rabbit like ears, his long muzzle covered by the mask, his forelock sticking up, and his mane lop-sided…

"Kari, you look stupid. Stop it." Sasuke mumbled. Kari snapped out of her daydream. _She so did __**not**__ look stupid!_

"You're a disgrace! You think you'll get away with a bunch of lame excuses like that?! A shinobi never reveals his techniques unless it's absolutely necessary! It's a basic rule you should know it by now!" the turtle scolded, causing Lee to wince once more. Kari really felt sorry for the funny looking guy, he wasn't that bad at heart, he just got a bit carried away.

"Forgive me sir" Lee said sadly. Sasuke suddenly growled.

"Sasuke you're growling" Kari stated, her eye twitching. "Stop it, it's disturbing"

"You can hardly talk, your half canine" Sasuke retorted.

"How is that my fault?! That's like saying you're an Uchiha!"

"Are you prepared to take the punishment for your actions?!" the turtle cried, drowning out Sasuke's and Kari's argument.

"I... Hai sir..." Lee said quietly. Kari ignored Sasuke's next insult, worrying Lee would be punished severely. He'd better not be or she'll—

"All right then! Please come out Gai-sensei!" the turtle cried.

"**IIE! NOT HIM**!" Kari cried clutching where her ears were hidden under the fabric. The last thing she needed was Gai humiliating her in front of her team mates. She couldn't cope with his accusations of hers and Neji's **non-existant** relationship, or a youth speech, or _Kami forbid_ he and Lee might cry, hug and do a lot of poses! But as long as he didn't try to get her into that green latex…_thing_ again, she supposed she would _just_ about be able to survive.

"**HEEEEY WHAT'S SHAKIN'? HOW YA DOIN EVERYBODY?! LIFE TREATIN' YA GOOD**?" Gai sensei hollered, appearing in a puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, Gai was in his entrance pose, hip back, back arched, arms above head, one in a hand gesture of gayness or a arthritic ballerina, the other with an upside down 'OK' hand sign in front of his eye. Kari's body slumped as her cheeks reddened. She wanted to just melt into the floor and hibernate for a good few months. After seeing her team-mates expressions she buried her face in her hands. "**HI LADIES!**" Gai said with a wink and smile, striking the good guy pose he and Lee were famous for. Kari mumbled a few whimpers, willing herself to become invisible. Kami-sama just let Gai not see her…

"Kari-hime!"

_**There is no God.**_ If there is, well, he doesn't like her.

"So that's where Lee gets it from!" Naruto cried. Kari pulled her hair in front of her face as a shield. Naruto wouldn't insult Gai in front of Lee, he's not _at all_ rude, so there's **no** need for Lee to get defensive and earn youthful praise from his sensei. "Same soup-bowl hair cut, **bushier** eyebrows!"

_**Kami hates her.**_

"**HEY! DO NOT INSULT GAI-SENSEI! HE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN IN THE ENTIRE WORLD**!" Lee cried. Kari clamped her hands over where her ears were hidden, the shouting giving her a headache.

"_**EXCUSE ME**_** FOR NOT NOTICING HIS **_**GREATNESS**_**, I WAS TOO BUSY WATCHING HIM CRAWL OUT FROM UNDERNEATH A **_**TURTLE**_!" Naruto retaliated.

"**HE DID NOT **_**CRAWL **_**OUT**!" Lee shouted, his fist held threateningly in front of him.

"Give it a rest Lee" Gai said soothingly, placing a hand on Lee's shoulder. Kari stared at the larger version of Lee. Gai… being… _helpful?_

"Hai sir" Lee said reluctantly.

"Now, for your punishment… **YOU FOOL**!" Gai cried punching Lee in the face. Naruto's and Sakura's jaws dropped and Sasuke's eyes widened. Kari smacked her forehead knowing what was coming next. Kita stared perplexed, like watching a mind absorbing film.

"I'm sorry Lee but... it's for your own good" Gai said sniffling. Kari twitched violently.

"Se-sensei" Lee said, his eyes watering. She twitched again.

"Oh Lee…"

_Twitch._

"Oh sensei, sumimasen" Lee said, tears running thickly down their cheeks.

_Twitch._

"It's all right! It's over! You don't need to say anymore!" Gai said dramatically.

_Double twitch._

"**SENSEI**!" Lee cried, flinging himself into his sensei's arms. Gai was on one knee, holding Lee tightly. Kari sighed. They just had to, it was Gai and Lee after all. The sunset that had miraculously appeared in the background was a _**must**_ too.

"It's ok, it's ok… _sniff_"

"Sumimasen… sensei… _sniffle_"

"Actually, it's kinda sweet the way their all huggy and stuff" Naruto said turning to grin at his other team-mates. Kari half-agreed and half didn't. Their relationship was sweet… but… _disturbingly odd_.

"You gotta be kidding they're both crazy!" Sakura cried, while Sasuke gave a half nod in agreement.

"You're just caught in-between… you're too old to be called a boy, yet not quite a man…" Gai said emotionally.

"You are so good to me... Gai sensei" Lee sobbed, admiration shining in his tear filled eyes.

"Now take off! I want you to run a hundred laps! Show me what you got!" Gai cried, tears disappearing.

"Hai sir no problem!" Lee cried, jumping to attention, hand in a salute.

"Run into the setting sun! **RUN **and _**SUFFER**_! But **DON'T** mess up your hair. Let us go!" Gai cried, as Kari's twitching spasm returned with a vengeance. She didn't think she was brave enough to tell Gai his '_sunset_' was just a wall.

"Right!"

"Hey! Wait a minute! We're not finished here; you guys can't just take off like that!" Naruto cried.

"Anyway, what about the chunin exams? There's no time for fooling around!" Sakura added.

"Huh? **OH RIGHT! I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!**" Gai cried. He coughed; no shred of embarrassment visible. "Lee you've not only disobeyed the rule against fighting, you've disrupted the chunin exams! I think that deserves a more severe punishment don't you?!"

"Hai sir!"

"Let's say _**500 LAPS**_! How does that sound?!" Gai cried striking a pose.

"Outstanding sir!"

"They're gonna be the death of me…" Kari mumbled as Kita let out a confused whine. How 500 laps was outstanding was beyond her. She'd die half way through.

"They're insane" Sakura said.

"Probably, but never mind them. What's the deal with that turtle anyway?" Naruto said. Kari turned to stare blankly at the reptile again. She'd forgotten about that turtle… Gai turned and looked at them. On impulse, team seven tensed.

"**NANI?! AAAH HE'S LOOKING AT US**!" Sakura cried, clutching Sasuke's sleeve as though it would protect her. Kari let go of Sasuke's arm, figuring her life was more important than his injuries. In other words, if Gai came within an inch of them – she was running.

"Tell me… how is Kakashi-sensei?" Gai asked.

"Do you know him?" Sasuke said in surprise, not deterred by the fact he had lost his support or he had Sakura hanging off him like a pink monkey to a tree.

"_Do **I** know Kakashi_?" Gai said with a chuckle, a glint in his eye. "Well, people say he and I are arch rivals… **for all eternity**."

"**THERE'S… JUST NO WAY**!" Naruto and Sakura cried. Kari had heard it from Gai before when she told him who her registered sensei was, but she still found it hard to believe. Just look, Kakashi, lazy, cool guy a rival with…_ Gai_?

"**HOW DARE YOU! IF GAI-SENSEI SAYS IT IS TRUE THEN**--"

"Let it slide Lee, a ninja's actions always speak louder than words..." Gai said soothingly. Kari narrowed her eyes. _Actions don't mean…_

"Gah!" Kari shot into a defensive stance as Gai appeared behind them. She hated being snuck up on, it was just so… _sneaky. _The four ninja and Kita turned to face Gai warily.

"The record stands at 50 wins and 49 losses, which is one better than his by the way" Gai said with a wink.

"Oro? Nani?! No way! How'd _**HE**_ beat Kakashi?!" Naruto cried confused.

"The fact is; I'm better and stronger than Kakashi" Gai cried happily. Kari shook her head. _Ego, ego, ego…_

"You see! Gai-sensei is the greatest!" Lee cried happily.

"I'm sorry for the trouble Lee caused you. Look into my eyes and accept my sincere apology. Also notice my handsome manly features" Gai said to Sasuke with another wink, completely oblivious to Sasuke's rage at losing. Kari shuddered, picked up Kita and shot closer to Naruto. Gai was too old to say such things to kids. They'll all think he's a paedophile now. "Lee I think you should accompany these fine young ninja to the classroom" Gai said. He threw a kunai knocking away the one pinning Lee's bandage to the wall. Lee nodded and began re-wrapping his bandages.

"His hands…" Naruto gasped. Lee's hands and knuckles were covered in millions of scars, showing how much he pushed himself, how much he struggled. Kari eyes softened and she walked over to the older shinobi and helped him wrap his arms.

"Ah arigatou Kari-hime!" Lee said gratefully. She smiled at him; he really did have too big a heart.

"You helped me wrap mine; I'm clumsy and useless at it myself. But it's easier the way you told me to" Kari said, striking a cheerful conversation so Lee would stay in a good mood. The green beast grinned, giving a few pointers here and there and wincing when she pulled to tight.

"Remember give it your best Lee! Farewell!" Gai cried disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Hai sir!" Lee cried, now completely re-bandaged. The turtle too disappeared. "Hey Sasuke, actually I have not been totally honest with you" Lee said, he shifted awkwardly beside the blonde kunoichi. "I said I wanted to test my skills; that is true enough. You are not _really_ the one I wanted to test them against."

"Neji…" Kari whispered; of course training with them she saw their rivalry. Neji was extremely harsh on Lee. Neji was a prodigy, he was stronger than Kari by far, probably even stronger than Sasuke. Kari's eyes turned to the Uchiha. _As strong as Sasuke is, against Neji he wouldn't stand a chance…_

"I lied to you when we were fighting before. I told you that _I_ am the best genin here. But there is another top ninja, someone on my own team." Lee paused and his fists clenched. "_He_ is the one I want to fight against, you are just practice. Now you are a target. I will crush you" Lee said. Sasuke gave him a major glare. "There you have it, consider yourself warned!" Lee cried. He ran and jumped off. Kari looked after him; thinking about Neji always upsets him…

"Oh Lee…" Kari said sadly.

"Oh Sasuke-kun" Sakura said, noticing the unhappy Uchiha.

"How about that, looks like the Uchiha clan isn't as great as everyone thinks they are" Naruto said. Kari appeared at his side and thwacked him on the head. "**OW! KARI-CHAN**!"

"You were insensitive" Kari said simply. She turned to Kita. "Being insensitive isn't nice" Kari said, poking Kita on the head. She was rather surprised actually, she'd never seen her fox brother behave like this.

"Ne?" Kita said confused. Kari made a zipping motion across her mouth, reminding Kita she shouldn't be talking.

"**NARUTO**!" Sakura screamed in rage, turning to repeat Kari's punishment tenfold.

"Just shut up!" Sasuke spat enraged. "Next time I'll drive him to his knees!"

"Sasuke!" Kari cried shooting him a glare.

"Yeah right, who just got his butt kicked" Naruto said rolling his eyes. He shot a wary glare at Kari's fist to make sure it didn't come in his direction.

"Stop it! What are you saying?! Spit it out Naruto!" Sakura cried.

"Patience is a virtue Kita-ko" Kari explained, her smile growing strained, her eyebrow twitching. "No matter how stupid people are; or how much you want to smack their heads together." She had to be a good example; Kita was young and could pick things up easily.

"You saw his hands didn't you when he took off the tape? I bet bushy brow has been training and training 'til he drops, day in day out, he trains harder than you. That's all I'm saying" Naruto said. Kari sighed sadly, knowing Naruto was exactly right. Lee pushed himself to and beyond the limit of his ability, working harder than anybody. Lee said she had natural talent, those who didn't, like him, had to work hard to reach the level the talented were already at. It was sad and unfair in Kari's eyes. With all Lee's work he should be more powerful than anybody. Lee deserved to be among the strongest shinobi. _But come to think of it_, Kari thought with a smile, _with his Taijutsu he was almost there._

"Fine." Sasuke said coldly. Kari blinked, no fight? No argument? No tantrum? "Things are starting to get interesting in the chunin exams; can't wait to see what's next." Sasuke smirked, causing Kari to roll her eyes. But a smile spread across her face all the same. Typical Sasuke.

"Same here" Kari admitted. She'd been itching to see what other villages could do. What surprises they had in store…

"Right!" Naruto cheered. Sakura smiled and laughed, glad another fight didn't break out.

"Kita you ready?" Kari asked her dear wolf child. The cub responded with vigorous nodding. Kari giggled, placing her on her shoulder.

"Let's get started! Kari! Naruto! Sakura!—Kita!" Sasuke cried, catching Kari angry gesture towards her white fluff-ball.

"**YEAH!"** Naruto hollered in delight. "Chunin exams _**here we come**_!"


	30. A Little Advice

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait, I was planning my next chapters to my Vampire Knight and my SasuHina story :)

**Disclaimer:** No Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-sama.

* * *

**A Little Advice**

_She felt uneasy looking at this guy,_

_She trusts her instinct_

_And her instinct told her not to trust him._

* * *

Naruto half dragged Kari along as he marched, right arm linked with her left. Kita was sniffing the variety of scents that came from a whole load of different people, she walked between Kari's two other team mates. Sasuke seemed to be brooding, so he was left to it, though Sakura remained at his side, ever faithful. Naruto babbled on about his forthcoming victories, cheery grin in place.

"Hey Kashi!" Kari cried suddenly, noticing the silver haired jonin waiting for them in front of a door.

"Glad you came Sakura" Kakashi said, looking over at the bubblegum kunoichi. Offended, Kari pointed at herself. Didn't he love her? Had Sakura replaced her already? He chuckled. "I'm just as happy to see you Kari" he reassured her. Kari smiled in contentment. "For your sake and the others" he finished. The team shot him a puzzled look. "Now you can all formally register for the chunin exam."

"Why? What do you mean?" Sakura questioned.

"You see, only groups of **three** are allowed to apply for and take the exam" Kakashi explained.

"**NANI!?**"

"That means one of us can't take it!" Naruto cried.

"Who's the weakest on the team?" Sasuke said, his eyes darting to each of us. His eyes finally settled on Sakura and Kari felt the overwhelming urge to defend her.

"Guys! If anyone's going out it's me!" Kari cried, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"What?!"

"Kari-chan you don't want to do the exams?" Naruto cried, his hold on her arm tightening, making it perfectly clear he was **not** letting go, not even for a steaming bowl of his favourite ramen.

"Come on, I'm hardly ready. I've only been here a month! I've got so much to learn. Sasuke you're the strongest, Sakura you're the smartest, Naruto you're the one who always believes in yourself bringing the team up with you, you don't need _me _but you need each other" Kari said. True, she really wanted to do these exams and the selfish nature in every human said that she deserved it, but seriously. She wasn't even from this world. She hadn't been training her _whole life_ to be a ninja. She knew how much this meant to Naruto, she knew Sasuke wanted this, Sakura… well she might just be there for Sasuke, but still.

"But you're the **heart** of the team, the one that keeps us together" Sakura said, surprising everyone. Kari's heart turned to goo and she felt her eyes become moist. That was the sweetest thing Sakura had ever said to her.

"**IF KARI-CHAN DOESN'T DO IT, NEITHER DO I! DATTEBAYO**!" Naruto hollered without hesitation. Kari bit her lip as her eyes became watery. _Naruto-kun…_

"…hn." Sasuke agreed. Kari's moment of appreciation was ruined by that small grunt. He could have at least _pretended_ he cared.

"Hey, you didn't let me finish." Kakashi said, catching everyone's attention. "The Hokage's sorted it all out, it's just as equal if not more difficult you've got an extra person to look out for and due to Kari's inexperience she'll most probably be more of a hindrance than a help."

"**Kashiii!**"

"I'm proud of you all and your team spirit. Kari, you really are the heart of the team" Kakashi said smiling, placing a hand on her head. "Oh? The ears are gone" he said surprised and seemingly saddened.

"But sensei you said the decision to take the exam was up to the individual, did you lie?" Sakura said, cutting off Kakashi's train of thought.

"Well… sort of. I didn't want the boys pressuring you, though I'm sure Kari would have supported you whatever you did. I didn't want you to feel obliged to participate because of any feelings you might have for Sasuke, Kari or Naruto. I wanted you to come to a decision of your own free will" Kakashi explained.

"See! You _**do**_ care Kashi-kun!" Kari said happily.

"Don't call me that."

"Wait a minute, do you mean if the others had shown up, but I decided not to come with them-" Sakura began.

"It would have been the end of the line. I couldn't have let the others in" Kakashi said. "But you're all here and for the right reasons, Sakura, Naruto, Kari and Sasuke I'm proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better team" Kakashi said.

"Couldn't ask for a better sensei" Kari said happily.

"Good luck" Kakashi said.

"We won't let you down sensei believe it!" Naruto cried.

"Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, make sure you take care of Kari. Remember, she isn't as wise in the ways of the shinobi as you are."

"See ya Kashi!"

And with that, Kakashi felt pride swell inside his chest, as he watched his four young genin (and Kita) take the first step to the next level.

* * *

"W-what's this?" Naruto asked.

_**Holy shit.**_

"Gee… I guess we're not alone" Sakura said with a gulp.

_**So many people.**_

Kari shuddered. She wasn't a big fan of crowds. Especially crowds of people she didn't know. All those glaring eyes made her stomach turn.

"Man I had no idea there would be so much competition" Sakura said awkwardly.

_Don't worry Okaa-san I'll protect you!_ Kita cried through her telepathic link with Kari. Reassured, the blonde kunoichi relaxed, cooing to Kita in her mind.

"**SASUKE-KUN! WHERE'VE YOU BEEN?**!" Ino screeched, popping out of nowhere and attacking Sasuke from behind. "Boy you had no idea how much I wished you'd be here! I've missed those brooding good looks of yours!" Ino cooed, hugging the Uchiha tightly. Kari shuddered at the glare Sasuke gave Ino, but the girl didn't seem at all phased.

"**GRRR! HEY YOU PORKER! BACK OFF HE'S **_**MINE**_!" Sakura cried. Not wanting to be caught in a bitch fight Kari glued herself to Naruto's side for protection.

"Miss Forehead, they let you in? Heh, still got those frown lines on your _billboard brow_ I see" Ino said haughtily.

"**LEAVE MY FOREHEAD OUT OF IT**!" Sakura screeched as Ino spat her tongue out.

"Oh it's you guys. I knew this thing would be a drag, but I didn't know it'd be _this _lame" Shikamaru said rolling his eyes.

"Shika!" Kari cried, bounding over to him. "You're actually awake?"

"So all three stooges are here" Naruto said scowling, having found Shikamaru's previous comment insulting.

"Hey! You know what pipsqueak— ah, forget it. You're a waste of time" Shikamaru said, losing heart half way through. Kari sniggered at him next to the large boy whose name she couldn't remember.

"Chouji" he said, swallowing the food in his mouth. Kari blinked, was it _that_ obvious she was forgetful?

"Sorry but Sasuke-kun's all mine" Ino said smugly, as Sasuke's face darkened by the second. Kari inched slightly behind Chouji, reasoning he would be a pretty good shield against Sasuke's wrath.

"Well, what do ya know? It looks like the whole gangs back together again" a loud voice called over the crowd. Kari's ears managed a miniscule twitch underneath the confines of the ribbon. That sounds like…

"Kiba-kun!" Kari cried, shooting past Chouji.

"Hey Kari-chan" Kiba said with a large grin, holding his arms out expectantly. Stopping an inch or so in front of him, Kari reached forward and pulled Akamaru out of Kiba's coat.

"Aka-kun! It's been so long!" she cooed, rubbing her cheek against the puppy's furry head. Akamaru 'Arf'-ed in delight, his little tail a blur of wagging.

"**ALWAYS** the dog..." Kiba said with a depressed sigh. Kari placed Akamaru on the ground, so he and Kita could have puppy talk. She then pulled Kita into the tightest hug she could manage.

"Hinata-chan!" Kari cried, catching sight of the shy girl. She abandoned her tight hold on Kiba and bounced over to Hinata, who was blushing at an oblivious Naruto.

"Onee-chan" she greeted warmly.

"Go on, say hi, he won't bite" Kari whispered, giving Hinata discreet little nudges in Naruto's direction. "And if he does ill bite him twice as hard." Hinata giggled, then looked back to Naruto.

"K-konnichiwa Naruto-kun" she said quietly, blushing furiously. Sadly, Naruto didn't notice her. Kari sighed in defeat, Hinata patting her on the arm in comfort. The Hyuuga heiress didn't seem to mind it should have been the other way round.

"Hikari."

"Eh?" Kari said, looking round. "Oh Shino, hey!"

"As promised" the bug user said, handing something to her. Kari blinked, looking at the black sunglasses. The light reflected off them, making them seem highly polished. Kari took them carefully; afraid a sudden movement might cause them to shatter.

"Shino-kun… thank you!" Kari cried, remaining perfectly still as so not to damage her gift. "They'll bring me luck in the Chunin exams, d—!" Kari just managed to stop herself saying 'dattebayo'. Geez… the circumstances of actually _listening_ to Naruto.

"So you guys too? Man everyone's here for this stupid thing" Shikamaru said grumpily.

"Yep here we all are the **ten** rookies" Kiba looked round at Kari and grinned. She smiled back, glad he had remembered her. He then laughed with excitement. "This is gonna be fun! At least for those of us good enough to make the cut, right Sasuke?"

"Kiba careful, you don't get overconfident" Sasuke said smirking.

"Pshh, Sasuke you're the _definition_ of overconfident" Kari mumbled, her comment going unnoticed by all but Team 8.

"Just wait, we're gonna blow you guys away! We've been training like crazy!" Kiba said cockily. Now this may annoy most people, with Kiba being loud and confident and slightly rude, but for some reason, Kari finds him loveable. Sort of like with Naruto. But Naruto was the lord of being adorably stupidly lovable, if only to Hinata and Kari.

"What d'you think we've been doing? Sitting around picking daisies? You don't even know what training _means_!" Naruto cried defencively.

"Anou... don't mind Kiba-kun, I don't think he really meant anything buy it" Hinata said softly. Kari bit her tongue in an attempt to stop herself gushing. She blinked, feeling the length of her canines. _What the? They're so long!_

"Oro?" Naruto said looking round at Hinata. Hinata's face flushed a deep ruby, as Kari's heart was nearing failure. He noticed her! The beginning of a beautiful—

"Yo Kari-chan! Anyone home?" Kibba called waving a hand in front of her face.

"Ne?! Hands off **our** teammate Dog-boy!" Naruto shrieked, dragging a puzzled wolf girl behind him. The fox-boy and dog-boy were locked in a battle of glaring at one another, Shino seemed to be telling off Chouji and pointing at the floor, Ino and Sakura were still arguing over a patience-thinning Sasuke, when…

"Hey you guys!" A guy called, distracting the rookies. "You might wanna try keeping it down a little. I mean, no offence, but you're the nine rookies right fresh out of the academy right?"

"Ten" Sasuke corrected, as Kari's eyes scanned the new-comers appearance.

Mid-length silver hair was tied back, his bangs kept out of his face by a Konoha hitai-ate. He had dark eyes, and Harry Potter glasses. He was wearing a purple outfit a bit like a male version of Ino's. He seemed a few years older than the rookies judging by his height and his face. But there was something Kari couldn't quite put her finger on, something not right about this guy…

Untrusting, Kari picked up Kita and brought her close to her chest, instinctively trying to protect her. A low, quiet growl escaped the young pup, who then looked up at her mother meaningfully. If Kita disliked this guy, he couldn't be any good.

"I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves, just cool it. This isn't a class field trip."

"Oi! Dare motomedesu ka?! Daredesu ka?" Ino snapped. Kari sighed. The return of the confusing Japanese language... Where for art thou little voice? Translations are appreciated.

'_Hey, who asked you!? Who are you?' _The voice replied at once.

"I'm Yakushi Kabuto, but really, look around you. You've made quite an impression."

Looking round Kari shuddered. Piercing, scrutinizing, loathing, irritated, amused, curious eyes glared out at her, stripping her down and examining her, looking for weakness, for the most painful way to destroy her. Never in her life had she felt so naked. For comfort she moved an inch or so closer to Kiba, so their arms were pressed together. The dog boy's overbearing confidence was comforting when you felt your own confidence was about to die.

"You see those guys? They're from the rain village they're very touchy they all are" Kabuto said, pointing out some rather pissed looking ninja. "This exam makes everyone tense and you don't wanna rub them the wrong way right now."

"That sounded so wrong" Kari mumbled causing Kiba to snort. Already feeling as though they were in a den of rabid, angry, hungry lions, Kari covered his mouth.

"Well, you can't help it. I mean how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a while back" Kabuto said smiling.

"Kabuto is that your name?" Sakura asked. Kari resisted the urge to pull her team mate away and scold her in hushed whispers for talking to him. He was dangerous, she knew it!

"Yeah" he replied.

"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?" Sakura asked curiously.

"No it's... my seventh" he said. Kari whistled in her mind. Boy must he suck…

"Well they're held twice a year so it'll be my fourth year" he said.

"Wow, veteran you must really be an expert by now" Sakura said with the air of sucking up. Kari was unable to hold in her cringe.

"Yeah sort of" he replied.

"Osoroshii! You can give us all the inside tips!" Naruto cried excitedly. Kari looked at him solemnly. That's why she hid with Kiba, Naruto would end up poking the angry lions in the eye.

'_Osoroshii translates to awesome.'_ The little voice popped up.

"Yeah, some expert. He's never passed" Shikamaru scoffed, voicing Kari's earlier opinion.

"Yeah well seventh times the charm, that's what they say eh?" Kabuto said, smiling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his head in the way Naruto did when feeling uncomfortable.

"So I guess all those rumours about the exam being tough are true... Oh ma,n I knew this was gonna be a drag..." Shikamaru moaned.

"Hang on, don't give up hope yet, maybe I can help you kids out a little" Kabuto said pulling out a deck of cards.

"Snap?" Kari asked. Kabuto chuckled, sending chills through Kari's spine and causing her tail to bristle under Kiba's jacket.

"No, with my ninja info cards" he said pulling out a deck of orange cards with kanji printed on the back. The voice decided to let Kari guess, leaving her mind silent.

"What the heck are those?" Sakura asked, allowing kari's opinion to once again be voiced.

"It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the last four years, I've got more than 200 of them, so you can see I haven't been completely wasting my time." He turned the first card over to reveal a completely blank card. "They might not look like much to the naked eye, in fact they appear blank. Don't want just _anyone_ seeing this stuff" he said placing his index finger on the blank side.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"You see, I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets. Like this for example" he said. As the blank side of the card became a map. Kari tilted her head to the side, she never thought of the Naruto world's continents being all messed up. Looks like she can't go look at where the UK should be for clues on why she was here.

"Awesome, a map... of what?" Sakura asked.

"The geographical distribution of all the candidates to take the chunin exam" Kabuto said. Kari sighed sadly. Geography had been her worst subject at school. She couldn't figure out one end of a map to another. And what's with the long words? Sure she was pretty good at English and had an inkling what they meant but still! He could have made it more simple. "The villages they come from and how many from each village." Never mind. "Why do you think the come here **together** to take the exam at the **same **time?" he asked.

"Speed dating?" Kari said sarcastically.

"Anou... Iie. _To foster friendship between nations of course_! International brotherhood and all that, it's true enough as far as it goes" Kabuto explained.

"But there's another reason" Sasuke said, appearing at Kari's other side. He dodged her reflexive punch, giving her a disbelieving look. One that clearly said '_You're a ninja you pathetic baboon, don't let your guard down_.' And yes, just for the record, Sasuke did indeed once call Naruto a _pathetic baboon_ in Kari's presence.

"I thought you were with Ino!" Kari hissed. Sasuke shot her a nasty glare.

"Yeah, you see this way they can carefully regulate the total number of shinobi that are in each village therefore maintaining the balance of power" Kabuto said in answer to Sasuke's comment.

"Oh yeah, balance of power" Naruto said nodding. Kari smirked. Her fox brother didn't have the foggiest what they were talking about.

"Balance of power, big deal, what a drag" Shikamaru said in his typical lazy manner. Kabuto retracted his chakra from the card.

"If the balance isn't maintained, one nation could end up with many more shinobi than it's neighbours and be tempted to attack them. So they try to maintain the status quo. Makes sense I suppose" Kabuto said with a shrug.

"Do those cards of yours have any info on the candidates _individually_?" Sasuke asked. Kari shot him a look. Who was the Uchiha interested in?

"They might, you have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked.

"I might" Sasuke replied.

"Well I can't promise my information is accurate, but I got something on just about everyone, including you guys of course. Except… you" he said, pointing at Kari. She tensed then forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly interesting" She said, shoving the topic aside. Kabuto gave her a deep stare, sort of creeping her out. He turned back to Sasuke.

"So which one is it, tell me anything you know about them, a description, where they're from, whatever, anything at all."

"He's Subaku no Gaara and Rock Lee of Konohakagure" Sasuke said. Kari automatically searched for the two mentioned chakra signatures. Both were with their teams. Lee and TenTen were discussing something, while Neji was watching the other participants. Feeling Kari's gaze he looked round at her, the message in his eyes clear.

_Stay alert. Be careful. Trust __**no one**__._

"Man, that's no fun, you even know their names. That makes it easy" Kabuto said. He pulled out two cards. "Ok, first up is Rock Lee, looks like he's about a year older than you guys, mission experience 11 C ranks and 20 D ranks. His squad leader is Gai and in the last 12 months his Taijutsu has radically improved. But his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year he got a lot of attention as a genin, but for some reason he chose not to participate in the Chunin exam. This will be his first time as a candidate same as you guys. His team mates are TenTen and Hyuuga Neji" Kabuto said.

"Oro? Hyuuga?" Naruto said, the name seeming familiar. Kari smiled at Hinata, who seemed a little tense at the mention of Neji's name. Kari knew she was quite scared of him and she had good reason to be. If a calm Neji was ruthless and scary, Kami forbid what an enraged Neji would be like.

"Ok, now for Subaku no Gaara. Mission experience 8 D-Ranks and get this **1 B-rank** as a genin. There's not a lot more information on this guy. He was a rookie from another land, but there is this. He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him" Kabuto said.

"The dude's done a B-Rank as a genin and he's never even been injured?" Shikamaru said surprised.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Naruto cried, as Kabuto once again brought out the map.

"Konohagakure no sato, Sunagakure no sato, Amegakure no sato, Kusagakure no sato, Takigakure no sato, Otogakure no sato, by the looks of it they've all sent exceptionally gifted candidates this time around. Of course the Oto, the Sound village, is pretty small. It sprung up recently and no one knows anything about it. These guys are a mystery, well you get the point all the competition is going to be intense this year."

"So it would seem it's almost enough to make you lose your confidence" Hinata said sadly.

"It's a fine time to start talking like that--Eep!" Ino cried, Kari's murderous making the Yamanaka feel as though her stomach had just fallen out of her.

"D'you really think it's gonna be tougher this time?" Sakura asked, oblivious to the scene going on behind her.

"Oh yeah, in the four years I've been coming I've never seen a crop of candidates with this much potential before. We've got our work cut out for us" Kabuto said. Naruto was shaking, his eyes on the ground.

"Hey don't worry Naruto we'll be fine" Sakura reassured, mistaking Naruto's excitement for fear. After a moment of tense silence, Naruto exploded.

"**MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO!"** Naruto screeched at the top of his lungs, making Kari duck and cling to the back of Kiba's jacket. Then, just as she thought it was over, Naruto made things a hell of a lot worse. He turned and pointed at his best friend grinning."**AND THIS HERE IS MY BEST FRIEND KARI-CHAN! AND WE'RE GONNA BEAT EVERY ONE OF YA! DATTEBAYO!**"

"**HEY! WHAT'S THAT BAKA TRYNA DO, GET US KILLED!? TELL YOUR **_**BOYFRIEND**_** TO KEEP HIS BIG FAT TRAP SHUT!**" Ino shouted at Sakura.

"**WHO'S BOYFRIEND!?"** Sakura screeched.

"**OH I FORGOT YOU CAN'T GET ONE**!"

"**WHAT DID YOU SAY!**?"

"**YEAH! I FEEL A LOT BETTER NOW**!" Naruto cried stretching. Sasuke smirked at Naruto's stupidity and Kari's horrified expression. Had he been the type to, he would have laughed.

"Er… could you say that again a lil louder didn't quite catch it" Kiba said sarcastically. Kari jumped on his back, her hands slamming over his mouth.

"**DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!**" Kari hissed.

"You moron are you trying to get everybody in the place to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru said, motioning to the other ninja, all glaring intensely at the little rookies.

**"NARUTO YOU JACKASS!! WHY'D YOU GO AND SAY SOMETHIN LIKE THAT YOU OBNOXIOUS LIL**-" Sakura hollered pulling him into a headlock and strangling him. She then happened to notice the shinobi glaring at her. "Oh. Konnichiha minna, don't mind him, sometimes he says these things he doesn't really mean, he just got to… let 'em out. He's got this er… _condition_ ya know, kinda a psychological thing, he really should be on medication" Sakura said awkwardly, she turned back to Naruto and resumed screaming at him. "**NOW YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE NARUTO?! YOU'VE HURT EVERYBODY'S FEELINGS! THEY THINK YOU DON'T RESPECT THEM! BUT THAT ISN'T TRUE **_**IS IT**_** NARUTO!?**"

On reflex, Kari immediately grabbed a kunai. Her eyes darted through the crowd, her ears straining through the fabric. She caught sight of three ninja moving in a way to attack in the direction she was in. Two boys, one girl. A little older than them, the boys smelt rather metallic, and one was heavier on their feet than the others. Her eyes locked onto them and caught the music note engraved onto each of their headbands. Unsure of their motives, she decided to wait, but keep her kunai ready.

"**WOULD YOU FOR **_**ONCE**_** IN YOUR LIFE THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, THINK ABOUT THE **_**REST**_** OF US**!" Sakura cried still having a go at Naruto.

"Fine" Naruto said annoyed. Kari's eyes caught the movement of one of the male sound nin's arms. At the sound of scraping metal, her eyes sharpened to see two kunai heading straight for them. She through her kunai immediately, hitting both off target, which judging by their angle was directed at Kabuto. Now alert, the rookies saw the other sound male appear in front of Kabuto, aiming a punch at him. Kabuto dodged but Kari could feel waves radiating from his attack through the air. _Heat waves?_

Kari gasped as a high pitched ringing entered her ears, it seemed to echo and grow louder and louder with each passing second. She grimaced and slammed her hands over her hidden ears. Kabuto's glasses cracked.

"Oh I get it so it was that kind of attack" Kabuto said.

"Hang on… I saw it all, he dodged the attack. How did that happen?" Sasuke murmured, he looked accusingly at Kari, who was still clutching her throbbing ears. She looked at him and shook her head, trying to explain it wasn't just how it looked. But she didn't open her mouth in fears she would throw up. "What's wrong with you?" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"It must have come closer than it looked KEH! Look at him acting like it was nothing real tough guy" Shikamaru said. Kabuto then fell to his knees and threw up.

"Nani?! Did he just-?" Naruto cried confused.

"Kabuto what's wrong? What is it?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Hey Kabuto?" Naruto said he and Sakura running over. Kari wanted to tell them not to, but she was holding her head together, the splitting headache she had was cracking her skull.

"Are you ok?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah I'm fine" Kabuto said.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked.

"Not such a tough guy after all I guess but maybe that's why he's on his seventh try" said one of the boys. His hair reminded Kari of Kakashi's somewhat, only brown. He had a cocky air to him. The other looked like a hunchback, fur tied to his back. His whole face was covered in bandages except for one eye. "Put this on your little card punk. The genin from Otogakure will be chunin when this is over, guaranteed."

A cloud of smoke appeared scaring the life out of Kari and making Kita jump. It cleared to reveal a man and several other ninja.

"**ALL RIGHT YOU BABY-FACED DEGENERATES PIPE DOWN AND LISTEN UP!**" The man's face was scarred, his eyes cold and hard. His smirk was rather scary, it was far from friendly. "Its time to begin. I'm Morino Ibiki, your proctor, and from this moment on, _your __**worst enemy**_."


	31. First's The Worst

**A/N:** We're finally on to the Chunin exams! Thank you again for the reviews so far, I've got a fanart piece lined up so keep an eye out for it! Sorry for the late update - when your accident prone, you're pretty stuffed.

* * *

**First is the Worst**

_She looked down and the paper full of scribbles and tried to make sense of it,_

_Yup, she was completely doomed._

* * *

"First, you over there, from the Otogakure! **KNOCK IT OFF WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD FIGHT!**" the man boomed making Kari jump. "You want to be failed before we've even begun?!"

"Gomen, it's our first time. Guess we were a little jumpy, _Sir_" the boy with the fur on his back said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Ibiki smirked.

"Listen up! I'll say this **once** so listen up! There will be **NO** combat between candidates, no attacking each other without the permission of your proctor and _even then_ the use of fatal force is **strictly** prohibited and anyone who even_** thinks**_ of messing with me will be disqualified **immediately.** Got it?"

"Hn no fatal force? That's no fun" the other sound boy scoffed. Kari glared at him, _Well aren't __**you**__ hard…_

"Now, if we're ready we'll proceed to the first stage of the chunin exam. Hand over your paperwork. In return you'll each be given a number; this number determines where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you are all seated" Ibiki explained.

"Oro? Nani? Did he say... _written_?" Naruto said, his eyes falling on a chunin holding a stack of papers. "**IIE!! NOT A **_**WRITTEN**_** TEST! NO WAY!**" Naruto screamed. Kari was thinking the exact same thing with a large amount of vulgar words mixed in. She hadn't attended one single class on the theory side of being a shinobi, practical – she might just be ok, but writing about stuff she doesn't know… She's doomed.

Kari accepted her number as the butterflies grew larger in her stomach. What the hell was she thinking? Why hadn't Kakashi taught her about what happens in writing, she had thought it was like the army!

Kari's head fell as a cloud of depression swept over, a slight nuzzle of her hand surprised her. There, an angel in white fur; sat her baby Kita-ko. Just knowing she wasn't alone made her feel a whole lot better. But if only Kita was taught at ninja school… just as Kari's depression was about to return, a light bulb dinged above her head.

_The amazingly smart translator little voice!_

She breathed a sigh of relief, slumping in her chair. She should be ok! If the voice decided to answer her, which it would because it was nice, **right?**

But what if it didn't?

**SHIMATTAAAA!!**

Kari mentally slapped herself and pulled herself together. She decided to distract her frantically worried (and doomed) mind by searching for her team-mates. Almost immediately she caught sight of bright blonde spikes and a flash of orange and knew she'd found Naruto. He was seated near the front and next to him was none other than _Hinata_. Kari squeaked and pulled Kita into a crushing hug. _They were talking! _Kari held in a squeal but accidentally squeaked again in joy. Her ears twitched under the ribbon, trying to catch their conversation.

"_Na-Naruto-kun, I just…wanted to say… Good luck on the test"_

Kari's eyes watered as she bit her bottom lip against another squeal.

'_Wooooah! I didn't even notice her! Even when she's there, it's like she's not there'._

Kari's head met the desk with a loud painful sounding **THUNK.** That's exactly what Naruto would be thinking, baka, baka, **BAKA** boy!

Glumly resuming her search of her team-mates, Kari noticed a flash of bubblegum pink diagonally up and across a few rows, which could only be Sakura. She was smirking smugly down at Naruto, feeling superior due to her high intelligence. Feeling stupid just looking at her, Kari looked round in hopes of finding Sasuke. As luck would have it, he was sitting directly in front of her. If she got bored she could always poke him…

"Hey, are you feeling alright?"

Kari looked round to meet golden eyes, _gorgeous_ golden eyes. They were slightly hidden behind violet bangs but shone through regardless. Kari blinked stupidly. He must be the heart throb of err… she looked up to see a Sound headband. With a muffled groan her head hit the table again.

_Why did he have to be from Oto? Why from the land of pricks?!_

"You know, your going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that" the boy chuckled.

_She must look like such an idiot…_

"Written tests aren't really my forte" Kari said managing an awkward smile.

"I guess you really need the luck I was going to give you then?" he said smiling.

_Ohh Kari turning to goo…_

"I guess so…" she said, her smile becoming strained, her eyebrow twitching. She turned away to avoid further embarrassment only to be met with a pair of muddy brown eyes leering at her. "Anou, Hi?" she said, feeling more embarrassed than she thought possible.

"Hey baby."

Kari's eye twitched violently. Oooh she was so gonna smash up his face and—

"Everybody eyes front! There are a few rules you need to be aware of and I won't answer any questions, so you better pay attention the first time around!"

Fearing her eye would develop a permanent twitch, Kari followed Ibiki's order. He turned and began to write on the blackboard behind him.

"All right, rule number one is this... the written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system, contrary to what some of you might be used to. You all begin the test with the perfect score of **ten** points. **One** point will be deducted for every question you get wrong, so if you miss three your final score will be seven. Rule number two... teams will pass or fail on the **total** **score** of _**all members.**_"

Kari tensed, feeling a bead of sweat slide down her brow. She could feel Sasuke's and Sakura's murderous glares on the back of her neck. _**Doomed, Doomed, DOOMED!**_

There was a bang heard of something hitting wood. It turned out to be Sakura banging her head on the table.

"You two know each other?" The violet haired boy asked with a smirk. Kari laughed awkwardly.

"What makes you say that, huh?"

"**NANI?! WAIT A SECOND YOU'RE SAYING WE ALL GET SCORED, AS A **_**TEAM**_**!?**" Sakura screeched. Kari felt another bead of sweat roll down the side of her face, she wiped it with the back of her hand.

_She'd be fine… Sakura was a female Einstein, Sasuke was smart, Naruto… Well if all else failed, at least Naruto would be there to share the others wrath._

"**SILENCE**! I have my reasons so shut up and listen! Rule number three... the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully and rule out any signs of cheating and for every incident they spot they will subtract **two** points from the culprits score. Be warned their eyes are _**extremely**_ sharp and if they catch you five times they'll dismiss you before the tests are even scored. Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't _**deserve**_ to be here" Ibiki said. "If you want to be considered **shinobi** then show us what _exceptional_ shinobi you can be. One more thing, if any candidate should get **a **_**zero**_and fail the test... then **the **_**entire**_** team ****fails.**"

…Kari **doomed**…

"The final question will not be given out until 15 minutes before the end of the testing period. You'll have one hour total. **BEGIN**!" he cried.

Right ichi... Decipher a code... Anou... ni…?

_Line B in the diagram indicates the predictory of a shuriken thrown at enemy C, thrown by ninja A, seated at the top of a tree seven metres tall. Describe and formulate the projectory required if C were positioned at points D, E and F also predict the furthest possible range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer. _

**W.T.F?**

Trigonometry? No Pythagoras? No it must be Trigonometry because there must be an angle involved to figure out the throw. But don't shuriken's arch? Or do they throw straight? Doesn't it depend on the strength and skill of the person though and… _what?_

_There's no way there's a straight answer to this! _

Surprisingly enough, Kari was actually pretty good at Maths back home. She was in the highest sets (though was definitely not the smartest in the class) but trigonometry wasn't her strong point at all. Soh-cah-toa and magic triangles were a load of gobbledegook to her. She was better with sequences or algebra. Come to think of it, she couldn't figure out what projectory meant.

She barely held back from smacking her head on the table for the third time.

If she got a headache she would scream, if she screamed, everyone would find her insane and she'd get chucked out of the exam along with Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, **THEN** she would scream a hell of a lot more. It hurt just to think about their rage… She looked longingly at the back of her team-mate's head.

_Geez… Sasuke help me will ya?_

_**Heh, bet Kari's smacking her head on the table about now. Baka has no chance.**_

_OI! Who you calling a baka, usuratonkashi!_

_**I would have thought that was obvious arei!**_

_Well excuuuuse me Sasuke-hime!_

_**Wait. Are you actually in my head?**_

_Noooo! Ya don't say! Who's the baka now huh— Wait a sec, I'm actually talking to you through your mind like I do with Kita? What the—? Ha! I can find out your deepest darkest secrets! Haha! Hahahaha! Muahaha—_

_**Kari. What. The. Fuck?**_

_I forgot you could hear that. That didn't happen. Anyway, what's up with this test! It's like… BAH!_

_**What are you a sheep? And figure it out on your own like I did! It's your own fault if your stupid.**_

_We're being marked as a team baka._

_**Fine. Look at the questions, most ninja at our level couldn't possibly hope to answer these questions. I can't even begin to understand them.**_

_The great Sasuke doesn't know something… Anyway, what's your point?_

_**Ugh. Bloody stupid team—Right, you can't hope to answer them yourself, only a select few in here can. The sentinels around the room checking for any sign of cheating, they make a bigger deal about cheating than the test itself! As well as that, only two points are deducted for every time you're caught, when normally you'd be thrown out straight away. Remember what the proctor said 'Anyone fool enough to be **__**caught**__** cheating doesn't deserve to be here'. He didn't say you couldn't cheat, he said you couldn't get caught. They **__**want**__** us to cheat. They're testing us on our skills of gathering information.**_

_Sasuke, I __love__ you._

_**Don't you **__**ever**__** say that to me again.**_

_Alright, thanks Sasu._

_**Don't call me that.**_

Kari smirked and thought to herself.

_So they want us to cheat? How am I going to go about this…? What are other people doing?_

Kari's senses shot to full alert. Akamaru was barking the answers to Kiba, looking round from the top of Kiba's head. Catching her look, Kiba smirked at her. He pointed to his test and gave her the thumbs up. Catching his drift she nodded. He had been asking if she'd figured it out. Shino was using his bugs, Kari could hear one buzzing somewhere below her. Sakura was writing furiously, making Kari once again feel rather stupid compared to her. A burst of chakra shot in Sakura's direction, it felt like that Ino girl. Kari shrugged, shaking it off as weird. Then she caught sight of poor, hopeless Naruto, stressing away. Hinata whispered something to him, seeming to want to help. Kari couldn't hear because the brown eyed boy to her left was clicking his tongue in boredom.

Suddenly a kunai shot past Naruto and onto the table behind him.

"W-what was that all about!?" the boy whom it landed in front of cried.

"Five strikes and you're out. You just failed the test" the chunin said.

"Nani! It can't be!"

"You and your team mates fail. Leave the room immediately" the three of them left.

"Candidate number 23, fail! Numbers 27 and 43 fail!" More people were failing as the test went on, adding to the tension. Kari sensed Neji's Byakugan and Sasuke activate his Sharingan. She shivered; the dojutsu's giving her tingles. _Eyes! That's it! _

Kari looked around and noticed the guy in front of Sasuke writing feverishly.

**Bingo.**

He paused and Kari could just about make out the answer to number four under his arm, her eyes focused on that point and the writing immediately sharpened.

"Shi… is eight" Kari murmured to herself, jotting the answer down. She jumped out her skin, smacking her knee on the desk when Sasuke's voice boomed into her mind.

_**Kari.**_

_Kuso! Nani?!_

_**Naruto's stressing out, can you get through to him?**_

_I've only got one answer so far!_

_**Ones enough to pass baka! Try and contact the dobe!**_

'_Try and contact the dobe', you make it sound like Naruto's dead and I'm a creepy psychic lady!_

_**You'll**__** be dead if we fail! Now get on with it!**_

_Sheesh. Fine. Shut up then. Naruto-kuuuun, yo Naru—_

_**I'M GONNA FAIL! I'M GONNA FAIL! I'M GONNA FAIL! SASUKE AND SAKURA WILL KILL ME AND I'LL LET KARI DOWN AND KAKASHI-SENSEI WILL BE SO DISAPPOINTED AND-AND-AND—**_

_**Get through?**_

_Kari can't hear you. She's __DEAF__! Naruto's screaming full volume, my ears are ringing…_

* * *

"Number 59, you fail. Numbers 33 and 9 fail" Kari's eyes narrowed, if her memory was correct, it was around the thirteenth team to be failed. She finished writing the answer to number seven. She'd filled in two, three, four, five and seven. With only a few minutes left she figured that would do. The Kankuro guy on Gaara's team left to _'use the can'_ with a weird sentinel. She had tried to get through to Naruto again, but only had a throbbing headache to show for it.

"Number 41, FAIL! Numbers 35 and 62 fail"

Kari blinked seeing the brown eyed boy beside her stand up, he sighed and walked out but not before winking at her. Kari shuddered and Kita growled.

"Before I give you the tenth question there are some more rules that you need to be aware of..." Ibiki said, startling everyone. Kankuro walked back in. Kari's eyes scanned the sentinel carefully. She detected no life force, no breathing, and no heartbeat. That sentinal was a fake, a puppet. She could sense strings made of chakra. "Ah... made it just in time I hope you found your trip to the bathroom _enlightening_. Well... take your seat. These rules are unique to question ten, listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you... Very well then, rule number one, each of you is free to chose not to be given the final question, it's your decision."

"WOAH! So what's the catch?! What if we decide not to do it what happens then?!" Temari cried.

"If you chose not to take the tenth question regardless to your answers of the other nine you'll get a zero, in other words you fail and that of course means both your team mates fail as well" mutters spread through the room such as 'of course we'll take it then' "Not so fast you didn't let me finish if you do accept the question but answer it incorrectly... you will not only fail... **YOU WILL BE BARRED FROM TAKING THE CHUUNIN EXAM EVER AGAIN**!" Ibiki hollered, causing Kari's knee to meet the table once more. Kita had the look of a deer caught in headlights, scared by the frightening proctor and her mother's peculiar behaviour.

"**HEY THAT'S BULL MAN!** That's ridiculous! What kind of bogus rule's that!? There's loadsa people here who've taken the test before!" Kiba shouted, Akamaru barking in agreement. Ibiki chuckled.

"I guess you're just... _unlucky..._ I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you don't _want_ to take it... you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, then by all means skip it, you can come back and try again next year... Now if you're ready. The tenth and final question, those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go" Ibiki said. Kari looked worriedly at Naruto. His dream was at stake – _had you ever heard of a genin Hokage_? Well, Kari didn't actually know, but she thought it unlikely. But she knew him well enough to know he'd **never** give up and he would hate it if they gave up now... The person next to Naruto raised his hand. He and his team left.

"Number 50 fail! Number 130 number 110 that means you're out too!" More and more people raised there hands. _Chicken shit's..._ Then Sakura started to raise her hand. Kari looked at her wide eyed trying to dissuade her, but then the unthinkable happened. Naruto raised a shaking hand. Kari's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. _Naruto wasn't a quitter he would never— _There was a deafening bang as Naruto's hand slammed down on the table.

"**DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME! I DON'T QUIT AND I DON'T RUN! YOU CAN ACT TOUGH ALL YOU WANT YOU GUYS AREN'T GONNA SCARE ME OFF NO WAY! **I don't care if I **DO** get stuck as a genin for the rest of my life! **I'LL STILL BE HOKAGE SOMEDAY**!" Naruto hollered.

"**THAT'S MY TEAM MATE!**" Kari cheered, pumping her fist in the air. Naruto looked round at her grinning.

"This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance" Ibiki said.

"No way, I **never** go back on my word that's the way of the ninja" Naruto said stubbornly.

"Well then, I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do and that's for me to tell you... That you've all passed the first exam!" Ibiki cried.

_Eh? Wha? But-? Question-? He was-? Nani?!_

"**HOLD ON, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? WHAT D'YOU MEAN WE **_**PASSED**_**!? WHERE'S THE 10th QUESTION**!?" Sakura cried. Kari sighed placing a hand to her forehead. They passed and she was asking _why_? Honestly… Ibiki smiled and then laughed. Kari shuddered. That was creepy…

"There never was one! Not a written one at least! Your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question!" he cried… _happily_. Geez, was this guy bipolar or what?

"Wait a second, so the other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time?! That's what you're saying!" Temari cried.

"Iie, Iie not at all! Quite the opposite, the first nine questions had an important overriding purpose, to test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most adverse circumstances" Ibiki replied. Why the long words? Gather information is so much easier to say.

"Oh well that clears up everything" Temari said sarcastically.

"Let me explain. My objective was not only to test you individually, but as a team and how well you function as a **part** of that team. That's why the test was scored on a _team basis_ so you'd know that everything you did or failed to do would directly affect your team mates. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure" Ibiki explained.

"Mhm I figured it was something like that, that's why I kept my cool" Naruto said. Does screaming about how you're gonna fail in your heads count as keeping your cool? He had no idea the whole time… But you got to admire him for his bravery.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult" Ibiki said. _No shit sherlock_. "In fact, as you may have realised, **too** difficult for any genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that many of you quickly came to that conclusion.,that you'd have to **cheat** if you wanted any chance of passing. The fact is, the test was designed to _**encourage **_cheating, it almost **demanded** it. Of course, it would have done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from. I had two chunin also take the exam."

"**HAHAHA! C'MON I WASN'T FOOLED FOR A SECOND! YOU'D HAVE TO BE A COMPLETE BAKA NOT TO SEE IT RIGHT HINATA?**" Naruto cried. Kari was torn by the urge to laugh at Naruto referring to himself as a baka, and the pure cuteness of the fact he actually spoke to Hinata. Kari bundled Kita into her arms and hugged her tight. Kita had taken a nap through the whole thing.

"Those who got caught failed, better not to cheat then cheat clumsily. Information is the most powerful weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine weather a mission is a failure or a success. There'll be times you have to risk your life to get it" Ibiki said taking off his hitai-ate. Kari inwardly cringed at the mess of scars and puncture wounds covering his head. _The pain he must have gone through…_

"Man what a mess, scars and puncture wounds, burn marks… What he must have endured…" Sasuke said, echoing Kari's thoughts.

"Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. That of an enemy is not always accurate, always bare this in mind. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all, it can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate information. Cheat to survive, and that's why those who weren't good enough at it got weeded out" Ibiki said.

"OK but I'm still not getting what the whole tenth question thing's all about" Temari said.

"You're not? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam surely you see that?" Ibiki said.

"Sure… But explain it anyway" Sakura said.

"As I said before, the goal was not to test you as individuals but as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices, both difficult you could chose to play it safe and skip the question though it meant both you and your team mates could be failed, **OR** you could try and answer it, knowing if you got it wrong you would lose your chance of ever being chunin. It was a no win situation, but just the sort chunin have to face nearly every day. For example, let me give you a hypothetical question; To steal a document from an enemy stronghold, you have no idea how many ninja the enemy has or how heavily armed they are. Furthermore you have reason to believe the enemy expect you and you may very well be walking blindly into a trap. Now do you have the option of taking a pass on this insane mission? Of saying me and my comrades would rather live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger? **... IIE**! There will be some missions that will seem almost suicidal if you think about it, but you do **not** think about it. You think of only the goal and of achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a chunin squad leader. Those who chose the safer of two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades' lives in jeopardy by worrying about themselves, those who would sacrifice sacred honour will never be able to call themselves chunin! At least as long as I am here! As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I've put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have been passed through the first gate. I declare this part of the chunin selection exam completed. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck" Ibiki said.

"**YOSH! I DID IT! THAT'S ONE DOWN! WOO! WOO! YEAH**!" Naruto cheered. His celebration was cut short however, when something burst through the window. "I-is this part of the test?!"

"**HEADS UP BOYS AND GIRLS! THIS IS NO TIME TO BE CELEBRATING! **I'll be your next proctor. Mitarashi Anko!" a woman cried. She reminded Kari somewhat of a female Naruto through her loudness. She had spiky dark lavender hair and light brown eyes. She wore a beige trench coat over a fishnet top and shorts, with a brown skirt over that. As she had shot in, a massive banner had appeared behind her stating: 'Proctor 2 Mitarashi Anko'. "Ready for the second test? **GOOD! LET'S GO! FOLLOW ME!**" she cried, as though she was an army general ordering troops. Her enthusiasm was quite… extraordinary.

"You're early …**again**" Ibiki said. She scowled as an awkward blush rose to her cheeks. Luckily, she found a distraction from her embarrassment.

"How many are there? Ibiki you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy! You must be going soft!" Anko cried.

"Or maybe a stronger crop of candidates this year" Ibiki said.

"Hm they sure don't look it! Trust me when I'm done with them... More than half will be eliminated" Anko said, an evil smirk finding its way onto her face.

"Huh! More than half? Really?!" Sakura cried shocked.

"Heh this is gonna be fun... All right you maggots have had it easy so far but that's _all_ gonna change starting first thing in the morning! I'll let your squad leaders know where to meet me. _Dismissed._"


	32. Capturing The Moment

**A/N**: Updates might be a bit slow due to a new internet provider and me being out filming - I'm an extra in a small film again, second one so far :D but I get terrible grades in Drama because the teachers moody and pregnant... Nevermind. 3Luna21 I'm glad Sasuke doesn't seem too OOC, but he does have his moments. WHOOP! MariFerolla who told you I love cookies?! XD Glad I keep you guessing Rosie1213! The telepathy is new to Kari, but more will be explained in later chapters :) Oh and Valinors Twilight, I checked and it already said 'Maths'. Thanks again imouto! :)

Oh and by the way, this story is **VERY** long, like a full length book. But it get's a lot better through later chapters.

* * *

**Capturing the Moment**

_Forever; it's not a word, it's a promise._

_And forever they would be together, a team, friends._

* * *

"That test was nasty" Kari sighed. Naruto and Kita nodded, Sakura shook her head and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So, what are we doing to celebrate?"

"Ramen!" Naruto cried automatically.

"No way" Sasuke said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Naruto turned on him furiously. How dare that_ jerk_ insult **his** precious ramen!

"Definitely not. My wallet is still burning from the first time, there won't be a second."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined, pouting at the grey haired jonin that had just appeared out of thin air. "We just **passed** the first exam! Do you have any idea how _**hard**_ it was?!"

"I do, and I'm still not buying you ramen." Kakashi said simply. "What do the rest of you want?"

"Hn."

"I don't mind, but I'm on a diet."

"Ice-cream and pocky!"

"**YEAH**! Let's get pocky!" Naruto agreed, oblivious to the funny looks he and Kari got from their team-mates.

"Ninja need a balanced diet. Naruto you can't live on sweet red bean soup, ramen and pocky. Kari, you need to gain a few pounds and not from sweets. Sasuke, you need more vitamins. Sakura, you're not on a diet, and if you are, you're stupid. Kita, you're an excellent wolf and looking at your coat and weight your diet is fine." Kakashi said bluntly.

"Eh! But vegetables are yucky sensei!" Naruto complained.

"Yeah! And sweets_ are_ fattening!" Kari agreed.

"How would you know?!" Sakura snapped, angry she had been caught.

"Hn."

"We'll go to a steak house" Kakashi decided, leading the way.

"I don't eat meat" Kari said stubbornly.

"Well you will now. You don't eat egg or fish so how will you get protein? Oh and Kari, **chicken** is classified as meat."

"It's **poultry**! I get protein from chicken anyway" Kari argued beside him. "I **don't** eat _mammal_."

"You're part carnivorous animal." Kakashi pointed out.

"Urusai" Kari complained. "Do you know how _uncomfortable_ it is to have your ears folded backwards?"

"It teaches you discipline. Seeing as you passed, I'll let you eat the dessert instead, this **once**" Kakashi said putting a hand on her head and smiling beneath his mask. "Now _who's_ the best sensei?"

"You are Kashi!" Kari cried, throwing her arms round his waist.

_Ha! Take that Gai! Your team may be giving her extra training, but __**I'm**__ still her favourite sensei!_

"Hey! If Kari-chan can have ice cream can I have ramen?" Naruto cried.

"No."

* * *

"I _**told you**_ we should've got ramen!" Naruto said victoriously to Kakashi. The jonin decided to ignore his loud student and search for a more private table away from the rest of the rookies and Gai. Sadly, for some odd reason, he was spotted.

"**KAKASHI!**" an unmistakable loud voice boomed.

"Gai…" Kakashi said with a reluctant wave.

"**Come join us and the other rookies! They put these tables together especially for us! I'm sure we'll find space for you and your cute students!**" Gai boomed, frantically waving. Sakura and Naruto looked disturbed and Sasuke looked disgusted. Kurenai and Asuma sent Kakashi a withered pleading look.

"Honestly, we're fi—"

"Ok Gai-sensei!" Kari called back, noticing the others pleading looks.

_Gai-__**sensei**__? I'm her __**only official**__ sensei! Gai better not be looking to steal my student, if he even __**mentions**__ the word __**transfer**__ I'll—_

"Kashi, you coming or what?" Kari asked. "You might want to get a space before you're stuck sitting next to your _rival._"

Naruto took a seat between Shikamaru and Hinata, as next to Shikamaru was Chouji, where most of the food would be. Sakura noticed Sasuke looking at a seat next to Ino and immediately sat in it leaving a fair amount of room for him on the other side (_Like she'd let Ino-pig near her man – __**CHA!**__)_. Sadly, he took a seat next to Shino, leaving Sakura between Ino and _Lee_. Kakashi sighed and looked for the seat furthest from Gai. There table had five seats on two sides then four on the other two. He noticed a seat between Chouji and Asuma and then two on Gai's other side. Kari took a seat on the other seat next to Neji leaving Kakashi with a terrible dilemma.

_Sit as far away as possible from Gai and get a chance of peace or sit next to Gai to protect Kari from his evil ways so she wouldn't join his team._

Of course, Kakashi did the best thing. He sat next to Gai, who smacked him on the shoulder in what was supposed to be a friendly way. Kakashi looked across the table to see if he could swap with anyone.

_Him, Gai, Lee, Sakura, Ino, Asuma,__** space**__, Chouji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Hinata, Kurenai, Kiba, Shino, Sasuke, TenTen, Neji and Kari._

_Nope._

The food arrived at Kari got some funny looks for her ice cream. She shrugged and grinned then wrestled Kiba when he stole her spoon and held it out of reach. She got it back by jumping on him and snatching it out of his hand. She then put the spoon in her mouth and only took it out to scoop up more ice cream.

"Your diet is terrible you know" Neji pointed out.

"Want some?" Kari offered holding a lump of creamy goodness on a spoon for him. He shook his head as though such a thing would cost him his dignity. Naruto immediately took Neji's denied offer though, allowing Kari to shove it in his mouth before it melted.

"**NAGH! Brainfreeeeze!**" Naruto cried, his hands over his nose while Kari giggled away.

"Baka's, you just shared saliva" Sasuke stated disgusted. They both shrugged and Kari gave her spoon a good long lick in sarcasm.

"Not enforcing a healthy diet on your students… It's a good job _**I'm **_training Kari-hime too" Gai said. Kakashi inwardly snorted. _As if she'd change her diet just because __**Gai**__ told her to. She wouldn't eat healthily if Kami-sama himself tied her to a chair and tried to spoon feed her._

"I'll leave her eating habits to you then" Kakashi said coolly, his exterior never changing.

"Hey! I like what I eat!" Kari complained. Kakashi inwardly sniggered. _Kashi wins!_

"But don't you want to be in peak condition like Lee?" Gai said, motioning to his star student.

"Lee-kun** bought **me ice cream" Kari said simply. _Ding! Kashi wins again!_

"**LEE!** **You're setting a bad example**!" Gai shouted.

"It was Neji sensei!" Lee cried.

"**Why didn't you **_**stop**_** him**?!"

"Gomen sensei!"

"Give her a break, she hasn't had any problems so far" Kurenai sighed.

"**DEMO--**!!"

"She's fine when she's training with me"

Kakashi almost fell off his chair, but being the ultra-cool rather blank person he was, he held it in and kept his calm appearance. _Did she ever stop training?_

"Kurenai's teaching you?" Kakashi asked. Seeing the perfect moment, Kari whipped out Shino's sunglasses.

"Of course! Kurenai-sensei's great!" Kari said happily, the glasses gleaming.

"Geez, am I the only one not training her?" Asuma sighed.

"Looks like it, come on sensei! I could use another girl around!" Ino cried.

"No way! She's my team-mate Ino-pig!"

"**GUYS!**" Kari cried. "I'm officially part of team 7; I train with some other people to catch up on my skills. I love you _**all**_!"

"But Kari-chan loves _me_ mostest!" Naruto cried.

"Baka, 'mostest' isn't a word" Sasuke scoffed.

"Is too! Kari-chan back me up here!"

"If it can be said and written, so it's a word" Kari said simply.

"**SEE!"**

"You know what? Gai can take you _**both**_!"

"**NO!**" Kakashi cried, slightly breaking out of his lazy, emotionless demeanour. "You are a **team** and are **going to be a team** _forever_!"

* * *

"Why do we have to take this again?" Sasuke grumbled as the impatient old man clicked his tongue.

"Kari and Kita are a part of this team now too, something Tazuna said in the wave country about memories forever captured… It was inspiring. So we'll take a few so we can get a decent one this time. At least try to smile, _**Sasuke, Naruto**_…" Kakashi explained, removing Kari's ribbon. She pouted but accepted his promise he would give it back afterwards. She untied Kiba's jacket from round her waist and stretched her aching tail and twitched her sore ears. Then she removed Shino's glasses.

"Alright kids… Smile." The photographer said unenthusiastically.

Kari threw an arm round both Naruto and Sasuke choking them as Kita jumped on Sakura's head, the pink kunoichi having been crouching in front of them. Kakashi was almost knocked over in the jumble.

The next picture was of Sasuke shouting at Kari, Naruto shouting at Sasuke, Sakura shouting at Naruto, Kakashi with his palm on his forehead and Kari flashing a peace sign and a large grin with Kita in one arm.

The next was of Kari looking sheepishly innocent, while the other three genin were red in the face from increased shouting. Kakashi was side on looking exasperated.

"I want a good photo team. One I can keep. Your full-fleged ninja, so **act** like it. _**Kari**_" Kakashi said. They took a few reasonable pictures, then Kakashi gave them permission to let loose and have fun so he could remember them as kids, and possibly make fun of them when they were older.

So that's what they did.

Naruto and Kari were captured being childish, yet full of life. Huge smiles (except for one where they stuck their tongues out at Sasuke's back) and lots of energy and dare the photographer say _youthfulness._ He himself was especially proud of one moment he captured where Naruto had picked her up and swung her round, the both of them laughing as Kita ran round them in circles jumping around trying to paw Kari's hand.

There were some adorable pictures of Kita, most of which she was near Kari. The photographer proudly believed he had captured their relationship; there were some emotional shots of pure adoration where Kita and Kari were shot together, one of which, Kita lay in Kari's arms as though she was a baby in the arms of her mother. _Ironic much?_

Naruto and Sasuke were stupid enough to argue with the photographer around, so together they were caught just glaring at each other, or with Naruto shouting at Sasuke while the Uchiha angilly ignored him.

Kari tried to get Kakashi to take off his mask in a picture with her, but he simply refused. So she decided to 'show his softer side' and got the photographer to take a picture of Kakashi being hugged. Of course, their typical personal greeting of Kakashi placing a hand on her head and making her ears twitch was caught. Then the sensei got in a few more shots with his students, figuring if there was a mature adult in the photograph, they'd just look more stupid.

Sakura tries to get a decent picture of her and Sasuke (_to rub in Ino-pig's face CHA_!) but he was refusing to cooperate. He looked away, snatched his arm out of her grasp, glared at her and was being full out rude. Thus, Super-Kari to the rescue! She grabbed Sasuke's other arm allowing Sakura to get her pictures. Sasuke just stared horrified at Kari pretending to be a complete whore (she was copying Sakura) the both of them making Sasuke seem like a right pimp. Kari couldn't stand more than a few pictures of this and fell over laughing uncontrollably. Sasuke stomped off until Kari found herself able to breathe again, then she followed and jumped on his back in an attempt to stop him leaving. She failed miserably though when he simply hoisted her up a bit and piggybacked her along with him.

"Kari-chan! You forgot your jacket!" Naruto cried, picking up the black zip-up hoodie that was once Kiba's and the white ribbon she used to hide her ears and chased after them.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!" Sakura cried, following after Naruto.

"Thank you for your time." Kakashi said to the photographer.

"It's good. I'll deliver your photos in the next few days" the photographer said, placing his lens protector back on. Kakashi was about to turn away when the photographer spoke again. "Ya know, that blonde kid was pretty photographic, she looked pretty good in the shots" Kakashi looked round surprised. "If she ever needs a job in the future let me know, I've got some contacts." With that the photographer walked off.

Kakashi thought carefully about the photographers words. _Kari as a model, hm? That's a rather terrifying thought…_ He chuckled softly, shaking his head. His little student could only be a ninja; she'd get too irritated and bored just being photographed all the time. Besides, wherever she goes, Kita isn't usually far behind.

"**SASUKE-TEME! DON'T DROP HER!!**" Naruto's voice screeched in the direction they'd all run off in. Kakashi sighed and decided to go to the rescue.

_He didn't get paid enough…_

* * *

"What do you mean you're organising a _team bonding night_?" Sasuke grumbled.

"Well, you're marked as a team and the other teams seem closer than you. So you're sleeping over at Naruto's again to bond through the night – in a _sensible_ way. When I walked in on you last time and you were all curled up together… You seemed like team-mates." Kakashi said as Kari aww-ed at how sweet he sounded. "I'll be taking Kita again in case a fight breaks out and she learns some inappropriate words. Have fun."

_Cue: Kakashi poof out._

_Cue: Kari shrieks about puppy-napping and it only being the afternoon._

_Cue: Sasuke finds her tail underneath Kiba's jacket and starts dragging her in the direction of Naruto's dinky apartment._

* * *

"This is stupid."

"You're stupid."

"Let's play a game!"

"No."

"Okay! Sakura pick a game!"

"I don't know – Sasuke-kun can choose!"

"No. It's stupid."

"You're stupid."

"I think I established before that Sasuke was stupid."

"Sasuke-kun is more intelligent than the both of you combined!"

"**Hey!**"

"I find that insulting."

"Ah gomen Sasuke-kun!"

"Wait a minute" Sasuke said. His dark eyes fell on Kari who was curiously rooting through Naruto's cupboards, finding nothing but ramen, ramen, ramen, milk and ramen. "I think we should question Kari."

"Eh? What'd I do n—**OW!**" Kari cried smacking her head on the cupboard shelf.

"About the other teams. What are you doing with them?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"I'm having sex with Kiba-kun and Neji-kun _obviously_" Kari said sarcastically, her mood turning sour after the collision with that stupid piece of wood.

"**NANI NO FAKKU**!?" Naruto shrieked falling off his chair and onto the hard floor with a painful sounding bang, which made Sakura cringe. "**IIE! WATASHIWOKINJIRU KOTO**!" Naruto hollered through a heavy nosebleed. Kari calmly wet a cloth and walked over to Naruto; she bent down and started cleaning his face. While Naruto screeched over and over again '_I forbid it_!' Kari giggled and shook her head.

"It was sarcasm Naru-kun, there's nothing to forbid." Naruto gave her a stern look that made her giggle even more. "I'm only training with them honest. Well, your nose doesn't seem to be broken; you were just having naughty thoughts weren't you?"

"Naruto you're sick!" Sakura cried in disgust.

"I'm sure you've had your own dirty fantasies Sakura-chan" Kari teased her eyes flicking to Sasuke.

"**URUSAI!**" Sakura cried as her face flushed in a way that Hinata would be proud.

"Can't you train with us? Why do you need to go to other teams?" Sasuke said scowling.

"Jealousy is a sin! Well its technically envy, but there the same" Kari mused while Sasuke scoffed. "I learn different things with them; they helped me find my own style and what I'm good and bad at."

"What do you learn with Rock Lee and Inuzuka?" Sasuke demanded.

"Geez, they just help with the basics" Kari said simply.

"And what's your own style and what are you good at? We might need it later on in the exam" Sasuke said while Naruto and Sakura looked at her interested.

"Well, since you're my team-mates… In Neji-kun's words—"

"Hyuuga? That guy who asked my name?" Sasuke asked.

"And who you were rude to! He could so kick your ass! Just like Lee-kun! In fact, _**I'M**_ gonna kick your sorry ass for being such a bitchy person to them—EH? Naruto-kun! You can't take his side!" Kari cried as Naruto pushed her over and sat on her back.

"I'm not! I just want to know what you're good at!" Naruto said with a large grin.

"How about you three go first, I've only seen you guys fight in sparring, training and on the _Naruto bridge._" Naruto beamed in remembrance of the large bridge named after him.

"Well Kari-chan—" Naruto said proudly as he puffed out his chest (squishing her slightly). But he was interrupted by an impatient Sasuke.

"Naruto has a large amount of stamina and chakra, as well as determination and stupidity. His best technique is the Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu – The multi-shadow clone jutsu. He lacks in intelligence. Sakura is smart-" Sakura grinned at being complimented. "-but largely lacks in physical strength." Her head fell in depression. "I excel in fire jutsu, am above average in physical and mental strength and have my Sharingan." Kari resisted the urge to shout her thoughts: _arrogance, arrogance, arrogance, Sasuke!_ "Now your turn."

"Apparently, I'm good in offensive Taijutsu and the few Ninjutsu techniques I learnt turned out pretty well. My defence… is _beyond _crap. I have a knack for using certain weaponry, mostly kunai and katana. Shuriken always end up cutting me, so I rarely use them. I have pretty high stamina too and am pretty fast." Kari said straining her mind to remember anything else she might have been told. _KARI-HIME! YOU DANCE LIKE A MEGAMI! You have the grace of a butterfly. _Lee and Shino said she was graceful, but she's clumsy so she can't imagine it. "I'm pretty thick on the whole ninja stuff because I'm still new to it."

"I see" Sasuke said thoughtfully, his eyes piercing her soul. She shuddered mentally as tingles went up her spine. "In that case you should use your speed for your defence." Kari went floppy underneath Naruto. _Every one already told her that… But she's not the fastest person and what if she gets caught out! And she's not overly flexible like a rubber person._

"Oh! Naru-kun! Can you teach me Tajuu kage bunshin?" Kari asked suddenly.

"Sure Kari-chan, though they won't be as good as mine! They are my special technique after all!" Naruto said grinning.

"Dobe, don't be so arrogant."

"_**YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!**_" Naruto and Kari hollered simultaneously, accusing fingers pointed at the Uchiha's face.

"You two spend way too much time together…" Sasuke said rolling his eyes while Sakura looked on in confusion.

"We don't spend _**enough**_ time together!"

"Let's go train. Kari I'll show you some fire jutsu's they might come in useful." Sasuke said finishing the argument and standing to leave. He was far from impressed that Kari had been training with other teams; she was part of_ their_ team, no one else's. He was going to see if she could produce fire jutsu, due to their high temperature and difficulty to control it would be a decent challenge for her…

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, what do you think the second exam is?" Sakura asked, hoping to strike up conversation. She had been absolutely mortified when Kari accused her of having '_fantasies_'. Seriously, they were only in her head.

"Hn." Sasuke replied cool as ever. Naruto was babbling on making Kari confused. However, on her first attempt she created a flawless shadow clone. Sasuke was surprised to say the least. _No one picks things up that fast…_ The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke and the two idiots cheered at their success. Sasuke closed his eyes and breathed heavily through his nose. _An idiotic girl with talent._ Still, it was only one. Naruto could produce ten easily.

"Alright Sasuke! Let's go burn things up!" Kari cried excitedly. He must be insane… Teaching a fire jutsu to a pyromaniac…

"You have to draw right from the bottom of your stomach, expand your chest to its full capacity, than exhale." Sasuke explained. Kari nodded, staring intently.

She completed the hand signs in quick succession, her hands moving fluidly.

"TORA! Katon: Goukakkyuu no jutsu!" her chest expanded (Sasuke meant lungs…) and she breathed out. She managed a ball the size of Sasuke's fist. She coughed and a tongue of flame exited her mouth. "Whoa… that feels weird, my tongues tingling…" she said spitting out her tongue and going cross-eyed, trying to see if it's burnt. Sasuke smirked. It wasn't bad for a first try, and it showed she was compatible with fire techniques. But still, compared to his version. It was pathetic.

"You have to mean it more. Think of something that makes you angry or determined. Then use that to—"

"**KUAH! THAT'S RIGHT YOU OKAAFAKKU! I'M GONNA **_**BURN**_** YOUR ASS**!" Kari screeched, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes burning.

"Put that into the jutsu, not your screeching." Sasuke said impatiently.

"**HAI!**" she shouted as she performed the necessary hand-signs. "**KATON! GOUKAKKYUU NO JUTSU!!**" Sasuke jumped out the way as a huge jet of flame shot from her mouth. It was more like a horizontal blast of flame, like when he used his Katon: Ryuuka no jutsu, but at least twenty times bigger. But she didn't need to wire to support and guide the flame. However, it didn't turn into a ball like it was supposed to, it just stayed as a massive jet of flame. He could tell she was trying to curve it into a ball because it was twisting round almost like a hurricane of fire. Luckily, she ran out of steam before she set the entire training ground on fire and coughed in the smoke, trying to fan it away with her hands. Sasuke shook his head seeing her blackened face and burnt cheeks. It was just like when he was young. He'd have to make up some of his mother's cream to sooth those burns.

"Unghh…" Kari mumbled feeling dizzy on her feet. It was so unbelievably hot, her throat was sore, her mouth was dry, her tongue felt to large for her mouth, and her skin was tingling as though she was being lightly prodded by sharp needles. She swayed back but Sasuke steadied her.

"I think you got a bit carried away…" Sasuke mumbled, looking at the burnt grass and blackened trees. His eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, look at me again."

"Huh? Someone's awfully vain" Kari mumbled, looking up at him.

"It's nothing." Sasuke said. The orange of the flames had made her eyes appear a warm amber. But they were their normal, difficult, green, grey, blue mix.

"Kari-chan!" a voice squeaked to their left. Naruto and Sakura looked gob smacked. Kari grinned and waved.

"We'll meet you back at Naruto's, she needs some cream on her burns." Sasuke said, pulling her arm over his shoulder. Kari grumbled about his height, being half lifted off the ground. Sasuke grumbled about her height and motioned for her to get on his back.

"Ah! Sasuke-kun is such a gentlemen!" Sakura cooed.

"He was being pretty harsh to her taking the pee out of her height and all" Naruto pointed out.

"Unlike you Naruto!" Sakura snapped.

"Nani?! I'd never tease Kari-chan!"

"Ugh! Baka I was talking about the fact he's such… never mind, let's go."

* * *

"What is this stuff?" Kari asked as cold goo was rubbed onto her cheek.

"It's a cream my mother used to make for when I was training with fire jutsu. When I was a kid she showed me how to make it in case I needed it and she was out." Sasuke said.

"She was pretty smart then" Kari said, trying not to feel guilty. Sasuke would see it as pity and refuse to speak to her.

"Yeah, she was a nice person…" Sasuke said, more to himself than her. Kari smiled; Sasuke spoke with such affection when he said that, he must have truly loved her. "Oi, what's with the mushy look?" Kari glared at him.

"Am I not allowed to smile now?"

"I told you to stay still, and keep your mouth closed, it doesn't taste nice." He said, rubbing cream onto her other cheek. "Your hairs in the way." Kari held her long blonde locks out the way of the stickiness. She could just imagine how Sasuke could do that to his kids—Aww! Little Sasuke's would be adorable. Little _pink haired_ Sasuke's hmm… "Kari, just stop thinking." He said, deciding he didn't want to know why her eyes were gleaming as she was smiling mischievously. He put the special plasters over her cheeks, making her look like a strange relative of Kiba's.

"Ah arigatou!" Kari said touching the plaster and realising he was done. "I think it's stuck you don't need to hold it anymore." Sasuke retracted his hand as though it had been burnt. He'd been in a daze, confused at how her skin felt so soft.

"You look like a little kid" Sasuke commented, picking up the medical supplies and putting them away. Kari decided to help, but it was in vain seeing as she couldn't reach the top shelf. Sasuke took the box from her and placed it neatly on the shelf. She turned round and looked up at him.

"…I'll grow" she said awkwardly, realising he was a good few inches taller than her, so their was no point shouting how she wasn't that small. He placed his hand on her head and she scowled at him, though with her it always seemed more like a pout. He smirked, finally realising how small she was and how amusing it was that he could look down at her. She twitched her ears and her face brightened. "With the ears I'm taller than you!" she cried happily.

"Actually, even with these" he rubbed her right ear making her scowl more as she blushed and automatically leaned into his hand. "I'm still an inch taller."

"Dude! That's the hair!" Kari complained.

"Still makes me taller Chiisai-Kari-chan"

"Urusai ijiwaru na! I'm not little!" she whined lightly pounding her fists on the 'meanie's' chest her cheeks a deep ruby.

"You're not blushing because you're crushing on me are you?" he said suddenly scowling.

"Iie! I've seen _Neji-kun_ with his shirt off, you can't beat that eye candy!" Kari said. She blushed darker thinking of what she said. Oh sweet mother of Kami that was sugary sweet eye-candy. TenTen agreed, so it's not just her! "Oh and Naru-kun's adorableness beats yours anyday" Sasuke rose an eyebrow. "But I don't really… like-like anyone to be honest. YOU! You must like someone for bringing it up!"

"Baka, of course not." Sasuke said rolling his eyes.

"If it's a guy I won't judge you!"

"As I'm not gay, _**IF**_ I liked someone, which I don't, you would judge."

"Would not! And '_If' _means maybe!"

"'_Maybe_' means yes **or** no, in this case it means no." Sasuke said finishing the argument.

"If I give up will you piggyback me to Naruto's?" Kari asked.

"Iie, you can walk by yourself. Now come on."

* * *

"Konoha looks so peaceful round sunset" Kari mused. She had left her ribbon and hitai-ate round her neck to let her ears relax. Kiba's black jacket was tied round her shoulders like a cape so she could stretch her tail.

"Hn." Sasuke said uninterested. Kari grumbled about his ignorance and glared at him.

_"Dude, look at that girl!"_

_"Thats not a girl, it's got dog ears!"_

"And a tail!"

"What a freak!"

"Hey! Hey FREAK! Shouldn't you be in a kennel!"

Embarrassed Kari tied the ribbon and hitai-ate over her ears which she hastily folded. She then tied Kiba's jacket round her waist as the young boys chanted '_Freak! Freak! Freak!_' at the top of their lungs. She told hereself to ignore it, theat Naruto had to deal witht his every day of his life. But it was easier when naruto was there, he distracted her an dmade her laugh, made her feel better '_Freak! Freak! Freak!_' don't they care that it hurts to be called that? **'_FREAK! FREAK! FREAK!_**'

"Oi." Kari jumped at the sound of Sasuke's voice. He had a rock in his hand so she guessed they'd tried to throw it at her. Sasuke's eyes blared Sharingan "Beat it" he growled, crushing the rock to dust in his hand. Being little kids, they ran for their sweet lives. "Baka, don't let them get to you" Sasuke scoffed continuing on his way. Kari weakly nodded, ashamed she had gotten upset over something so stupid. "Baka" Sasuke mumbled once more, as he grabbed hold of her wrist and dragged her along.

Even though it was rude, even though it was unnecessary, even though it was _Sasuke_.

It made her feel a whole lot better.

* * *

"Aww Kari-chan looks kawaii!" Naruto said poking her cheek. She threw herself on him hugging him tightly. "Eh? Ne, kari-chan you're not sick are you?!" Naruto cried worriedly, wondering why she was acting strange. She smiled and shook her head but was interrupted by a yawn.

"We should get a good night's sleep for tomorrow." Kari said lying down on Naruto's bed. Sasuke took the space next to her against the wall (much to Sakura's dismay) and Naruto snuggled up on Kari's other side. Left with no choice, Sakura lay beside Naruto, a possibly sleepless night awaiting her.

However, on the contrary, they were asleep within minutes.


	33. Two Minutes of Konoha Fame

**A/N:** I didn't know whether to post this chapter seeing as it's more of a filler in the anime, but Kita chasing the box made me giggle :D also, Sasuke, naruto and Sakura never properly introduced themselves to Kari, so I was just making sure she knew more about them. The 100 review fanart should be along soon, I'll put a link on my profile when it's done :) Glad you all enjoyed the fluffy chapter last time!

* * *

**Two Minutes of Konoha Fame**

_Looking at their eager little faces, pens at the ready _

_Naruto knew this was a chance to shine,_

_To OUT-shine Sasuke._

* * *

At around two in the morning Kari suddenly awoke. It was dark, yet with her unique eyes she could see perfectly fine. She stretched slightly, having been sleeping curled up. She carefully got herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes as she yawned.

_My time is limited Kari._

Bah! She was groggy so early! True she was a night owl, but all the stress from the exam wore her out. She smiled and raised a brow looking around her, it seemed like her team-mates were tired too. She managed to manoeuvre herself out of the tangle of arms and legs, though Naruto was firmly clinging to her waist and grumbling about '_stupid Sasuke-teme's kidnapping his Kari-chan's away into the big bad forest_' she held in a giggle, suspecting he was dreaming about the ending of their team photo shoot. She noticed he looked incredibly handsome with his bangs falling onto his face and wondered how any girl could find him even the slightest bit unattractive. She placed a hand on his cheek and gently whispered to him.

"Go teach Sasu-teme a lesson Naru-kun" she said smiling. She gently kissed his forehead as she slid out his arms. He smiled goofily in his sleep and mumbled something along the lines of '_Yeah, kick Sasu-teme's butt_' Kari shook her head at Naruto calling Sasuke 'Sasu', who speaking of which, seemed to be having a bit of a nightmare. He was gritting his teeth, his fist clenched around the pillow, his breathing laboured and a bead of sweat was rolling down his face.

"_No… Stop it…"_

"It's just a dream Sasu-kun, nothing can hurt you" she whispered softly, stroking his bangs out of his face. She was concerned; this was the first nightmare she'd been awake to see. He looked so… vulnerable.

"_I hate being alone…"_

"You're not alone, you've got Naruto, me, Kakashi, Kita, Sakura. We're here for you" Kari soothed, running her fingers through his silky raven hair. She didn't know how a guy could have such wonderfully soft smooth hair, but then again, it is the perfect Sasuke after all.

"_She's all I have… Don't take her away…_"

"Sakura would never leave you Sasuke" Kari said gently. "She loves you."

"_No… don't hurt her… I'll avenge everyone… Okaasan… Otousan… Nande?"_

"Go back to sleep Sasuke-kun, you've got to be awake for tomorrow" Kari said softly, her eyes shining with worry. Sasuke seemed defenceless and she felt such an overwhelming urge to protect him while he was in this state. She wanted to hold him until he fell into a peaceful sleep, away from these horrid nightmares that plagued him. _Kami-sama was she getting broody?!_ She started to move away but was startled when something grabbed her wrist.

"_Don't leave me"_ Sasuke begged, his eyes opening a fraction, revealing a line of white. It freaked Kari out when people did that, but he wasn't doing it on purpose.

"I won't Sasuke" Kari reassured him, while trying to find a way out of his tight grip.

"_Promise me you won't leave me_" his voice becoming desperate. She truly hated seeing him so vulnerable, this wasn't the strong, stoic Sasuke she knew! Was this what he held inside? A frightened little boy? Wait – If Sasuke ever found out she even _thought_ that he'd strangle her… But it still upset her to see him like this.

"I promise Sasuke, I'll never leave you" she said softly laying back down and wrapping her arms round him.

"Ungh… Again? Kari what the hell?" Sasuke grumbled, his brows furrowing and his eyes squinting as they opened tiredly. "Get off baka…"

"**Y**—" Naruto shifted behind her, reminding her that he and Sakura were still asleep. Furiously, she glared at him with embarrassment, knowing full well he couldn't see it but unable to care less. "Go to sleep Sasuke" she huffed, turning her back on him. She heard him shift slightly behind her and jumped out of her skin when he wrapped an arm around her.

"I know you wouldn't, but it's good to know."

"Eh?" Kari said surprised. She turned herself round in his hold, only to find him already asleep. _Come on! No one falls asleep that fast!_ She smiled and prepared to close her eyes.

_I'm waiting._

_**KUSO!**_

* * *

"Gomen! I fell asleep again!" Kari lied, bowing in apology. The man before her observed her with gleaming Sharingan eyes before turning and walking off into the forest. Kari huffily noted all damn Uchiha's were the same before hurrying after him.

"Have you been practicing fire techniques?" Itachi questioned, his eyes focused on her face. She gently touched her plasters, remembering the training earlier.

"Ah, hai!" Kari said, thinking of her moment as a dragon. "Demo, my control was a little off."

"It's unsurprising, Goukakkyuu no jutsu is typically an Uchiha technique. You were bound to have trouble. Besides, you don't seem to me like a fire type."

"I guess" Kari shrugged, ignoring the fact Itachi sounded like he was talking about Poke'mon.

"What about your other Ninjutsu?" Itachi asked, Kari becoming used to his emotionless ways.

"Well, I can do a Suiryuu, I saw it in the Nami country. Why, are you teaching me ninjutsu today?" Kari asked eagerly. Ninjutsu was the most interesting to her, though she wasn't particularly a prodigy in the field.

"I suppose."

* * *

Kari coughed out a tongue of flame before falling on her rear. She was tired. Very, very tired. But she'd learnt an awful lot that would be sure to come in handy.

"Arigatou Itachi-sensei…" Kari said through her ragged breaths. She didn't know what he thought, he didn't stop to praise, but he did criticize a fair bit. She'd hoped she had impressed him a little. "Wish me luck, ne?"

"Good luck in the exam, it will be a lot harder from here on. Remember, trust _no one._"

"I know."

"Hardly, you accepted training from me though I was a suspicious stranger."

"Hai sensei. 'Night 'tachi-san…"

"Good night Kari, until we meet again" and he was gone.

"So you can beat me up again, I know" Kari huffed. She fell back and looked up at the stars. They were disappearing as the sky began to lighten. So much for being well rested for the exam…

"Hikari, who are you talking to?"

"No one Gaara" Kari replied, instantly knowing the voice "Whoa!" she was startled by a rush of sand pushing her to her feet. "Thanks Gaa—" she was interrupted by a yawn, while rubbing her sore eyes.

"You should get some rest, the next exam is in a few hours" Gaara said, his eyes watchful. With chronic insomnia, Gaara never slept. When she asked why, he simply said 'it's dangerous'.

"Good luck 'kay?" Kari mumbled as she walked past him, giving him a pat on the shoulder. He watched her go, until she was out of sight.

_What a strange girl._

* * *

"Rise and shine team! You're expected at Area 44 in two hours" Kakashi said as he poofed into Naruto's room. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura jolted awake, but Kari was too sleepy to pay attention. _Three hours sleep, and no sleep yesterday…_ She reached for the covers but mistakenly grabbed Sasuke's shirt and pulled him over her.

"Baka! Get off!"

"Go away…" Kari whined, snuggling into Naruto's stomach. He chuckled and complained about it tickling him while Sasuke tried to get his shirt out of her grip so he could sit up.

"Ne! Kari-chan is so kawaii asleep!" Sakura giggled as Kari's ear twitched. She let go of Sasuke, making him fall back into the wall and wrapped her arms round Naruto's waist as she snuggled back to sleep. She was unaffected by him stroking her ear and simply curled up to him, glad he was so warm.

"As adorable as she is, she needs to get up" Kakashi said simply.

"No she doesn't." Kari grumbled as Sakura giggled.

"Yes she does" Kakashi replied pulling her off Naruto and holding her under his arm.

"EH?! Kakashi-sensei you killed her!" Naruto screeched, pointing to a limp Kari. "**KARI-CHAN? DO YOU HEAR ME? DO ****NOT**** GO INTO THE LIGHT! REPEAT! DO ****NOT****—AAGH**!"

"Usuratonkashi, the lazy baka's just asleep" Sasuke said, smacking Naruto upside the head.

"Come on Kari-hime" Kakashi said, nudging her with his free hand. "You don't want to look a mess in front of those cute ninja boys do you?"

"Sensei, there are some things you shouldn't say and '_cute ninja boys_' is one of them" Kari sniggered, not even bothering to lift her head. "But I see your point."

* * *

Kari looked surprised at 'Area 44'. It was a huge forest surrounded by a cage. Kita was on her shoulder, Kakashi having brought her along but left her outside while they woke up. She was still sleepy, but was presentable, complete with a fair amount of kunai and her ever trusty twin katana, as well as a fair few shuriken. Even if she preferred kunai, TenTen told her it was better to have a few too many weapons than not enough. Her hitai-ate covered her ears and Kiba's jacket was round her waist over her tail. Believing the ribbon the Hokage gave her was good luck, she tied it round Kita's neck underneath the wolf's hitai-ate.

"This is creepy…" Sakura said while Kari nodded. She could hear _slithering_? And she had a really, really bad feeling about this.

"Woah nice place, what is it?!" Naruto cried, immediately making himself look stupid.

"This is the location for the second phase of the exam, it's the 44th battle training zone though we call it '_The Forest of Death'_" Anko said smirking.

"Forest of... death?" Naruto repeated. Kari was distracted by a cardboard box following them. Naruto, catching what Kari was staring at, walked forward. The box followed. Kita, amazed, chased after the box. Naruto ran. The box followed. Kita followed behind. Naruto ran around getting faster and faster, the box following closely behind, Kita on its tail. Completely oblivious to the confused stares, Naruto stopped and turned round glaring at the box, Kita jumped on top of it. He pointed at it accusingly.

"**THAT'S THE WORSE DISGUISE OF ALL TIME! THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SQUARE ROCKS! IT'S COMPLETELY OBVIOUS!**" Naruto cried. Kari blinked; it was supposed to be a rock? And... Moving rocks are perfectly normal?

"You saw through my camouflage again! You're slick boss! Just what I would expect from my greatest rival!" the '_rock_' cried. The box glowed and exploded catapulting Kita off the top of it. Kari caught her and immediately checked for damage, but to her relief, Kita was completely unharmed, just rather affronted at being thrown in the air. Three puffs of smoke came out of it. Coughing was heard and the smoke cleared to reveal three little kids.

"I think we used too much gunpowder you guys" the boy in the middle said as Kari and Kita stared nonplussed. The kids noticed Naruto looking at them (but failed to notice poor Kari-chan).

"I'm Moegi the sexiest kunoichi in pre-school check me out!" the girl cried striking a pose. She had dark eyes and bright orange hair in an extremely strange beehive style with pigtails on the very end. Kari and Kita tilted their head to the left.

"I love algebra call me Udon!" the nerdy, sleepy looking boy that seemed to have a cold said striking a different pose. Kari and Kita tilted their heads even more.

"And I'm the number one ninja in the village Konohamaru!" The last boy cried, striking yet another pose. He wore an extremely long scarf and had brown hair in a style like Iruka's. Kari was coming close to cricking her neck…

"And when we're all together were the _Konohamaru ninja squad_!" All three cried, their green pilot goggles flashing. Kari almost fell over her head was tilted so much, Sasuke pulled her upright and tapped her on the back of the head mumbling about '_baka girls_'.

"Yeah I knew it was you guys the whole time" Naruto lied. "What do you losers want? I'm getting ready to take the second part of the Chunin exam and you're interrupting me! I don't have time to be playing around with you guys now."

"We didn't come to play around boss we're on official business!" Konohamaru cried.

"Yeah that's right we came here for an exclusive interview!"

"Aha! Aha!"

"An interview huh?" Naruto said becoming interested.

"We're on an assignment to write an article for the academy's newspaper, it's a big time major story about the Chunin selection exam!" Konohamaru cried.

"So that's why we want to do an exclusive interview with you! Please tell us you're going to do it?" Moegi asked hopefully.

"It would mean a lot" Udon added.

"Yeah but right _**NOW**_?!" Naruto said annoyed.

"Hey! You over there! What are you doing? You're holding up the exams!" Anko said annoyed.

"Uh sorry but Konohamaru was telling me something about an interview for the academy newspaper" Naruto said. Anko gasped.

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about it! Hokage-sama had mentioned something about them interviewing me!" she said.

"They're... interviewing _you_?" Naruto said confused.

"**ALL RIGHT, WE'RE TAKING A TEN MINUTE BREAK! FOR THOSE WHO ARE SCHEDUELED TO BE INTERVIEWED, PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AND CURTEOUS TO THE REPORTERS FROM THE ACADEMY NEWSPAPER**!" Anko shouted.

"I thought I was the only one being interviewed!" Naruto whined as Kari giggled.

"Iie boss! But you are the most important!" Konohamaru said, trying to make him feel better.

"Oh well in that case I'll give you an interview that'll make it clear to your readers that _I'm_ the greatest ninja ever" Naruto said boastfully.

"Don't let your ego get too big, I don't want another Sasuke to deal with!" Kari said, flinging her arm around Naruto's shoulders. Kita had returned to the remains of the box and was investigating her enemy.

"Ah! And of course Kari-chan's the best kunoichi" he said grinning. "I haven't introduced you guys have I? Konohamaru this is Kari-chan my _**best**_ friend and team-mate!"

"We know boss, she's an awesome kunoichi" Konohamaru interrupted. "Hey Kari-neechan will you give us an interview?" Naruto pouted in frustration.

"Let the future Hokage go first, ne?" Kari said smiling at her idiotic fox brother. She let go of him and went to sit by Sasuke and Sakura, Kita following, content the box was completely dead. "Wake me up when it's my turn 'kay? G'night…"

"Kari, get off" Sasuke grumbled as Kari laid her head on his shoulder and Sakura glared at the oblivious blonde kunoichi. "No one falls asleep that fast…"

* * *

"Ok Boss! Tell us a bit about yourself." Konohamaru said enthusiastically.

"Ok! Dattebayo! Watashiha Uzumaki Naruto, I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei bought me from the Ichiraku noodle shop. My hobby is eating different types of ramen and comparing them and my future dream is, to be the greatest Hokage! Then everyone in the village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!"

"Aww!" Kari cooed, smiling at her little Kitsune-niisan.

"I knew you were awake…"

"Shh! Baka I'm listening!"

"None of the other genin can match any of my jutsu! Even Iruka-sensei can't help being impressed. And now that I'm in Squad Seven, I get to prove it by going on dangerous missions' everyday!"

"Tora was pretty dangerous…" Kari nodded, her cheek rubbing on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Baka, you're talking to yourself."

"SHH!"

"The other genin in Squad Seven are Kari-chan, Sasuke and Sakura-chyaaa—!" Naruto was interrupted by a rock smacking him in the back of the head.

"**DON'T. FORGET. KITA!**" Kari shrieked, jolting into an upright sitting position and pointing viciously at the orange clad ninja.

"**And Kita-chan is an awesome-ninwolf!!**" Naruto corrected himself. "But I'm the only one who shows any kind of promise; you don't need to hear about them." Naruto said happily.

"**ARROGANCE NARU-KUN!!**"

"Yeah, do it anyway, you know, for the article…." Konohamaru urged.

"Well, Kari-chan is pretty awesome. She's a kick butt kunoichi, we make an awesome team! Kita-chan helps Kari-chan out, they've got a special bond thing. Oh but Uchiha Sasuke is a real pretentious guy! All the girls, except Kari-chan, think he's cool, but they don't realise what a jerk he is! Anyway, he's always swooping in at the last minute and making me look bad, but one day, I'll show him! There's also Haruno Sakura, I'll let you in on a little secret, she's madly in love with me! She'd never admit it of course, but the coyness just makes her even cuter! 'Course Kari-chan seems a little sweet on me too" Naruto grinned.

"It didn't seem like Sakura was in love with you boss…" Konohamaru said, wiping the grin off Naruto's face.

"_Ha ha ha_, very funny Konohamaru" Naruto said sarcastically. "But trust me **she is**, but anyway, putting that aside, our squad is a well-oiled machine, that can succeed in any mission, no matter how dangerous. Of course, I wasn't always busy on dangerous missions, I still had time to teach the Hokage a thing or two. Like _**MY OIROKE NO JUTSU!**_"

"Oiroke, no jutsu? Sexy technique? What?" Kari asked tilting her head to the side.

"You don't want to know…" Sasuke and Sakura said in unison.

"You haven't seen it yet Kari-chan! Look! HENGE!" Naruto cried, transforming into a naked woman version of himself, with a few mere wisps of smoke keeping her dignity.

"**EEEH! NARU-HENTAI!!**" Kari screeched, covering Kita's eyes as Sasuke covered hers and looked away. Thank the lucky stars the interview was held a little away from the rest of the genin…

"I don't think that's appropriate…" Konohamaru said.

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"How about the first time you met me?" Konohamaru cried excitedly. "Watashiha Konohamaru and I'm the grandson of the Sandaime! That means he's the top ninja in Konoha, the Yondaime was the greatest hero this village has ever known! He protected our home from the Kyuubi and is still remembered to this day."

"Don't forget Iruka-sensei, he was the only one who was nice to me before Kari-chan came. Boy, did I drive him crazy!"

"**THE WHOLE ARTICLE CAN'T BE ABOUT YOU BOSS**!" Konohamaru shouted.

"Oh, I guess your right Konohamaru" Naruto said. "I could tell you some stories about how Sasuke screwed up!"

"We already heard them boss! Can't you talk about anyone but you?" Konohamaru cried.

"I bet Naruto's just talking about himself over there to those kids. I bet he doesn't even mention us" Sakura said annoyed. Kari grinned, praising her hidden ears. She loved her enhanced senses. She stretched and leaned back on to Sasuke.

"Hn that would be just like him. Like hell are you going back to sleep" Sasuke grumbled, the Uchiha glare coming into play. Annoyed with his shifting, Kari smacked his leg with her tail.

"Neechan! Can I have an interview?" Moegi asked hopefully.

"After you let Sakura, she needs to vent" Kari said grinning. "Sasuke! Stop fidgeting! Naruto is so much more comfortable!" Kari complained as Kita watched Sakura prepare herself for a speech. She was flopped across Kari's stomach as a Kita-blanket. Naruto came over and Kari laid against him, finding him much more comfortable than the tense ice cube she was glaring at.

"Tell us about Haruno Sakura! She and Kari-neechan are kunoichi; they have what it takes to be a top female ninja!" Moegi cried as Sasuke and Kari were having a battle of glares.

"Moegi if you want to know the truth about Naruto talk to _me._ I'll tell you about his different ninjutsu without all his bragging. First, there's his Oiroke no jutsu, as you've just seen" Sakura grimaced in disgust. "Then there's Kage Bunshin's, who can handle that many Naruto's? There's also his Harem jutsu… But most of the time, Naruto is just being _Naruto,_ which is **not** a good thing. There's also Kari and Kita, Kari's quite new to the team and is quite inexperienced, but she's got a lot of guts and is a really good person. It's great to have a girl to talk to about things! But what I _really_ want to talk about is the number one rookie Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

"Oi oi, Sakura's talking about you lover-boy!" Kari teased, nudging Sasuke in the ribs with her elbow. Her eyebrows wiggled suggestively and she smirked evilly. Sasuke gave her the grandmother of all glares, but the girl wasn't the slightest bit phased. She was too busy sniggering at Sakura's enthusiasm.

"Not only did he graduate as the academy's top student, but he's also the most _popular_ guy in class! He can even hold his own with Kakashi-sensei."

"Huh? Hey! That's no fair! I want to spar with Kashi!" Kari cried, glaring accusingly at Sasuke.

"I mean he's _**so cool!**_ Oh my! I think I'm gonna faint!" Sakura squealed as Kari dissolved into fits of laughter, oblivious to Sasuke's icy glares.

"Your tribute to the _great Sasuke-kun _is putting everyone to sleep Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, he looked round at Kari to see her giggling madly with the occasional hiccough. "And I think Kari-chan's gonna pass out…"

"Quiet Naruto!" Sakura cried, smacking him on the head. "Let me tell you about our sense, Hatake Kakashi, also known as the 'Copy ninja'. He uses his Sharingan eye to assess the enemy's techniques and then copies them in an instant; he's copied over a thousand jutsu! But he's always reading his dumb book and whenever he's supposed to meet us early in the morning, he's always late. He only told us where the second exam was two hours before we had to be there! Plus, like everyone else, Naruto really gets on his nerves. But the biggest mystery of all is his _face_. Hidden under that mask, I wonder that he looks like…"

"Kashi is drop dead gorgeous of course!" Kari said matter-of-factly flashing a peace sign, a large grin on her face. "Seriously, I can't imagine him ugly!"

"I wonder why does only his left eye have the Sharingan power? I thought it was an inherited trait exclusive to the Uchiha clan. There are plenty of other ninjutsu other ninja can use, well in fact, there's so many different types and styles I don't have the time to explain them all in this short interview."

"Boy Sasuke, you're the coolest, when I look at you, I feel like I'm looking at my future self." Udon said with a giggle as he readied his pen. "Do you mind if I geta few quotes for our article?"

"Well, I guess I better set the record straight" Sasuke said, ignoring the look Kari gave him of pure sarcasm. "If you listen to Naruto your article will be more fairytale than truth, and I wouldn't put it past Kari."

"**HEY**!"

"Oh no you don't _Sasuke_! They came here to interview _**me**_not _**you**_!" Naruto cried.

"They came here to interview **everyone** _loser_, there are other ninja here you know, _dattebayo_" Sasuke said sarcastically.

"**OI! DON'T TAKE THE PEE OUTTA NARUTO-KUN!**" Kari cried in her friend's defence.

"Yeah! And the article's about me!"

"Nobody cares about you Naruto" Sasuke said irritated. With a dramatic gasp, Kari threw her arms around Naruto, announcing that she cared, whilst trying to burn holes into Sasuke with her eyes. "All you do is goof off and get in trouble; you'll never be a _**real ninja.**_"

"_**Oh yeah?!"**_

"Yeah! Don't you remember anything?! Who's name did they ask?"

"Th-they asked Kari-chan's too!" Naruto cried.

"Because she looks odd, because she's different" Sasuke said, while a fuming Kari was held back by a protective Sakura. So the wolf girl just used verbal threats of how '_Lee and Neji are gonna kick your ass and TenTen's gonna stick kunai in places you didn't even know existed!_' "Anyway, the studen'ts taking the chunin exams are all highly skilled and every one of them is considered to be the cream of the crop, except Naruto."

"HEY!" Naruto complained.

"**SASUKE**!" Kari growled as Sakura struggled to hold her back.

"Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba with Akamaru and Aburame Shino. Each one of them is talented in their own unique way, but I'm still better than all of them combined—GAH!" Sasuke was interrupted by something extremely hard crashing down on his skull.

"**Kari**!" Sakura screamed. "**Don't hit Sasuke-kun**!"

"You arrogant, self-obsessed, obnoxious, usuratonkashi!" Kari hissed, gripping her sheathed katana tightly. She was lucky she didn't crack it the way she smacked Sasuke round the head with it. "Seeing as I trained with team 8 I _know_ they're good! I'm sure Asuma's team is too! Now pull that stick out your ass you jerk!"

"Sasuke-kun is not a jerk!"

"You tell him Kari-chan. Seriously Sasuke you got your ass kicked by Rock lee because you're _better_ than him? Yeah right! Admit it, even you screw up from time to time." Naruto said.

"I'm gonna screw you up if you don't watch it Naruto"

"GO FOR IT! Let's settle this once and for all!"

"No! There will be no _screwing_ until you're of age!" Kari said, strapping her katana back to its sash.

"Guys, Kari, cool it. We already passed the first chunin exam and we're about to enter the forest of death for the second phase. I don't know what's waiting for us in there but no matter what lies ahead we won't be afraid. And we'll pass the exam to become chunin! Kakashi-sensei taught us to work as a team, nothing can break that bond, right guys?" Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan!" Kari cried, hugging her in delight. "We'd be so screwed without you!"

"Kari-neechan! Before we go can you give us an interview? Pleeeease?" Konohamaru asked.

"Ok, well the others have explained practically everything so this should be pretty short. Watashiha Kari and this is Kita-ko. On my team is the number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja, Uzumaki Naruto. He's the future greatest Hokage and a really cool guy. He's the fighting spirit, the confidence of the team, the one who never gives up and makes us feel stronger. Also there's Haruno Sakura, the brains of the team. A little word of advice, don't get between her and her Sasuke-kun. But besides that she can be a really nice person. Then there's the _great Uchiha Sasuke_, also known as 'the one with attitude' or among the female population as the smexy lil heart throb. Except for me and Hinata of course. He is a pretty good fighter, I'll give him that. Kashi even though he isn't with us, is our sensei. Sakura told you all about him, so I won't waste your time. I got loads of friends here who are all gonna do great and I can't wait to see them after the Chunin exams. It's gonna be toug,h there's lots of competition but we'll all do great." Kari said smiling.

"Arigatou Kari-neehime!" Konohamaru cried.

"You were so modest! You didn't say what a great kunoichi you are!" Moegi cried.

"I'm really not as good as you think" Kari said awkwardly, a lush creeping onto her cheeks.

"We really want to thank all of you, that was a great interview!" Moegi cried.

"Yeah thanks!" Udon agreed.

"Knock 'em dead on the chunin exam boss! You too Kari-neehime!" Konohamaru cried. With a last wave they ran off.

"**ALRIGHT**!" Anko cried. "**BREAK'S OVER SO GET READY, THE SECOND EXAM IS SOON TO BEGIN!**"


	34. The Forest Of Death

**A/N**: Buggah! Stupid Camera and stupid photoshop D: Fanart will be a little later than planned. I am such an insomniac, went to bed at 6am in the morning the other day :( OH! Watch Ju on: The Grudge 1 & 2 in japanese its so much better than the english version! I **LOVE** Toshio-Neko :)

Anyway, the first of the chapters you've been waiting for...

* * *

**The Forest of Death**

_When that creature looked directly at her,_

_With a sadistic smirk across its face_

_Her heart froze inside her chest._

* * *

Kari's ears twitched as she picked up sounds from within the forest. The rustle of leaves, the flap of bird wings, _slithering_ of something large... Kita could sense Kari's uneasiness and whined softly. She missed talking, but she only really talked to Kari, and they still had telepathy.

"This whole place just completely creeps me out" Sakura said (again). Kari was glad Sakura couldn't hear as well as she could, the sound of hissing was giving her the creeps. Anko chuckled.

"They should, they call it the forest of death remember? And soon enough you're gonna find out why" she said smirking. You know that feeling when you're being watched intently? Your every move observed? Kari had that feeling. It was as though she had been stripped naked. She felt cold and clammy, her stomach tying in knots. Naruto huffed and put his hands on his hips, then he started wiggling his backside.

"_They call it the forest of death and soon enough you're gonna find out whyyy_" Naruto mocked. "Do your worst you're not gonna scare me away! **I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING**!" Naruto cried smiling confidently. If Kari wasn't freaked out by unknown eyes watching her, she would have laughed.

"So looks like we got ourselves a tough guy" Anko said with a smirk. Naruto winced as a kunai sliced his cheek. Anko appeared behind him. "You tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid are you?" Anko said softly holding a kunai to his throat. "Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest…"

"Kari" Sasuke warned, hearing a low growl emit from her throat. Her eyes flashed a gleaming red, her pupils thinning to slits. Anko's eyes widened as her grip loosened slightly.

_Those eyes… What is that kid?_

Anko was distracted by a long tongue sliding over her shoulder with her discarded kunai. The _thing_ had long dark hair, its face shadowed by a large straw hat.

I was just returning your kunai" it said the voice sending chills through the blonde kunoichi. Kari was confused over the sex; it had a masculine aura, but seemed to be female.

"Why thank you grass ninja" Anko said smiling. Kari flinched as she caught sight of wide, dark, eyes. They were filled with cruelty and greed. "Ya know, I only recommend you stand this close behind me... if you wish to meet a premature end" Anko said taking her kunai.

"My pardon, just the sight of blood and your knife slicing through my hair... I'm afraid that I just became a little excited... I meant you no harm" the grass-nin said, its tongue returning to its mouth as it smirked.

"Likewise" Anko said as the ninja began to walk away. Kari picked up Kita who had been hovering at her side, Kari felt terribly uneasy and wanted Kita as close as possible. Sasuke could sense the change in her behaviour and was watching her curiously. Naruto was sticking out his tongue to see if he could make it as long as the grass-nin's while Sakura complained about how freaky it was. The grass-nin came to a stop and turned until its eyes rested on Kari's.

"Okaasan!" Kita cried in a hushed whisper as Kari clutched her heart, her ribcage constricting on her lungs, crushing her, strangling her. An extreme feeling of nausea swept through her body, she slammed her hand over her mouth as she turned and rushed away from the group of genin.

"Kari, baka, where are you going?" Sasuke said surprised.

"Ne, what's wrong with Kari?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

* * *

As Kari fell to her knees and retched, she was glad she didn't have too much breakfast. Her stomach emptied itself, and she coughed violently.

"Okaasan! Momma are you sick?" Kita cried worriedly, placing her paw on Kari's knee. Kari wasn't able to comfort her because she wretched again, her body trembling as she tried to steady her breathing. With a groan she clutched her head, splitting pain searing through her skull.

"Doushita baka?"

"Ne! Sasuke-kun! Something's wrong!" Kita cried anxiously. The Uchiha sighed and knelt beside her; he lightly nudged her shoulder but got no response. Annoyed, he shoved a little harder, but she didn't even look at him. "What's the matter with Momma Sasuke-kun?"

"I don't know" Sasuke said, pulling her hair out her face. He was glad there was no vomit in it; he seriously didn't want to touch it. He pulled her left hand away from her head, trying to get through to her "Oi Kari, pull it together". She was awfully pale, her face blank. Sasuke scowled, trying to think of something to knock sense into her. "Baka, you're upsetting Kita."

_Bingo. Motherly instincts._

"Gomen Kita, gomen, gomen" Kari apologised, pulling the wolf into her lap and holding her tightly.

"Okaasan is ok now, right?" Kita asked, looking up hopefully at Kari.

"Hai, hai, Okaasan is just tired…"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as his scowl deepened. _Something really affected her, was it a thought, what someone said?_ He helped her to her feet and she quietly walked back to the rest of the genin. Sasuke made a mental note to keep an eye on her. She wasn't the type to be phased easily; she was strong-minded and stubborn, even if she was a little soft.

_Whatever it was, it really got to her…_

* * *

"Now before we begin this test first, I have something to hand out to you all. It's just a standard consent form. Before the test, all of you are going to have to read over this form and then sign it" Anko said, holding up a stack of papers.

"What for?" Naruto asked, he had obviously noticed Kari's temporary disappearance as he was standing extremely close to her. Their arms were pressed against one another, showing they were currently at the same height (as Kari's ears were hidden).

"Some of you may not come back from this test and I have to get your consent to that risk. Otherwise it would be my responsibility" Anko said laughing. "Now I'll explain what you'll be doing in this test, here pass these out" she said giving the papers to Naruto, he took one, gave another to Kari, and then passed it on. "The first thing you need to know is that this test will test every one of your survival skills. First, I'll give you a description of the terrain in the practice field. The 44th battle training zone has 44 locked entrance gates. There are rivers and a forest inside. In the centre is a locked tower located 10km from each gate. It's in this confined area that you'll undergo the survival test. The test consists of an anything goes battle, to get your hands on these scrolls" she said holding up two scrolls. One was navy, with the kanji for 'earth' written on it, while the other was white with the kanji for 'heaven'. "You'll be fighting to get **both** a heaven scroll and an earth scroll" Anko explained. "All together, 28 teams will be taking part in this test, so half the teams will be going after the heaven scroll, while the other half will be going after the earth scroll. I'll hand over one kind of scroll to each team and that's what you'll be fighting for."

"Ok so how do we pass the test?" Sasuke asked.

"Your entire team must bring **both** a heaven **and** an earth scroll to the tower" Anko said.

"That means at the very _best_ half of us will fail, if every team is able to get both the scrolls" Sakura said.

"No one ever said it would be easy. Oh and one more thing. The test has a time limit, you must finish it within five days" Anko said.

"**FIVE DAYS OUT THERE?**!" Ino cried.

"**WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO FOR FOOD**!?" Chouji cried in horror.

"Just look around, the forest is full of things to eat. Plenty to feed all of you" Anko said, gesturing to the forest behind her. Kari felt the nausea come back, she had a sensitive stomach, if she _really_ didn't like it, she chucked it up. If it was _slimy_, she definitely chucked it up. Maybe she could try eating leaves…

"Yeah but that's not all. There are man eating beasts and poisonous plants in there" Kabuto said.

"That means in these circumstances... there are no way half the teams will pass the test" Neji said, while Kari gave him a depressed look. Maybe she could survive off the ramen smell of Naruto's jacket…

"With the days getting longer and the nights getting shorter, there will be less time to sleep and less time to recover. It is a challenge indeed!" Lee cried enthusiastically. Kari's depression became even worse… She was going to have such insomnia…

"Completely surrounded by enemies there'll be no time to rest we'll have to keep a constant watch" Sasuke said. Kari decided that they were doing this on purpose and decided to ignore them. As long as she didn't run into a spider, she should be ok. And if she did, there is no way in seven hells that she would put it in her mouth and swallow it, even if it was dead. She shuddered and her tail fur went on end.

"Right, this test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is designed to be a gruelling test and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge" Anko said, glancing at Naruto.

"So... let's say in the exam... can we quit?" Shikamaru asked.

"Of course not! In the middle of a battle you can't just say _'sorry, I quit'_ well, I guess you could… But it's probably gonna get you killed" Anko said chuckling. "There are also some ways you can get disqualified. The first is simple, if _all_ members cannot make it to the tower with _both_ scrolls after five days. Number two, if a team loses a member or if a member becomes unable to continue. But most important _**none**_ of you absolutely _**none**_ of you may look at the contents of the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What if it just happens to flap open and you read it?" Naruto asked.

"Let me put it to you this way young man. _**You. Don't. Want. To. Know**_." Anko said grinning. "There are times when a ninja will be asked to carry secret documents. The scroll rule is to test your integrity. Ok we're done. Take your consent form and take it over in exchange for a scroll." She motioned to a shack where some Chunin were sitting. "After that, each team pick a gate and you'll be lead inside." Anko sighed. "Oh and I have one more word of advice... **JUST DON'T DIE**!"

* * *

Kari sighed to herself as she read over her form, noticing one of her team-mates she decided to bother him. "Hiding from your adoring public?" she teased, as the Uchiha glared at her.

"I see you're feeling better" he grumbled, leaning back against the rock. Kari shrugged and took his pen, signing her name. "Did you even look at that?" Sasuke said, as he looked over the form. He held his hand out for his pen which Kari reluctantly returned. "Why are your hands so damn cold?" Sasuke complained, signing his own name much neater than Kari's.

"They always are, look they're small too" she said as Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"How can you wield katana? Surely it's difficult" he said, as she pressed her palm against his and smirked at how much larger his hands were, as though her small hands were superior. It was a shame really, she knew her hands were elegant, with long slender fingers, and beautifully proportioned hands, but she knew they'd probably end up scarred and worn, rough from battle. She didn't mind though, Kari never really obsessed over vanity, it annoyed her, though she wouldn't go out in public looking scruffy.

"I have a tight grip; anyway I'm off to wish people luck." She rose to her feet "Good luck Sasuke!" she said ruffling his hair while he cursed viciously and tried to slap her arm away. She ran away as his glare became intense, figuring she didn't want more burns. Even if she had somehow healed overnight…

* * *

"Hinata-imouto!"

"Ah! Kari-neechan!" Hinata cried in surprise. She smiled warmly, though looked rather pale.

"Don't worry Imouto-chan! You've got Kiba-kun and Shino-kun—" Kari paused, whipping out her Shino sunglasses as put them on, the black glass gleaming. Hinata giggled and shook her head at her friend's antics. She should make sure to tell Kiba and Shino about it later. She was glad though, just Kari's presence had a way of encouraging her confidence and making her feel at ease.

"Hinata? Kari-chan? What you doing all the way out here?" Naruto asked, appearing out of absolutely nowhere.

"Oh! Naruto-kun I anou... I just… nothing" she said blushing.

"I am admiring the world in a darker shade" Kari said as on cue, the glasses gleamed.

"I... Oh your cut! I um..." Kari's brain (with the assistance of Shino glasses) plotted a plan. Leaving them alone under a tree… for a possible romantic moment?

"Eh Kari-chan wait up!" Naruto cried, causing her plan to crash and burn. Feeling defeated, she put her Shino glasses away for another time.

"I'll go find Kita, I'll be back" Kari said, walking off with a slight depression cloud. What she wouldn't give for Naruto to fall in love with Hinata… _**Kawaii!**_

* * *

"Be careful out there Kari, there will be plenty of hidden dangers." Neji advised, still stuck in the wolf girl's embrace. She'd been mumbling about '_five long days alone in a big bad forest_' for the last five minutes. Neji had just stared at her as he was squished, TenTen making furious motions of '_hug her back!_' until he did, which made Kari tighten her hold even more.

"Let the power of youth keep your strength up, remember all we have taught you Kari-hime!" Lee cried excitedly pulling her into a crushing embrace, Neji mentally rejoicing in his freedom.

"Don't let anyone touch you, or I'll beat them into a bloody pulp" Tenten cried, pulling Kari into a protective embrace.

"Tenten, that's hardly lady-like" Neji stated.

"We can't have our Kari-chan hurt now can we?" Tenten scolded. "Admit it Neji, if she was in hospital you'd beat the cause into the ground!"

"I know you've all got my back, I love you sensei's! Group hug!" Kari cried.

"No way am I—" Neji was cut off by Lee crushing them all together.

"Our Kari-chan, our youthful student… She's growing up so fast…"

"Lee. If you dare start to cry I'll strike you with Jyuuken so hard Tenten will have to carry you for the first two days." Neji threatened, though it was in vain as Kari ran away and waved.

"Putting her life in danger… **OUR BRAVE KARI-HIME!**"

"Lee… Don't embarrass yourself" Tenten scolded.

"Only a true man let's his feelings show! Shine Kari-hime! **Spread your wings and soar**!"

* * *

"You _**promise**_" Kari pressed, her arms folded around her beloved Kita.

"I give you my word Kari. Hinata will be fine." Shino reassured, in his stoic way.

"Yeah, I wouldn't wanna face your wrath if we didn't!" Kiba agreed; a large grin across his face. Kari pulled his hood down, "I told you to stop doing that, it's not '_cute'_ no matter how many times you say it!" Kiba complained, pulling his hood back up. Kari had thought the fur on the hood was his hair and was amazed when it fell down and revealed Kiba's short scruffy hair. She decided he looked funny and is now constantly trying to reveal his hair. He threw an arm around her and grinned. "You watch your back kay? You got Uchiha on your team after all!"

"I can handle Sasuke, you just need to know how to tick him off" Kari said grinning. "You be a good boy Akamaru-kun" Kari said, rubbing the puppy's ear. "Ja ne guys, if you die I'll never forgive you!" and with that encouraging note, Kari went in search of her team.

* * *

"All right we're gonna start handing out scrolls!" a chunin cried, pulling a curtain in front of the shack so the other teams wouldn't know who had which scroll.

"You all signed?" Kari asked as her three team-mate's nodded. Naruto was grinning excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Kari giggled and shook her head. They went into the shack and Naruto handed the forms over, in return they received a heaven scroll, which Naruto gave to Kari to keep.

"**LISTEN UP! NOW YOU ALL HAVE YOUR SCROLLS GO TO YOUR GATE AND WAIT THERE! WHEN THE GATES OPEN THE TEST IS ON**!" Anko cried.

* * *

From outside gate twelve, team seven waited impatiently for the test to begin.

"**DATTEBAYO! BRING IT ON NINJA I'LL JUST SEND IT RIGHT BACK TWICE AS HARD**!" Naruto shouted throwing punches in the air. Sakura had a clenched fist and was mentally shouting the same.

"Alright guys, we're gonna pass this right?" Kari said smirking.

"**YEAH!**" Sakura and Naruto cheered. Sasuke smirked, but didn't tear his eyes from the forest. The chunin unlocked the gate and the chain fell to the ground in a heap.

"**ALL RIGHT HEADS UP YOU MAGGOTS! THE SECOND PART OF THE TEST HAS BEGUN!**" The gates flew open and the teams shot inside. Back at gate twelve, Kakashi's squad simply walked in.

"**YOSH! HERE WE GO GUYS!**" Naruto shouted excitedly. Kari sighed, she wanted to stay as quiet as possible, she was still on edge about that grass-nin and would much rather avoid another meeting. Kari jumped violently at the sound of screaming, tightening her hold on Kita as birds shot over head away from the sound.

"I do not like this place" Sakura said shakily. Kari was too busy scanning their surroundings to give comfort. Those screams were male, of both fear and pain, and a safe distance away. Kari pulled her hitai-ate down over her face until it hung around her neck. It was better if her hearing was used to it's full potential. The muffled sounds of other creatures and other teams filled her ears, but none seeming to be a threat.

'_Kita, if we should fight I want you to hide and stay still and quiet alright? If Sakura's not taking part you can stay with her, but stay alert. Other than that, stay close to one of the team at all times. You'll be able to tell by smell if they're impostors.'_

"Oh c'mon! It's nothing to be scared of it's gonna be a piece of cake!" Naruto said, uncomfortable in the tense atmosphere. Kita looked up at Kari and nodded as she was placed o the ground. "Oh! Excuse me a second, I really gotta... y'know" Naruto said running up to a tree. Kari turned away, feeling slightly embarrassed. Sasuke too adverted his gaze through manners.

"**YEAH RIGHT**!" Sakura screeched whacking him round the head. "**WHAT IS THIS A KENNEL NOT INFRONT OF ME YOU DON'T! GO FIND A BUSH OR SOMETHING**!"

"We should be staying together…" Kari mumbled as Naruto trotted off into the greenery. Kari's ears twitched and her eyes blazed as she heard the sound of footsteps coming from where Naruto had disappeared.

"Woo that was a lot I wrote my whole name—**OOF**!" Kari turned and kicked 'Naruto in the gut, sending him tumbling into a tree.

"Hey! Kari it wasn't that bad! Don't you think that was going a lil overboard?!" Sakura cried in surprise.

"**YEAH! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ALL ABOUT**!" 'Naruto' cried.

"That's _not_ Naruto" Kari said, her voice harshly cold. Sakura was taken back. Sure, everyone was on edge, but not to this extent!

"Wheres the real Naruto!" Sasuke demanded, pulling out a kunai. Kita's hackles rose and she growled. His scent was completely different, his posture was far better than Naruto's, his stance was narrower, his aura was almost the complete opposite and his chakra capacity was far smaller than Naruto's. As well as that, there was a faint extra aura from the Kyuubi that Naruto always had. It was an obvious impostor.

"Better watch out Sakura I think they've gone crazy. Especially _her_" 'Naruto said angrily, glaring back at Kari.

"Yeah right, then what happened to that scratch you got from the examiner! I guess you didn't know the real Naruto had a cut on his cheek before the exam. And I noticed you've got your shuriken holster on your left side, Naruto's _right_ handed. But more than anything Naruto would **NEVER** speak to Kari like that" Sasuke said scathingly. "Your transformation skills are worse than Naruto's! Tell me who you are!"

"So what? You got me. I'm still gonna take your scroll!" 'Naruto' cried poofing into smoke and revealing himself as a rain-nin. "So which one of you has it?" he asked, his eyes darting between the three of us as Sakura drew a kunai. "Or do I take the three of you out!" he cried charging at them. Instinct left no time for hesitation as kari shot forward to meet him, her fist colliding with his jaw sending him flying backwards. Sasuke shot up off the ground and performed hand-signs in quick succession. "Katon! Housenka no jutsu!" The rain-nin shot to his feet and managed to dodge the balls of fire aimed at him. Kari shot out of firing range, her eyes locked on the enemy.

'_Kita! Stay with Sakura!_' Kari shot off the ground and her kunai rammed against the rain-nin's. He managed to push her away from him with her being so light and she landed on a thin branch.

"**ARGH! HEY! SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF THIS!**" Looking down, Kari saw the true Naruto all tied up, wriggling and shouting as only Naruto could.

"Naruto!" Kari cried, cutting him free with her kunai. "Are you ok?"

"Hai! I am now!" he said grinning stretching his arms. "Honestly, attacked while taking a pee, what next?" Kari smiled and shook her head, but then the sound of small explosions alerted her to the fact the the rain-nin was still there. She shot to her feet and ran in the direction of the battle in time to catch Sasuke as he fell.

"Here's where you fail, give me the scroll or you die!" the rain-nin cried, shoving Kari to the side and putting a kunai to Sasuke's neck.

"**SASUKE-KUN**!"

"**OH NO YOU DON'T**!" Naruto shouted throwing a kunai at the rain-nin. Kari back flipped out the way as Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He used his chakra to bring the kunai to his foot and kicked it at the rain-nin. Kari mentally shouted that she HAD to try that.

"**ARE YOU OK**?" Sakura cried.

"**DON'T JUST STAND THERE SAKURA! CHANCES ARE THIS GUY'S NOT ALONE! WATCH OUT! THE OTHERS COULD STRIKE ANY SECOND NOW**!" Sasuke shouted as he kicked the guy in the chest pushing him away.

"I wish! I came alone so not to arouse suspicion, my mistake" he said weakly. He jumped away as Sasuke landed beside Kari.

"Do you hear anything?" Sasuke asked, his Sharingan eyes darting around the area.

"I can hear a pretty far distance, but his team-mates aren't around" Kari answered with a sigh. Naruto ran over with Sakura and Kita following close behind. Kita jumped into her lap as Sakura's eyes scanned her precious Sasuke for injuries.

"Geez, I guess this is serious dattebayo" Naruto said as he took a seat next to Kari.

Kari nodded, a little stirred at the sight of the rain-nin being stabbed like that. She had such a strange feeling in the pit of the stomach and came over all dizzy. She wasn't phobic over blood and it didn't really bother her, but… She shuddered as the scene replayed in her mind. It made her feel… _excited_.


	35. In The Clutches Of The Snake

**A/N**: Gomen, gomen! It's been too long! This chapter was going to be longer, but I figured I'd made you wait too long as it is, so brought it out now. I was ill when writing this, I'm sorry :( but I like the ending. The next one will be interesting :D

**Disclaimer**: Naruto does NOT belong to me, he belongs to Kishi-sama. If I owned it, the Akatsuki would be comedians.

**Claimer:** Kari, Kita and everything regarding them are MINE.

**

* * *

****Clutches of the Snake**

_He smirked as he coiled himself round his prey_

_Oh they were interesting indeed._

* * *

Team seven sat huddled in a little square, trying to think of a plan. Kita lay in Kari's lap, unnerved by the strange emotion that flashed in Kari's eyes when the rain-nin was stabbed.

"That proves that we can't just trust appearances. Kari and Kita can tell by scent, but the rest of us have to come up with a way of knowing each of us is who we say we are and not some impostor using a transformation jutsu." Sasuke said. Kari's ears twitched and her eyes darted along the ground, Sasuke gave her a light nudge that went unnoticed by the others and she stopped, still on full alert.

"All right so what do we do?" Sakura asked.

"We need a password" Sasuke said.

"Hm? What kind of password?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"A secret one... known only to the four-" Kari shot him an offended look "fine **five** of us and don't trust anyone who doesn't know it... no matter what" Sasuke said.

"Ok then so what is it?" Naruto asked.

"Ok listen up 'cause I only want to say this once. The question will be... _What is the ninja song Ninki_? And the response is; _it is a good chance when a large amount of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired and has his guard down_. That's it." Sasuke said. Kari half forgot about the enemy for a moment and gave Sasuke an exasperated look. How did he expect her to remember all that when she's never heard it before?

"I got it" Sakura said with a nod.

"Can you say it one more time?" Naruto asked confused, Sakura gave him an irritated look while Kari tried to repeat the answer in her head.

"No, I said I would only say it once" Sasuke said.

"Didn't you get it all?" Sakura asked. "You're such a baka, I memorised it straight away."

"I memorised it perfectly too! I just wanted to hear it one more time to make sure I heard it right!" Naruto lied awkwardly.

"Kari, you still have the scroll?" Sasuke asked as he stood up. "Oi baka" Kari ignored him, her eyes staring focused on one point.

"Wait a minute Sasuke!" Naruto winced and held his hand to his face as a trickle of blood ran from it. "What was that?"

"**MINNA! MOVE**!" Kari shouted, shooting to her feet and grabbing Kita.

"Eh?" Naruto asked as Sakura stared at her. Kari didn't have time to repeat herself as a huge gust of wind attacked them head on. Being small and light Kari was easily thrown back, but Sasuke grabbed hold of her arm to stop her being blown away.

"A new enemy?!" Sasuke cried, shielding his face with his other arm. There was a huge bang and dust flew everywhere.

* * *

"You two go have fun somewhere else…" the grass-nin said to its comrades. The fur on Kari's tail bristled at the familiar voice as her eyes flashed. "I'll go it alone from here." Sasuke tightened his hold over Kari's mouth, feeling her body tense from next to him. He was slightly laying over her from where he dragged her beneath the bush and was desperately keeping her as still and quiet as possible. Her body was slightly shaking so he shifted more on top her to hold her still, his grip tightening round his kunai. Kita lay still and silent less than an inch from Kari's side, her eyes darting from her mother to the furrow left from the attack.

"Sakura?" Kari whispered, her eyes darting to the right. Sensing another presence, Sasuke jumped backwards out the bush holding his kunai defensively.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried. Kari mentally sighed, then turned her eyes back to the grass-nin, who to her horror, had disappeared from sight.

"Stay there! First answer the question! What is the ninja song 'Ninki'?" Sasuke said.

"Oh! It is a good chance when a large amount of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired and has his guard down." Sakura said. Sasuke glanced at Kari wanting confirmation.

"Baka, sense anything?" Kari appeared on his other side silently, making him jump.

"It's her." Kari confirmed, her eyes scanning the area, Kita trotted to her side and leapt onto her shoulder.

"Good" Sasuke sighed.

"**Oi Minnaaaa**! Daijobu ka?!" an orange clad ninja came running towards them. At once Kari growled and pulled out a kunai. Sasuke grabbed her wrist and pulled it down giving her a warning look.

'_Matte.'_

"What's the password!" Sakura cried.

"Yosh! It is a good chance when a large amount of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired and has his guard down!" Sasuke smirked and threw a kunai at the impostor while Kari shot the Uchiha a dirty look; _she had wanted to do that!_

"Nani?! Dattebayo!" the impostor cried falling to the left to avoid the kunai while Sakura gasped.

"So this time we have one that can dodge my attack!" Sasuke said.

"What are you talking about Sasuke-kun?! He just got the password right word for word!" Sakura cried.

"Exactly that's what's wrong. You really think Naruto could memorise such a long password?" Sasuke asked. "What would the real Naruto say?"

"_'Gomen, I forgot'_" Sakura said at once

"While thinking; '_Teme! What was all that about anyway?! When you said pass__**word**__ I wasn't expecting a pass-__**speech**__'_" Kari added.

"And the way he dodged my attack was different to Naruto's movements. And Kari's reaction to him made it clear it wasn't the real Naruto. Show your real self, faker!" Sasuke shouted. The impostor smirked and licked his lips.

"Aren't we the clever ones" the impostor said, revealing himself as the grass nin. "Tell me... if your team-mate was really that dim-witted... why did you come up with a password he'd never remember? And you girl, from the very beginning you could tell it wasn't your team mate, but how?"

"Kari could sense your chakra nearby and I figured out you were eavesdropping from the ground. It was meant as a trap and you stumbled right into it" Sasuke said.

"Well neither of you has dropped your guard... this promises to be very entertaining" the grass nin-licked his lips with his unnaturally long tongue. Kari's ears twitched and she looked behind her. She could sense Naruto, but he was a fair distance away. She glared at the grass-nin, searching for weakness. This guy was a bigger threat, they'd have to find Naruto later…

* * *

The grass nin pulled out a scroll causing Sakura to gasp.

"Oh? You'd _love_ to get your hands on our _earth scroll_ wouldn't you?" the grass nin asked coyly. "It would go so nicely with your _heaven scroll_..." his tongue wrapped around the scroll and he forced it into his mouth. Kari shuddered slightly in disgust as it gulped it down. "Let's begin the fight over the scrolls, by putting our lives on the line!" he pulled his bottom eyelid of his left eye down sending them plummeting into a genjutsu.

Kari's breath was ripped from her lungs as blood spurted out of her body, a crushing force pressing against her from all sides. All she could see was red light and blood flying everywhere as she was ripped apart. A kunai sped and struck her in the forehead, and she was struck back into reality, eyes wide, jaw dropped. She was trembling, her breath raspy as she tried to get a hold of herself. _Blood, blood, blood! So much blood! _Her mouth felt dry and her eyes felt moist, she felt hot, yet cold at the same time. She couldn't move, _why couldn't she move?!_ _**MOVE KARI! MOVE!!**_

"K-k-Okaasan!"

That small terrified voice sent a jolt through her heart. Looking down, trembling in her lap was Kita, her face pressed into Kari's stomach as barely audible whimpers escaped from her. Kari tried to move her shaking hands to touch her, to reassure the little wolf, but she couldn't force her shaking limbs to function. She had to protect Kita! She had to protect the others! _**I have to move! What's going on!? We can't die like this!!**_ Kari would be damned if she let that creep touch anyone she cared about!

"K-Kar-ri… S-sa-ku-ra…" Kari looked round to meet Sasuke's wide horrified eyes. Her breath hitched at his pale face, at him shaking with fear. "Y-your… ey-yes"

To Sasuke's horror, Kari's bright eyes had dulled to a grey so dark they were almost like his own. Blood left tracks down her cheeks, red tears from her heavily bloodshot eyes. Her light peachy skin, pink lips and rosy cheeks had drained of colour and she now was paler than freshly fallen snow. Her expression was indescribable, her eyes were wide like she was screaming, the rest of her face looking mildly surprised as though asking him if she was dreaming, asking him if it was real. Her ears were down and back in horror and she too was trembling. Sakura didn't even look at him; she was staring at the grass-nin silently crying.

"You're paralyzed with fear" the grass-nin teased.

'_Help me_' Kari thought desperately. _'I know you bloody things are in there! __**HELP ME**__!'_

'_**Pain.**__'_

'_Nani?!'_

'_**Use pain to counter fear!**__'_

Kari wouldn't usually trust something so vicious sounding, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. She gripped her kunai tightly and shakily pulled it closer to her. With a second thought, she managed to tip Kita off her lap and next to Sakura. She hated seeing the wolf curled up in terror, but if she didn't do something they were dead meat!

"Ka-ri!" Sasuke cried in alarm as she sank her kunai between two ribs, fresh pain flooding in waves through her body. Blood oozed steadily from her left side as she shakily pulled herself to her feet, struggling to balance. She was thoroughly shaken, but now her thoughts were clearer she could just about move. The grass-nin smirked in amusement.

"I see we have a defiant one. You have a startling amount of fierceness in those eyes." Kari growled, her long canine's bared, her eyes a deep red. "My, you are quite the demon aren't you little one?" the grass-nin began taking slow steady steps towards them as Kari brought her kunai in front of her, her hand shaking so hard she could barely hold it. Sasuke shakily pulled a kunai and managed to stand behind her. "But tell me, what are you going to do with those?" the grass-nin asked mockingly, his eyes falling on the kunai Kari and Sasuke were clutching for dear life. Sasuke gasped and Kari growled louder, her eyes burning.

"Don't worry I'll make it quick, but I don't have to tell you that do I? You've seen it with your own eyes" he chuckled as he pulled out four kunai. "I expected you to be more of a challenge... How disappointing..." with a simple flick of the wrist, he threw the kunai directly at them.

* * *

With a deep breath, Sasuke imitated Kari's earlier action but instead stabbed the kunai into his thigh, shocking his body out of its paralysis. Kari grabbed Kita and Sasuke grabbed Sakura, then Kari grabbed hold of Sasuke and dragged them all full speed into the trees. They stopped on a large branch and fell to their knees. Kari didn't give any warning; she just grabbed hold of the kunai in Sasuke's leg and yanked it out. He hissed in pain, but she ignored it, pulling out some bandages she quickly wrapped it before it became infected.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun, Kari those look deep! Daijobu?!" Sakura cried, noticing Sasuke's leg and the wound in Kari's side. Sasuke slammed a hand over the pink kunoichi's mouth, listening in case the grass-nin came back. Kari picked up Kita and stroked her to calm her down, soothing her tense muscles. Kari's ears shot up and she spun round.

"**HEBI!**" Kari shouted, pushing Sasuke and Sakura off the branch and leaping off herself. The giant snake's jaws crashed down on where they had been sitting seconds before snapping straight through it, it then twisted round the trunk of the tree and lunged at Sasuke.

"**AAAH! NO STAY AWAY**!" Sasuke screamed hysterically, pelting it with shuriken. The giant snake roared then fell limp, unmistakably dead. Sasuke landed on a branch, his breath ragged.

"Sasuke!" Kari hissed, landing next to him. "Get a grip! You need to stay calm!" she grabbed hold of his shoulders and gave him a little shake. He just stared at her in terror. "Sasuke!" she growled. "I can't do this on my own!" Sasuke didn't respond as his sharingan stared horrified over her shoulder. "**Sasuke**!" Kari cried, getting desperate. Hearing a disgusting squelching noise she looked round, following Sasuke's gaze and held in a scream. The grass-nin's head was ripping through the scales; it was coming out of the snake's side!

"I sense your fear and desperation, it's only natural..." Kari's courage began to melt away as the grass-nin slowly lifted its head, covered in a thin yellow slime. "The prey must never let down its guard not even for a moment... _**in the presence of its predator**_!" It laughed its tongue lolling out its mouth. Kari's eyes widened as her breathing quickened. That monster was looking straight at her and Sasuke! It lunged forward and swirled up the tree's trunk, from the hips down its body like a snake's, its lower half looking like rubber, like it had no bones. Sasuke screamed in terror, grabbing hold of Kari and pulling her close to him, she didn't know whether he was trying to protect her or himself, but felt as though his fear was slowly infecting her, freezing up her body and blurring her mind. She wanted to scream for someone to help her, to help all of them, _**to get this monster away from them!**_

_Kashi, Neji,__** SOMEBODY HELP ME!**_

As Kari's fear started to climax and the grass-nin made its way quickly towards them her heart pounding in her chest confusing all reason. Closing her eyes tight and grabbing hold of Sasuke's arm which was locked fearfully round her middle she tried to calm herself down, but it was no use.

_**NA-NARUTO!! SOMEBODY!!**_

Answering her prayers, the grass-nin was blocked by kunai and shuriken embedding themselves in the trunk in front of it. Her eyes warily opened and she looked up.

"Gomen Sasuke" Her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face as hope and courage bloomed in her chest, chasing away all fear. "I forgot the password."

"**NARUTO-KUN!!**" Kari hollered at the top of her lungs, her beloved kitsune-niisan standing on a branch high above them, grinning superiorly.

"Naruto you look kind of cool…" Sakura said surprised. Kari's strength and focus returned to her at the sight of Naruto and she watched the enemy as the grass-nin looked at Naruto in irritation.

"**NARUTO GET OUT OF HERE! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST! RUN! HE'S WAY ABOVE OUR LEVEL**!" Sasuke shouted. Kari was disappointed Naruto didn't give Sasuke the courage he always gave her, but focused on the grass-nin, her body ready to sprint at any given second, her hand still gripping Sasuke's arm.

"Looks like you managed to escape from that big snake _Naruto-kun_" the grass-nin said teasingly.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! _**No-one**_ picks on Kari-chan! Now that I, the great Uzumaki Naruto-sama am here, you're going to get beaten to a pulp! So you better go slithering back into that hole snake-lady before I make a pair of shoes outta ya! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted. Kari looked round at Sasuke, feeling him relax slightly, however she was startled when holding her still with one arm, he reached into her pouch and grabbed the scroll.

"Matte, I'll give you our scroll, now go and leave us in peace" Sasuke said, holding the scroll out towards the grass-nin. Sakura, Naruto and Kita gasped as the grass-nin smirked.

"Nanidesu ka?! _Sasuke_!"

"Quiet Kari!" Sasuke ordered, restraining her as best he could. She struggled, but his grip was too tight.

"**SASUKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING TEME?! YOU CAN'T JUST HAND OUR SCROLL OVER**!" Naruto shouted.

"**SHUT UP AND STAY OUT OF IT**!" Sasuke shouted, surprising and confusing Naruto.

"I see you're smart, the only hope a prey has from a predator, is to hand over something else to save itself." The grass-nin said smirking wider.

"Take it" Sasuke said, throwing it towards the enemy, ignoring Kari's shout of his name. Before the grass-nin could so much as touch he scroll, Naruto shot forward and snatched it, flipping off a tree and landing beside Sasuke and Kari.

"**TEME! Stay out of it!**" Sasuke shouted but was caught off guard when Naruto turned round and punched him in the face, throwing him off Kari. The blonde kunoichi was surprised, but knew Naruto was bound to do something. He silently put the scroll back in Kari's pouch and glared at Sasuke. The Uchiha managed to flip himself over a branch and stop his fall, but then turned and started shouting at Naruto. "**TEME! What are you doing!?**"

"I forgot the password… So I can't make sure of this but, you're a fake Sasuke aren't you?" Naruto said panting. Kari looked at him in confusion, _what was he talking about?_

"Naruto, wha-what are you saying?!" Sakura cried.

"Baka! I _**am**_ the real one! Tell him Kari!" Sasuke shouted.

"Liar! The idiot and coward I see in front of me right now can't be the Sasuke I know" Naruto said. "I don't know how strong he is, but there is no guarantee that he'll let us go even if we hand over our scroll! You're the one who is scared, who doesn't understand the situation!"

"Sasuke… Naruto…" Kari said sadly, looking between them. She felt exhausted, drained. She couldn't handle her comrades arguing right now, she had just come close to bordering insanity. The grass-nin chuckled.

"Naruto-kun," the grass-nin pulled itself to its feet. "_You're correct_" it agreed, its eyes widening as its tongue lolled out of its smirking mouth. It pulled up its sleeve to reveal a black tattoo of a snake like pattern. "Well, I'll just have to kill you all to take the scroll." It bit its thumb then ran the blood along the tattoo.

'_Hebi Kuchiyose;_ _Snake summon!'_

One of Kari's many inner voices cried in warning. Naruto shot forward, kunai in hand.

"**NARUTO! IIE! RUN**!" Sasuke shouted desperately.

"Don't underestimate us! Damnit I've lost faith in you Sasuke!" Naruto cried as he jumped up and prepared to attack from above.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" A gust of wind, less powerful than before pushed Naruto back. Instinctively, Kari shot up to aid him, white feathery wing sprouting from her shoulder-blades. The grass-nin stood upon the head of a massive snake similar to the one from earlier. It swung its head at them and Kari swerved to avoid it, though found it hard to stay straight with the wind pushing her in all directions. She was still shaky using her wings, and Naruto's extra weight was making things incredibly difficult. She flinched as some splinters from the tree the snake had smashed embedded in her left wing.

"What a tasty little meal you'll make for him. Careful he likes to play with his food" the grass-nin teased. The snake's tail came swinging towards them again. Kari narrowly dodged, but felt the pull as the scales brushed the end of her wing. She hoisted Naruto into a more secure hold. He looked like he was about to be sick. The trees underneath them snapped as the snake's tail cut through them, sending an onslaught of more splinters into her skin delicate wings. She winced, blood trickling between her feathers.

You see, Kari's wing felt like a mutated arm of sorts, and the feathers were like nails on the hand. When the feathers were broken or twisted, it was painful, thus much harder to fly.

"**KARI-CHAN!**" Naruto cried. Kari didn't have time to move before the tail swung and hit Naruto in the stomach, sending them both crashing through branch after branch, until Kari's back collided with the thick trunk of a tree. She coughed up blood, winded by Naruto's weight crashing into her.

"_**NARUTO! KARI**_!" Sasuke and Sakura called, their voices echoing through Kari's ears as she fell back down, towards the grass-nin and its giant snake. Sasuke looked away, torn by his urge to help them and his fear. Kari held tighter to Naruto, and his voice boomed through her mind.

_No way! I gotta help Kari-chan! We can do this!_

"**YEAH?! EAT THIS!"** Naruto hollered. Kari gasped as Naruto twisted, and delivered a powerful kick to the snake's nose. It hissed furiously and reared up as Kari managed to straighten them with a strong flap of her wings. She held in a gasp as she caught sight of Naruto's face. _Just like when we fought Haku… His eyes are red, his whiskers deep… That chakra…_

_Throw me down at it!_

Kari immediately did what Naruto told her, though hesitant at throwing her friend towards the jaws of a giant snake. He furiously punched at the snake's nose with incredible power, looking wild and animalistic.

"But how? It's impossible" the grass-nin hissed. Kari gasped and dodged the snake's tail, missing it by less than an inch. She really regretted not practicing with her wings more, but luckily it felt really natural so she wasn't having too much trouble.

"Where did Naruto get all that power all of a sudden? And when did Kari learn how to use her wings?" Sakura whispered.

"Okaa-san" Kita murmured worriedly, being held in Sakura's arms she felt helpless.

The snake flicked Naruto away with its tongue like he was a mere bug. Enraged, he flipped and then pushed off a tree, hurtling back towards it.

_Katon!_

Kari's eyes widened as the voice in her head shouted out '_fire technique!'_ Naruto would be burnt to a crisp! Her eyes blazed as she shot off with speed she had never reached before, hurtling towards Naruto as the grass-nin blew a ball of flame towards him. Kari grabbed hold of Naruto just as the flames hit her wings. She winced in pain as the fire burnt her back and feathers, sending them tearing through branches again. This time, Naruto landed on the bottom with a painful thud.

"The fire in his eyes, there's no mistaking it! And that girl... Could she really…? Things have gotten _very_ interesting... Now then, lets see how well you do _Sasuke_!" the grass-nin cried as the snake shot towards the Uchiha.

"**SASUKE-KUN!**" Sakura screamed, but Sasuke stood rigid with fear. He screamed as Kari and Naruto both shot towards him.

* * *

Kari's claws embedded themselves into the snake's scaly nose like Naruto's kunai. He faced Sasuke as Kari's arms still shook from the strain she put her muscles under as she stopped the huge snake. Both she and Naruto were panting from the effort of saving Sasuke.

"Hey" Naruto said between breaths as Sasuke stared at them in shock. "You're not hurt are ya? _**Scaredy cat**_" Naruto growled, lifting his head to glare at Sasuke. The Uchiha stared at Naruto's red eyes as Kari turned round to look at him with similar eyes, but a deeper, brighter red, disappointment etched onto her delicate face. "Standing there frozen like a frightened rabbit... **No way.** You're not the Sasuke I know!"

"Naruto!" Kari cried in alarm as a long, wet, slimy tongue wrapped itself around Naruto's torso and pulled him into the air.

"Hey! Hey! Oh man, disgusting! Let me down before I yank this tongue out of your head!" Naruto cried, thrashing about helplessly.

"I see, when your anger is roused, some of the kyuubi's chakra is released…" the grass-nin brought Naruto close to his face as he made a hand sign.

"**IIE! NARUTO**!" Kari cried, spreading her wings, preparing to fly to his aid. A thick, scaly tail wrapped around her middle, crushing her wings to her sides and holding her tightly. Purple fire ignited on the fingertips of the grass-nin's right hand. "_**NARUTO!**_"

"What an interesting childhood you must have had…" the grass-nin mused. Using its abnormally long tongue, still holding Naruto he lifted up Naruto's shirt exposing his stomach. "The seal has appeared on your skin!" Kari thrashed desperately, worried about that strange fire, the snake's grip tightened causing a sickening crack and an explosion of pain to hit her left side. The grass-nin thrust his fingers into Naruto's stomach, causing the kyuubi vessel to scream in pain.

"**NARUTO!!**" Kari screamed, tears in her eyes as she thrashed in the snakes grasp.

"Sasuke-kun! Hurry! Do something!" Sakura screamed. Sasuke just watched, frozen. Naruto's tense body froze, then fell limp in the grass-nin's bind. With the simple flick of its tongue, the grass-nin threw Naruto aside, leaving him to fall to his death.

"**NARUTO IIE!! LET ME **_**GO**_**!**" with a sudden burst of strength, her wings pushed out, freeing her from the scaly bind. With a burst of speed, she flew straight at Naruto, beating her wings with all the strength she had. She managed to catch Naruto, but tired from the burst of chakra from a while ago she could barely hold him up. Unable to cope with his dead weight pressing against her injured side, she began to fall.

"**HANG ON**!" Sakura cried, flinging a kunai at them. It caught the back of Naruto's jacket pinning him to a tree. Kari let go of him and landed on the branch below. Kari breathed a sigh of relief, her hand grasping her injured side. She lightly hissed asshe saw a light trail of blood between her fingers fom her earlier wound. "Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, looking round at him. She gasped, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of him shaking with fear.

With a fresh surge of rage, Kari appeared in front of him, grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand and backhanded him across the face with the other.

"What is _wrong_ with you?! Naruto's out there fighting to protect you and you just stand there _cowering_?!" Kari shouted, her other hand also grabbing the front of his shirt. "Baka! Get a hold of yourself!" she cried, shaking him roughly, trying to get sense into him.

"Kari's right!" Sakura cried suddenly. "Say what you want about Naruto-kun, that he's a pest, that he gets in the way, that he's just a kid. But at least he's _doing _something! At least he's... NOT A COWARD!" Kari was momentarily distracted from her rage to look at Sakura in shock. Boy, had Kari's respect for the pink kunoichi been raised. Sasuke closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he shook.

'_Foolish little brother. If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life.'_

Kari's eyes widened as her lips parted. _She knew that voice! It's-_

"_**NO**_!" Sasuke cried, Sharingan gleaming in his eyes.

"That's more like it" Sakura said relieved, a smile coming to her lips. The grass-nin smirked, with a touch of his arm the snake disappeared in a large gust of wind and smoke. Kari was pushed into Sasuke, but he stood firm, his body tense but not shaking. He gripped her arms, holding her so that she wouldn't be blown away, his hold was rough and tight, but his hands didn't tremble. Kari managed a small smile.

_That's our Sasuke. About time you came back._

"Kari" Sasuke said firmly, his voice calm and arrogant like normal. She looked up to meet his Sharingan gaze, reminded of someone else... "Thanks. I guess your Taijutsu has improved… a little." Kari smiled wider, glad he was back to normal. "I know you're tired, but can you fight a little longer?"

"Of course" she said, a twinge of annoyance at the thought he still might be a little shaken, but one look at that fierce Sharingan and she was reassured. She released her hold on the front of his shirt and took hold of his hand. "Promise you won't die, no matter what?" she said, giving him a slight glare. He squeezed her hand for a moment as a smirk came to his face.

"Same to you Kari."

"_Pinky_ promise?"

"Don't push it."


	36. The Snake's Mark

**A/N:** I'm really sorry about the long update, life is very hectic :( it's my last eight months at school and I'm being overloaded with homework. That and personal problems. And illness. Blehhh, but I've finished the chapter, and the next one will hopefully be out sooner :)

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine, sadly.

**Claimer:** Kari and Kita and Kari's fighting style, **is** mine.

* * *

**The Snake's Mark**

_Everything faded into pain,_

_Everything but the feel of her hand holding his,_

_His lifeline, his light in the growing darkness._

* * *

Sasuke got into a prepared stance, bending his knees and crouching slightly, glaring at the grass-nin. Kari stretched her wings, mumbling curses at the pain. Sasuke sent her a quick side glance, then turned his attention back to the enemy.

"He's definitely part of the Uchiha clan, his blood must be coming to a boil…" the grass-nin said to itself. "Seems as though the girl is tiring, I'll take my time to see how strong they are. As long as I don't anger her too much…" the grass-nin also got into a stance, crouching and spreading its arms wide.

_I have to survive to kill my brother… When that thought came to my mind, I realized I was the one who was acting like an idiot. Kari, Naruto, Sakura, how can someone who can't even risk his life here kill him? _

Sasuke took out a kunai and placed it in his mouth. Kari sent him a puzzled look; _did he want to cut his tongue in half?_ Then she took her own kunai, twisting it around her finger before gripping it tightly in her right hand.

_You rely too much on your right side; you're weaker on your left._

Kari threw her kunai to her left hand, and then took another in her right. She got into her own stance, which was influenced by her katana. She stood side on, her right side facing the grass-nin, her right arm was outstretched, holding her kunai directly at the enemy, her left arm was bent over her head, also pointing a kunai at the enemy; her legs were bent in preparation for movement, her feet making a backwards L shape.

"You're very elegant little one, it gives off the impression you're very fragile" the grass-nin mused, its smirk widening. Kari glared through her ruby eyes as she and Sasuke shot forward, Kari, being faster got their first, spinning and slamming her heel in to the grass-nin's gut. The grass-nin twisted with the impact and sent a blast of wind to push Kari away. She flipped and propelled herself upwards with her wings as Sasuke shot into the air and threw kunai at the grass-nin, who tilted his head to the side to avoid them. Kari folded her wings and they disappeared, sending a searing pain through her shoulder blades. _Guess the pain stays…_ Simultaneously, she and Sasuke pushed off two tree trunks and hurtled towards the grass-nin. Kari gripped her kunai and flung them at the grass-nin, but it just cut off chunks of hair, missing the skin by half a millimetre. _TenTen's gonna kill me. _Sasuke's two kicks were blocked, but he avoided the grass-nin's kick and back flipped out the way. Kari shot forward and went to punch him, but the grass-nin swerved and managed to avoid.

Sasuke shot forward and went into hand to hand combat, his Sharingan detecting the grass-nin's movements, allowing him to dodge and block with ease. Kari's hand brushed the handle of one of her katana and a rush of excitement shot through her as her ruby eyes glowed with a haunting crimson light. _Soon…_

The grass-nin jumped into the air and Kari shot forward and jumped up, chakra surrounding her hand. Her eyes paling to a light grey she slammed her hand into the grass-nin's chest.

"_JYUUKEN!_" Kari cried as the grass-nin's eye widened in recognition.

"Impossible!"

Kari's hands grasped the handles of her katana, sliding them out of their sheaths. She crossed them over and then swung them outwards. Had the grass-nin not ducked, its head would be rolling on the floor. Spinning both her katana in her hands, she brought them together above her head and swung them downwards. The grass-nin avoided being cut in half by teleporting behind Sasuke. Kari landed and went to charge but the grass-nin shot off at full speed.

"No you don't!" Kari growled quickly sheathing her katana and chasing full speed after him. Kari glanced at Sasuke and sent him a message telepathically.

_Pinpoint him with Sharingan then hit him hard Sasuke!_

Kari rushed after him, she could just about keep up with her outstanding speed, but the enemy was incredibly fast. She could feel the strain on her thighs, and her rapidly respirating lungs were putting pressure on her injured side. She grit her teeth and bared through the pain, her fingertips brushing the purple rope tied round the grass-nin's waist. It darted to the right, causing Kari to almost collide with a tree, she managed to push off and continue the chase.

"I can see!" Sasuke cried. Kari took that as her signal to abandon chase and darted to Sasuke's side as he aimed fireballs at the grass-nin. The grass-nin ran through it, straight towards them. Kari grabbed the Uchiha and darted backwards, avoiding the attack. The grass-nin slammed its fists onto the branch sending a wind attack at them both. Sasuke grabbed Kari round the middle and shot upwards out the way. He let go of her then pushed himself of the branch. He grabbed hold of the grass-nin flipping it round so that his legs were round its shoulders and his arms were round its hips.

"I got you!" Sasuke shouted as the grass-nin screamed, until its skull met a thick branch with a sickening _crack_, causing cracks to run along the thick wood. Kari landed a couple feet a way and Sasuke jumped next to her, the both of them watching intently. Kari's eyes narrowed. _There was something off about it…_ To Sasuke's shock, the grass-nin turned to mud.

"Karimi?" Sasuke cried. Kari's ear twitched and she tore her eyes from the replacement and looked upwards to the right. She grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist and dragged him away from the kunai that were raining down on them. Seeing a cliff, Kari started to slow, but Sasuke dragged her along and they jumped off.

"Hold on!" Sasuke ordered as he pulled out wire.

"What're you—_Waaah_!!" Kari cried, holding tight to him as the wire caught a branch, swinging them round the thick tree trunk. Sasuke let go of the wire and Kari paled. They shot downwards and landed on a branch.

"Daijobu?" Sasuke asked, noticing she hadn't let go.

"We have got to do that again when these exams are over!" Kari said with a grin, though her face was rather pale.

"Baka, keep your eyes open for the enemy" Sasuke scolded, his Sharingan eyes darting left and right. Kari released him, but then the grass-nin shot forward from in front of them, punching Sasuke in the face.

"Sasuke!" Kari cried, she turned and went to return the favour but was stopped by a searing pain in her side. The grass-nin had shoved two fingers into the kunai wound in her side, opening it and increasing the bleeding. Kari grit her teeth and grabbed his wrist, but when she tried to yank his hand out, he bent his fingers, doubling the pain.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, finally catching up and looking down from a higher branch, Kita still in her arms. "Kari-chan!"

"You are interesting my little wolf," the grass-nin tore her wound, making it bigger, enough that he could probably fit his entire hand inside. "Despite the fact I'm causing you pain, you don't make a sound." With its other hand, the grass-nin reached inside her pouch and took the scroll. Kari growled and tried to grab it back, but he gave her a sharp prod in her now heavily bleeding wound and stopped her. "You're not living up to the name of Uchiha" the grass-nin said, looking at Sasuke. "Oh well, I'll slowly beat you, then kill you... just like a bug."

Sasuke's eyes slowly opened and the exploding tags on the grass-nin's back exploded. Sasuke shot back and grabbed Kari before jumping up and flinging shuriken with wire at the grass-nin.

"Sharingan Soufuusha Sannotachi! _Sharingan controlled triple windmill blades_!" the grass-nin cried before Sasuke landed on a branch, _rudely__ dropped Kari,_ and pulled the wires tight. The grass-nin was tightly tied to a tree and Sasuke made speedy hand signs. He brought his hands (which were in the _tora_ sign) to the wire in his mouth and shot a dragon shaped flame at the grass-nin. The ninja screamed as his flesh was burnt away, the forest clearing bathed in an orange-red light.

"He did it!" Sakura cried in relief. The fire slowly died, leaving small flames here and there on the burnt tree trunk. Smoke rose off the grass-nin's limp form. Sasuke panted his hands on his knees.

"Kari, daijobu?" he asked breathlessly, noticing her holding onto her heavily bleeding side.

"Fine" Kari said quietly, trying to slow the bleeding by putting pressure on her wound. She winced and her ears lowered as she tried to bear the pain.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Okaasan!"

Sakura crouched next to Sasuke worriedly, her hands hovering at his side and back. Kita pawed Kari's elbow and wagged her tail to praise her mother. Kari smiled weakly and placed her clean hand on the wolf cub's head, not wanting to stain her snowy fur. She felt as though all her energy had gone down some invisible drain; she couldn't even begin to describe the urge to keel over and go to sleep for a good while.

Kari was alerted by a few soft 'ping's and looked up to see the grass-nin walking forward. He slammed his hands together and the four of them felt their bodies freeze.

"Is he using a form of paralysis?" Sasuke cried, struggling to stay standing.

"I'm impressed you can use your Sharingan so well at your age. You live up to the name of Uchiha." The grass-nin's voice changed into a more masculine one. "And to think I would meet the vessel of the _Torai-kenshi_. You amaze me my chiisai-ookami." Kari growled, her eyes flickering red. She was tired and in pain, _she couldn't last much longer_. "I want you _both_. Oh, you two are definitely brothers. Your eyes say you carry _more_ potential than Itachi." Kari's eyes widened. _Itachi._

"Dare desu ka?!" Sasuke cried. The grass-nin took the heaven scroll in his hand.

"Watashiha _Orochimaru_. If you wish to see me again, get through the exam as though your life depended on it."

"The scroll!" Sakura cried as it burst into green flame.

"In other words, you'll have to defeat my subordinates; the Oto shinobi." Orochimaru continued. Kari scowled, that name brought bile to the back of her throat.

"What nonsense are you chattering about? We never want to see your face again!" Sakura cried. Orochimaru chuckled as he made a handsign.

"_It doesn't work that way_."

His neck extended upwards, then shot forwards straight towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"_**SASUKE!!**_"

Orochimaru's fangs punctured the genin's neck, the body tensing beneath his lips. Sakura's horrified scream echoed through the tree's as Sasuke's eyes widened in sheer horror…

* * *

"_**OKAASAN**_!" Kita screamed as Kari stood rigidly in front of Sasuke, her body shaking uncontrollably. Kari's eyes dulled to a dark grey as the colour left her face. Orochimaru released her, leaving two trails of blood where his fangs had pierced her smooth neck. He then twisted and latched onto Sasuke, Kari's attempt to protect him thwarted. The blonde kunoichi fell to her knee's trembling, her small hand clutching the crook of her neck. Simultaneously, a three-comma mark appeared on hers and Sasuke's neck and searing pain spread through her body as though boiling water had been thrown over her. She faintly heard Sasuke's scream and wanted more than anything to do the same, but her breath had been stolen from her lungs, the organ's crushing inside her chest.

"_**OKAASAN**_**!!**"

"Heh, you astound me _chiisai-ookami-chan_…"

"_Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan_!" Sakura cried in alarm as blood started to leak out Kari's eyes and mouth. "What did you do to them?!" she shrieked.

"I gave them a farewell present" Orochimaru replied as Sasuke fell to his knees. Holding his neck with one hand, he blindly, frantically searched with the other until his hand found Kari's. It was ice cold, colder than usual. He could feel her shaking even more violently than him, and pulled her close to him, his clouded mind telling him to, that only she could help him through this pain. She curled up, her body pressing into him as her skin was stabbed by microscopic white hot needles. Her head lay on his chest as her body began spasming, the both of them grasping each others hands for dear life. "Sasuke-kun will seek me, seek me for power. And Kari-hime _**will**_ follow. It was fun seeing a lot of your moves. Until we meet again." With that, Orochimaru sank into the tree branch and out of sight.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried when she heard him scream, she rushed to his side her hand on his back. "Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke-kun!" Kari's breaths were shallow; her body still weakly spasming with each intake of air. All colour in her lips and cheeks had disappeared, her dark, dull eyes, half closed and bloodshot, her face a sickly pure white; stains of red streaking across her face. "Sasuke-kun! Come on! Sasuke-kun! Please!" she cried desperately. "Kari-chan? Kari-chan!" The both of them stilled, falling limp. Sasuke's hand tight across Kari's limp one. Sakura's eyes became moist as she tried to calm her anxiety. "**NARUTO**!" she screamed. "**SASUKE-KUN AND KARI-CHAN—! THEY—! THEY—! **_**NARUTO!!**_"

The forest was hauntingly silent when Naruto gave no reply, he didn't move a muscle, just hung limp where he was left. Sakura was startled by bird rushing into the sky from a bush nearby. She gave a small scream, her arms shielding her head.

"I… What should I do…?" Sakura whispered.

"Sakura-chan!" the kunoichi looked down to see a frightened Kita, nuzzling at Kari's pale face. "Sakura-chan I'm scared" Kita said in a strained voice, as though she had been crying. But wolves _can't_ cry, they have no release.

"Me too" Sakura admitted with a sniffle. "We're all alone…"

* * *

Anko hurtled from branch to branch. She'd been searching frantically ever since the dead, faceless grass shinobi had been found in the afternoon. It was almost nightfall and she was getting anxious. _There was still no sign of him._ Suddenly, she sensed a familiar chakra. _It's him!_ She ran full speed in the direction she sensed it. _His chakra._ She took a huge leap and then jumped downwards. _He's close._ She jumped from branch to branch until finally she found him, upside-down, half submerged into the trunk of a tree.

"It's been a long time… Anko." he mused as a smirk came to his face.

"You are an extremely dangerous S-classed wanted criminal. That's why I'm going to kill you, even if it costs me my life. It's my job as your former subordinate who learnt everything from you, right… Orochimaru?!" Anko cried, senbon slipping from the sleeve of her jacket into her right hand.

"You can't" Orochimaru said simply, before his tongue shot at her. She jumped up and avoided it, but the tongue followed. It wrapped around her wrist, making her drop her senbon and then pulled her back down. She landed on her knees.

"Senei Jashou! _Hidden shadow snake hands_!" Four snakes shot out Anko's left sleeve towards Orochimaru. "I won't let you get away!" she cried, pulling her hand back. She pulled Orochimaru out of the tree and slammed him into the tree behind her. She pressed her hands against his and the pushed a kunai into the back of her hand, and through his. She smirked. "Orochimaru, I'm going to borrow your left hand." Taking his other hand with hers, she made a seal.

"That seal is…!"

"That's right" Anko said. "You and I are going to die here." She took a deep breath. _Souja Sousai no jutsu_! _Twin snake double assassination technique!_ Orochimaru's voice chuckled all around her.

"Are you trying to commit suicide?" Anko gasped and turned round to see Orochimaru standing behind her. He pulled off the rest of the grass-nin's face and smirked. "That's a replacement." Anko gasped as the Orochimaru she had been holding turned to mud. Orochimaru laughed. "You're one of the village's special Jounin." He said walking towards her. "So don't just use the techniques I taught you." Anko pulled the kunai out of her hand and flung it at Orochimaru. He effortlessly caught it between two fingers. "I told you, it's useless." He made a hand-sign and Anko gasped, her body rigid. Orochimaru walked towards her smirking.

"Why have you come?!" Anko demanded.

"We haven't seen each other in such a long time, but treat me so coldly." Orochimaru mused.

"Did you come to assassinate Hokage-sama?"

"Iie, iie. I still don't have enough men to do that. So I was planning on '_reserving_' some outstanding ones in this village." Anko sunk to her knees holding her neck. "I gave two special someone's that same cursed seal as a present a while ago. There's two I want."

"As usual, you do what you want, but they will die!" Anko cried.

"Yes, there's only a ten percent chance he'll survive. But the girl, I'm not sure, she had a startling reaction in the first few minutes. But, they might be like you, and not die." Orochimaru said.

"You seem quite interested in these two" Anko said smirking. Her eyes widened as he stroked her cheek with his pale hand.

"Are you jealous? Are you still angry that I used you, then threw you away?" he asked. Anko growled in rage. "Unlike you, they seem to be excellent ninja. After all, he is the boy that carries the abilities of an Uchiha. She… she is the legend of the _Torai-Kenshi_."

"That's just a myth!" Anko cried.

"Hm, that's what I thought. But her eyes are unmistakable. Their bodies are beautiful, either capable of becoming my successor." he said smirking widely. "If they survive, things will become interesting. Whatever you do, don't cancel this exam. Six from my village are under your care, I'm going to enjoy this." He walked away and disappeared. "_If you take away my joy… it will be over for the village of Konoha_."

"He's breathing easier, but still has a high fever…" Sakura said sadly to herself, touching Sasuke's forehead. She had managed to get them under a hollow under some thick tree roots nearby. She had difficulty, but she managed. She looked round at Kari and checked her temperature. "But Kari-chan still isn't breathing right and her temperature's rising…" Kita lay curled between Kari and Naruto, Sasuke's hand still tight around Kari's. Naruto lay still and quiet, bruises here and there. Kita's eyes opened and she observed Sakura through her icy orbs. "It's just you and me now Kita-chan, we have to protect them!" Sakura said with all the confidence she could muster. Kita gave a light yip of approval, her ears twitched and her tail wagged. Sakura smiled weakly, Kita wasn't much of a protector being the size of a small cat, but at least she wasn't alone.

* * *

An eye peeked out between the leaves of the bushes, a sleeping Sakura clearly in view.

"Heh, _found you_. Right, just as Orochimaru-sama ordered, we strike at daybreak. Remember, our target is the Uchiha and the wolf girl."

"Yeah but if the other two and the little white rat get in our way it's alright to take them out, ne?"

"Of course."

* * *

Sakura awoke to find the sun shining in her eyes and bird song echoing through the crisp early morning mist. Her four companions lay silent, three unconscious, Kita asleep. She quickly busied herself with soaking cloths so she could bring down their fevers, wetting the material with water from her canteen. She needed to go to the stream soon… She replaced Sasuke's first, then Kari's, then Naruto's. Sasuke was restless in his sleep, as though he was having a nightmare. Naruto just seemed to be asleep, just lacking his usual snores. Kari seemed to be made of marble, still and silent, her golden hair fanning around her white face. Sakura half smiled, Kari's beauty was a little hard to notice, but it was breathtaking when you did. Unlike Sasuke; who you notice immediately. The pink kunoichi sighed, gently stroking Kita's head. The cub's ear twitched, but other than that she didn't move. But Sakura knew she was just a baby and needed rest.

* * *

The hours were slow, the minute's slower. Sakura's eyes struggled to stay open. But she was too tired, and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

"_Oh man I slept really great!" Naruto cried with a yawn, sitting up and stretching._

"_Naruto!" Sakura cried happily. Sasuke too sat up. "Sasuke-kun!" she looked round hopefully at the still sleeping Kari. Sasuke's eyes narrowed._

"_We know you're awake."_

_Kari opened an eye as a smile came to her face, her lips and cheeks flushed with their usual rosy colour. Sasuke turned back to Sakura as Kita jumped into Kari's arms, knocking over as she tried to sit up._

"_Did you take care of us this whole time?" Sasuke asked over Kari's cheerful giggles. Sakura held in the urge to laugh too. Kari had an adorable laugh, like a little girls._

"_Thanks Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried. He started chuckling at Kari's laughter, Kita trying to lick her face and wiggling in Kari's hands._

"_I'm glad you're ok!" Sakura cried as tears came to her eyes. Kari's laughter stopped as she sat up and threw her arms around Sakura._

"_We're just glad you're alright!" Kari said happily._

"_Sakura-chan's younger than you, yet you're the baby of the team Kari-chan!" Naruto cried laughing. Kari pouted and went to sit next to him, playfully telling him off for suggesting she was immature._

_Sakura was startled by a rustle in the bushes._

"_Now you'll see what it's like to be prey, panicking and frantically running from your predator." It was Orochimaru! "And that predator… is me!" He hurtled towards them, transforming into a large snake, its tongue flicking around, tasting them in the air. Sakura turned round to warn her comrades, only to find her voice was gone, all their voices were gone! The snake reared, its mouth wide, heading straight for Sasuke. Sakura screamed, but no noise came…_

_

* * *

_

Sakura gasped as she woke up. She looked up surprised, noticing the sun was already up. She gasped as she heard the bushes rustling behind her. Her heart pounding against her ribs, she grabbed a kunai with shaking hands. She slowly looked round, only to come face to face with… a squirrel?

"Oh man… Don't surprise me like that little guy." Sakura said tiredly. She gasped as it ran straight for her. She threw a kunai, blocking its path and scaring it away.

_That was too close…_

_

* * *

"Shimatta, I though for sure that would work… Do you think she saw the paper bomb we put on the squirrel?"_

"Iie, that wasn't it…"

"Then what was it? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we need to go closer and find out… So let's get going…"

* * *

Sakura struggled as she tried to stay awake. They were sure to wake up soon, then she could sleep. But not yet, not until…

"Sakura-chan!" Kita cried in alarm. Sakura shot up and looked around.

"Some look out, you're half asleep." It was the oto-nin! The ones that attacked Kabuto! "At least you won't have to keep watch anymore, what's the point when we've already found you? Now wake Sasuke and Kari up, we want to fight them."

_You'll never get them you jerks!_ Sakura thought as she reached for a kunai.

"What do you want here? I mean, what do you _really_ want?" Sakura cried as she rose to her feet, Kita jumping to her side. "I know Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows!" The oto-nin seemed surprised by this. "What are those strange bruises on the back of Sasuke-kun's and Kari-chan's necks? You're behind this too aren't you!? And now you want to fight them when they can't defend themselves?!"

"What in the world could he be thinking?" the large, fur-backed ninja hissed.

"I can't stay quiet after hearing you talk to us like that. First I'm gonna kill this girl, then that rat" Kita growled as Kari tensed for a second in her unconsciousness. "Then I'm gonna kill Sasuke and that Kari freak" he stood as Kita's hackles rose.

"Matte Zaku." The fur-backed oto-nin said.

"Nani? Nande?"

"It's so obvious… This is the colour of dirt that has recently been dug up. And this kind of grass doesn't grow in a place like this. You know, there's no point in laying a trap unless you make sure it's _actually_ hidden." Sakura's eyes widened as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.

"Ha! You're just a joke. You threw that kunai knife just so the squirrel wouldn't spring the trap you set huh?" Zaku mocked.

"Now… we kill them." The oto-nin jumped towards Sakura and Kita. Sakura smirked and cut the wire being held by the kunai next to her. A huge log swung towards the oto-nin.

"A log?!"

"She also laid a trap above?! Watch out! Nice try, little girl" the fur-backed ninja placed a hand on the log, with the other hand he made a hand sign and the log was reduced to dust. "Clearly you have no talent as a ninja, someone like you needs to make a little more of an effort don't you think?"

"Leave her alone! _Konoha Senpuu_!!" The oto-nin were thrown away from Sakura with a powerful kick. Sakura gaspd as Lee landed in front of her.

"Wha… What's he doing?"

"Is it so? Need to make more of an effort?" Lee asked.

"You…"

"I am the handsome devil of the leaf village, my name is Rock Lee!"

* * *

"What are you doing here Lee?" Sakura asked.

"I will always appear, anytime and anywhere you are in trouble Sakura-chan!" Lee cried. "As I will for Kari-hime and Kita-chan" he said smiling at Kita, who was wagging her tail in delight. His eyes fell across Kari, lying behind Sakura, between Naruto and Sasuke. He noticed with worry her pale complexion and her lack of movement. He turned back to the Oto-nin "Sakura-chan, when this is over… please make sure Kari-hime is alright. She is very precious to me."

"Hai…" Sakura agreed.

"This was all thanks to you little one, but it's time for you to run along. It's up to me now." Lee put down the squirrel resting on his shoulder; which Sakura recognised with amazement as the one that had tried to approach her earlier.

"But right now on his test, we're your enemy" Sakura said with a weak smile.

"Sakura-chan, I already told you. I will protect you until I die. That and you are important to Kari-hime. Her happiness means very much to me."

"Hai… Arigatou, Lee-san" Sakura said softly.

"Looks like I have no choice…." The fur-backed shinobi sighed, tossing his earth scroll to his team-mate. "Zaku, I'll let you have Kari and Sasuke. I'll take care of these two. That guy with the bushy eyebrows is pretty good at Taijutsu, looks like I get to have some fun" he sprinted towards Sakura and Lee, pulling up his sleeve to show the metal device attached to his arm. Sakura flung a kunai at him, but it didn't stop him in the slightest as he jumped up. Lee stuck his hand into the ground and pulled up a lump of tree to shield them.

"I am positive there is some kind of trick to your attack. Therefore, I will not waste my time trying to dodge it." Lee said. "After all, I have seen your jutsu before." He quickly made a plan to attack one at a time, knowing he was outnumbered. He slowly began unravelling the bandages on his arms.

_Gai-sensei, I know it is forbidden but I must use the jutsu now, the condition has been met. Sakura-chan, Kari-hime…_

"To protect the life of someone precious!" Lee shot underneath the oto-nin, kicking him in the jaw sending him upwards. Lee jumped up behind him and the bandages from his arm wrapped round the enemy tightly, trapping him.

"Oh no, Dosu! There's no way he can break his fall!" Zaku cried, making hurried handsigns. Lee rapidly spun, causing the wind to pick up around them.

"Take this! Omote Renge! Primary Lotus!"

Zaku slammed his hands into the ground, just before they hit it. The dust cleared to show Dosu's legs sticking out of the earth.

"Ha, got you just in time" Zaku said smirking. "That impact could have been _much _worse for you." Dosu pulled himself out of the earth and shook his head.

"Nani desu ka?! This cannot be!" Lee cried.

"That's a frightening jutsu, it nearly took me out even though I landed on soft dirt…" Dosu said groggily. Lee quickly got to his feet, panting heavily. Dosu lifted up his sleeve to show the metal device again. "Now it's my turn…" he shot forward hitting Lee with his metal covered arm.

"Lee no…" Sakura whispered as she held back a squirming Kita. She wanted to go bite that big bad sound ninja and make him leave Lee alone!

"Your jutsu is indeed fast…" Dosu said as Lee's vision began to swirl. "But ours is even faster because it travels at the speed of sound." Lee fell to his knees breathing heavily. He retched and threw up.

"Lee what's wrong?" Sakura cried. A trail of blood slid from Lee's ear as he groaned in pain. He put his hands over his ear in attempt to ease the throbbing.

"Ooh, I forgot to mention this little gadget I wear. You might be able to dodge my blows, but you can't get away from _it._ I don't need to strike you with my fists; I can hit you with the power of sound! What makes it possible for the ear to hear things? What is sound really?"

"Vibrations" Sakura said, beginning to understand.

"Give the little lady a prize. Yes, the vibrations of molecules in the ear creates a sound wave. These vibrations are collected by the ear, then directed through the outer ear canal to your eardrum. The rest, as they say, is anatomy. What interests me are the organs of your _inner-ear,_ the ones that control your sense of balance, your ability to move. Feeling a little dizzy? Nauseous? That's right, best if you don't even _try_ to stand up for a while." Dosu said.

"You see buddy, that old fashioned taijutsu stuff won't work on _us_." Zaku said. "Not that you're not pretty good at it. It's just, what's the point? Compared to our jutsu, that stuff is totally yesterday's news." He pulled his hands out of the dirt. "See I can manipulate ultrasonic waves and air pressure. I can do things you've never even _dreamed_ of. I can obliterate boulders, or make the ground itself as soft as a feather cushion. Face it little man, you're up against the jutsu of the future." Zaku opened his hands and air rushed out of the hole in the centre of each of his palms.

"Now then little girl, it's your turn!" Dosu cried rushing past Lee and towards Sakura and Kita. The wolf cub growled its fur on end. Sakura pulled out a kunai, preparing herself.

"IIE!" Lee cried. He rushed toward them. "Konoha senp—aargh!" Dosu caught Lee's kick then jumped backwards.

"Ha! Not as effective as it was before is it? Still, it's impressive that you can move at all. We'll have to do something about that!" Lee hurriedly covered his ear as Dosu shot towards him. He placed his metal arm against lee's covered ear as high pitched sound waves emitted from it. "Do you hear that? This device amplifies the vibrations of the impact, transforming them into a wave of sound. A sound wave I can control with my chakra, focusing on any target I desire!"

"Lee no!" Sakura cried as Lee cried out in pain. "_**STOP IT!**_" Sakura screamed. The waves stopped and lee fell to his knees, then to his side.

"Alright little man, time to end it!" Dosu said, lifting his arm.

"That's what you think!" Sakura cried flinging kunai at him. Dosu just lifted his arm, the kunai rebounding off the metal without leaving a scratch.

"Ah, I'd almost forgotten you…" Kita growled and stood in front of her, hackles raised and teeth bared.

* * *

"Ah man these guys are scary! I vote for getting out of here!" Chouji whispered from his point behind the bush.

"Sasuke, Naruto and Kari are out of it and Lee's not looking to good either. It's just Sakura and Kita all alone against the three of those guys. Well Ino? What d'you wanna do?" Shikamaru asked his female team-mate.

"Why ask me, huh?" Ino said, her wide topaz eyes glued to the scene in front of them.

"Well if we don't do something soon she's toast! Are you cool with that? You and her, you were friends once right? Well Ino, what d'you wanna do?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?! Do you want me to go out there and get myself killed?!" Ino snapped. She looked back worriedly. _That's all that would happen…_

_

* * *

_"Catch these!" Sakura cried, throwing shuriken at him instead. Zaku appeared in front of Dosu and used air pressure to send them back. Sakura gasped as her hair was roughly tugged backwards. Kita growled and went to help, but the kunoichi just stepped on her, holding her down with her foot.

"My, my, what soft and shiny hair… But you know what? If you spent a little less time shampooing and a little more time practicing your jutsu, you might not be in this mess." Kita growled, her claws scratching at the ground as she tried to get out. "Hey Zaku, I know what'd be fun; let's make miss beauty queen watch as you finish off Kari and that Sasuke guy"

"Why not, sounds like fun to me" Zaku said as Kita's snarls got louder and her attempts of escape more frantic. Sakura tried to move but was yanked back.

"Don't even think about it" the kunoichi sneered.

"Sakura-chan… Kari-hime… Kita-chan…" Lee said weakly. Tears started to run down Sakura's face.

_It's no use… I have no strength left… Way to go Sakura, you let everybody down again! What good are you?! Even now, when the others really need me, I cave. How many times have they saved my neck? You'd think that maybe, just this once, when it's life or death, you'd think that just maybe, I could come through!_

"Ok, let's do this" Zaku said, slowly walking towards Sakura's unconscious team-mates. Kita struggled harder, yelping when the kunoichi applied more pressure to her delicate spinal cord and ribs, but she just fought harder, though it was clear she was tiring.

_Okaa-san! I need to get to Okaa-san!!_

A light purple fog was starting to radiate off Sasuke, coming from his cursemark.

"_Man this thing is about to get really ugly_!" Shikamaru hissed.

_What do I do, what do I do?!_ Ino thought desperately.

"C'mon" the kunoichi snorted when Sakura pulled out a kunai, her eyes tightly shut. "It's pointless, that won't work on me." Sakura smirked and looked round.

"It's not meant for you…"

"What the?!"

Sakura brought the kunai to the back of her head, slicing straight through her beloved, silky, bubblegum pink hair…


	37. Sakura Blossoms and The Cursed Awake

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* * *

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**A/N;** Quite a lot of Japenese in this one, say if it's a yay or nay okay? Translations at the bottom. My birthday soooon :) on 21st Oct, anyone want to give me fanart? Anywho, thanks to The Hiccanator! your review cheered me up and made me giggle, and to all the other faithful reviewers and to my dear imouto.

**Disclaimer:** Naru-chan and his gang are sadly not mine, but as said above, my birthday is very soon :D

**Claimer:** Kari and Kita and the Torai-Kenshi and all revolving around them would be mine. :)

* * *

**Sakura Blossoms, and the Cursed Awake**

_He whispered her name, afraid that he couldn't see her, _

_Then screamed for her, as her hand was ripped from his._

_

* * *

__Sakura sighed sullenly as she watched the Uchiha's back. Noticing the younger girl's distress, Kari had hopped down from Kakashi's back, ruining his moment of relief by saying she'd be back, and jumped to the kunoichi's side._

"_Ne, Kari-chan what am I doing wrong?" Sakura asked hopelessly._

"_Sasuke doesn't show affection towards anyone Sakura-chan, don't let it get you down. He's an ice statue." Kari said glancing at the boy ahead, who was ignoring Naruto._

"_But if I was prettier maybe? I grew my hair long seeing a he likes girls with long hair, I diet to make sure I'm not too fat—Itai!" she was cut off by Kari poking her in the side of the head._

"_Sakura you baka!" Kari scolded with a pout. "Beauty is only skin deep! Guys fall harder for personality, looks only lead to lust, personality makes you fall for the heart" Kari said wisely, a grin spreading across her face. "You got both, so you should be happy!" she giggled and called for Kita, who immediately rushed from Sasuke's side and jumped into Kari's arms. Sakura smiled uncertainly, of course looks mattered. Didn't they?_

* * *

Kin fell backwards unbalanced, freeing Kita who rose to her shaky feet. Sakura's hitai-ate clattered to the ground beside her, making the young wolf look up, to observe a change in the pink kunoichi.

_I've always considered myself, to be a true ninja… I claim that I'm madly in love with Sasuke-kun… I'm always lecturing Naruto acting like I know so much more… I see Kari-chan as a friend, and for a while an equal, thinking that because I know more, that I was more experienced, that I'm stronger… But it's all empty words; because they're always in the lead. Sure, Kari rushes back now and then and encourages me to keep up, but I'm always watching them from the background. Why is that?_

"_It's ok! I've got you covered!" Sasuke cried, appearing in front of Sakura and Tazuna a second after Kari had._

"_Ok, no more Mr. nice guy!" Naruto cried, tightening his headband. _

"_If you lot don't stop crying you'll make me cry" Kari whispered, a weak smile coming to her face as her eyes slowly opened._

_No matter what, those three were always there, protecting me. And Lee… you did more than just __**say**__ you liked me, you __**proved**__ it. We're not even team-mates and you put your life on the line for me. All this time, you've all been teaching me something…_

"_Hey Sakura-chan!" _

_Naruto…_

"_Sakura-chan" _

_Lee…_

"_Smile Sakura!"_

_Kari-chan…_

"_Hn"_

_Sasuke-kun…_

_It's about time I learned the lesson._

Sakura's fist clenched tightly and Kita looked up at her in surprise, amazed by the strength in her eyes.

_It's my turn to take the lead. All of you can watch me from the background!_

"Sakura-chan, Kita-chan… be careful…" Lee whispered before finally giving in and losing consciousness.

"Kin! Finish her!" Zaku cried. The kunoichi pulled out senbon as Sakura made hand-signs. Kin rammed into her, but Sakura poofed into smoke.

"Kawarimi!" Kita took this opportunity to grab the end of Kin's Capri's and pull her off balance causing her to fall onto her stomach. Kita sunk her sharp teeth into the back of Kin's lower leg, holding tight to the muscle. The cub was rather disgusted by the taste of blood but held tight as Kin cursed and tried to get her off. Sakura appeared behind her and shot towards Zaku with kunai in hand. Zaku smirked.

"Kin! Get out of the way!" Zaku cried. Knowing there was no way to pry Kita off in time Kin jumped up with Kita still holding on. Sakura flung the eight kunai between her fingers at him, then quickly began making handsigns.

"Pathetic! Thanks for the present, hope you don't mind if I return it! _**Zankuuha**_!" As expected, Sakura disappeared and a log appeared in her place. She appeared above him, again making hand signs. "You really wanna keep playing this, because I got news for you I'm not falling for it, all right if you insist!" he flung three kunai towards her, than began looking around. "Ok, so where are you gonna go next?" Zaku was startled by a drop of blood falling onto his face. "Nani? No way!" She flew into him, stabbing the kunai into his arm which he used to block his face. With no other way to hold his other arm, she took a leaf out of Kita's book and bit into his arm. "What the?! Are you crazy or something?!" Zaku screeched, hitting her repeatedly with his injured arm. "Get off of me! Somebody get this crazy girl off of me! Get her off!"

Ino watched the blood run down Sakura's face as memory after memory played in her head of when they were younger, back when Sakura was shy and Ino brought her out of her shell. When they fought over Sasuke. When Sakura returned the ribbon that Ino had given her when they first became friends. Tears filled her eyes as she watched her friend being hit over and over, refusing to let go. Finally, she was thrown off.

"Now you're gonna pay!" Zaku hissed.

"_Oh man, this is bad_!" Chouji cried.

"_Well Ino_?" Shikamaru hissed.

"Say so long kid!" Zaku cried, as Sakura lifted herself into a sitting position. Kita appeared beside her, Kin finally having kicked her off. Both were panting with exhaustion, Kita's legs shaking underneath her. Sakura gasped as Ino, and Shikamaru dragging Chouji appeared in front of them. "What's this, the second string?"

"Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Surprised? I swore I'd never let you show me up didn't I?" Ino said.

"What are you guys thinking?! These guys are too dangerous!" Chouji cried frantically.

"It's troublesome, but we have to do this" Shikamaru said. "Since Ino revealed herself, we men can't just run away."

"Sorry to get you two involved, but we're a three man team remember?" Ino said with a chuckle.

"Oh well, whatever happens, happens." Shikamaru said with a smile of defeat.

"No! I don't want do die yet!" Chouji cried. He turned and tried to escape.

"They're popping up from everywhere… but I think we're forgetting something aren't we?" Dosu asked, a clear smirk in his voice…

* * *

Kari's eyes opened a fraction, then closed again as a stinging sensation burned them. She became aware that she was lying in cold shallow water, yet didn't feel particularly cold herself. With a stupendous effort, she sat up, droplets of water running down her left side, then rose to her feet.

"Oh ho ho, sleeping beauty finally gets her fat fucking fass up!"

"Shh! She had a rough battle."

Kari felt too drained and exhausted to be surprised there were voices around her. She felt dazed, wondering if she was dreaming. Her half open eyes began to slowly adjust to the dim light, until she became aware of golden bars in front of her. Slowly turning her head she saw these bars all around her, she was in the middle of an almost circle, save for a dark corridor on one side. Her ears lightly twitched at the sound of clinking chains and her lips finally parted.

"Dokomadehanashimashita ka?" her soft, hollow voice echoed slightly as she asked where she was, and a harsh, taunting laugh answered her.

"Aren't you bloody intelligent" it sneered.

"Dare desu ka?"

"You're in the chamber of the Torai-Kenshi little one, we're the Torai-kenshi." A softer voice answered.

"You're that voice…"

"Kari. You need to know about us now, you're not safe anymore, you're out of balance."

"Ah Kokoro-chan, Kari-chan needs time to adjust to us" the softer voice said.

"She doesn't _have_ time."

"Ha! People are gonna die soon!" the harsh voice said with glee.

"Hush Kumouri-chan!"

"Don't you fucking '_hush Kumouri-chan'_ me Miss Sunshine flows out my fucking ass!" the harsh voice snapped menacingly.

"Dou shitteru?"

"Baka, are you deaf or just fucking stupid!" the harsh voice scoffed, finding Kari's question to why she was there insulting.

"_Language_ _Kumouri_!"

"Kari, can you see our chakra?" Her eyes having adapted, Kari could see huge blazes of chakra, reddish black was to her right, silvery white in front of her, gold to her left.

"Hai…"

"The gold is Kitai; Tenno Shichi Kitsune, the dark red is Kumouri; Kageno Rokubi AkumaInu. The white is me, Kokoro; Shizenno Gobi GensoOokami."

"Good, evil, neutral."

"Exactly." Kokoro replied. "You're here because of the curse mark Orochimaru placed on you—"

"_**HOW DARE HE! HOW FUCKING DARE HE TRY TO CONTROL US!!"**_ Kumouri roared, chains and snarls erupting from the right as the chakra grew and Kari picked out a massive mouth filled with sharp, deadly teeth and blood red eyes with slit pupils.

"Kumouri! Behave yourself!" Kitai scolded, her voice strong and controlling as her own eyes blazed white. With violent swearing, Kumouri calmed slightly, her chakra easing. Her red eyes cooled to a steely grey as she layed down on her large, chained paws, her sharp claws like huge talons of a bird of prey. She turned her back on them all, her black shaggy fur camouflaging with the shadows in her part of the cell, grumbling violent threats.

"The mark has added more darkness into your body, the evil feeding Kumouri's power and making her stronger than us. So we can't fully control her anymore. There are going to be times that she will be able to flood your body with her chakra and take over you for a period of time, when you experience extreme negative emotion. It may get better or worse over time, depending on circumstances." Kokoro said with a sigh, sitting down, her white tails curling round her as the ends of her folded wings brushed the cell floor. "We've mostly been able to suppress her until now, except for in Nami, where your friend was killed."

"That was you…" Kari whispered, remembering the surge of power when she thought she lost Sasuke. "Like Naruto with Kyuubi_._"

"Don't mention that fucking baka!" Kumouri hissed, turning her blazing red eyes on them again.

"We can read your thoughts while you're here. Kumouri despises Kyuubi" Kokoro explained while Kitai scolded Kumouri. "While Kitai loves him, Kyuubi having been her mate." Kumouri snorted and turned her back on them again, grumbling about 'baka kitsune'. "That's all for now, if you stay too long our chakra will flood into you."

"So get fucking lost." Kumouri growled.

"Sayonara Kari-chan! Feel free to call on us!" Kitai said happily.

* * *

_Doko desu ka?_ Sasuke wondered looking around him. _Where's Kari?_ He looked round the golden haze to see Kari suspended in mid air, upright, her arms folded over her chest, her head limp and her hair swirling slowly as though in water. Her eyes were closed and her face was blank.

"Oi, baka." Sasuke said. "Do you know where we are?" Her eyes opened slowly until they reached half way. Her feet touched the ground and her hair fell limp. She still had that blank expression which was starting to irritate Sasuke. She was being too quiet. "Baka" he said going to nudge her but was surprised to see he was holding onto her limp hand. Embarrassed, he tried to let go, but found his hand only tightened around hers when he tried to release it.

"We're unconscious" she said, her voice hollow.

"Daijobu ka?" Sasuke snapped, uncomfortable with the change in her behaviour. She didn't answer, just stared straight ahead. Sasuke stared at her for a moment before following her gaze, only to catch sight of a younger boy. "Who is that?" he asked glancing at Kari.

"That's you" she answered simply. Looking again, Sasuke saw she was right.

"The young me?"

"You're hurting…" she whispered, her grey eyes locked on Sasuke's past self.

"_Okaasan and Otousan didn't have to die_" the younger Sasuke said angrily. There was the sound of water hitting the ground and flashes of Sasuke's dead parents appeared before their eyes. Sasuke's eyes widened and his grip tightened around Kari's limp hand. "_Everyone was killed_." It got dark and Sasuke's dead parents appeared between the present and past Sasuke bathed in a red light. "_Because I didn't have enough power… The clan was wiped out… If you don't have power… You can't do anything!_"

"Iie…" Kari whispered as she began to tremble. Sasuke looked round at her to see tears swimming in her eyes. She put her free hand to her forehead as her knees shook, threatening to give way. "Don't take him away" she begged.

"_No, you let them die"_ the younger Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Usotsuki, usotsuki, he didn't mean it, he couldn't do anything, there was no other way!" Kari cried her voice cracking with sobs.

"_You just watched them die_…" he said placing his hand on his left eye.

"_**URUSAI!**_" Kari screamed, trying to tug her hand out of the present Sasuke's as tears spilled out of her eyes. "_**YAMERO!!**_ Nigete Sasuke!_ Nigete yo_! _**Onegai**_!!"

"_If only I had power_." The young Sasuke pulled down the skin of his eye to reveal a haunting yellow eye lined with purple. There was a fierce tug on his hand.

"**SASUKE**!" Kari screamed as shadows wrapped round her, dragging her away from him. Sasuke grabbed her wrist with his other hand as he struggled to hold onto her. "_**SASUKE IIE**_!"

"Kari, **KARI**! Don't let go!" Sasuke shouted as her hand began to slip between his fingers. "_**KARI!**_"

"_If you don't have power, what's to stop you from losing her too?"_

"Kari, hold on!" Sasuke cried frantically as he held desperately to her fingers. Her eyes dulled and darkened, drops of red streaking across her pale face. "KARI!" Sasuke shrieked as he was holding onto her fingertips. His wide eyes became slightly moist as his heart burned inside his chest. "Don't you leave me too…" he said weakly.

"Sasuke…" Kari whispered a soft smile gracing her face as Sasuke struggled to hold onto her. "I'd never leave you alone…" and with that last word, she was snatched from him, the shadows swallowing her whole, turning a deaf ear to Sasuke's desperate scream.

"_If only you had power… Sou kawai…"_

"**_KARI!!_"**

* * *

"**K—**_**KARI-CHAN**_!" Sakura cried, jumping to her feet and trying to rush past Ino's team and go to Kari's rescue. Kita was caught by the scruff and held in Chouji's large hands.

"Good job Dosu" Zaku said smirking, lifting the limp girl out of his comrade's arms. He then turned and slammed her back into a tree. "Come on ko musume, time to wake up!" Despite Sakura's scream, Kari didn't react. She had a blank expression on her pale face and didn't move at all.

"Tch, sleeping beauty looks too perfect. Mess her up Zaku" Kin said scathingly.

"Jealous eh, Kin? Her screams should wake Sasuke up don't you think?" Zaku said smirking. "Wakey wakey" he pulled out a kunai and held it to her cheek, causing a sliver of blood to run from the broken skin. Kari didn't stir. Zaku's smirk faded into a scowl as he instead slowly plunged the kunai between two of Kari's ribs. Sakura screamed for him to top, but again Kari didn't react. Irritated, Zaku moved down a rib and stabbed her again. "Wake up shimatta!" he cried, becoming angry. He stabbed her again, then came to her wound. A devilish smirk came to his face as he placed his kunai in the gash and twisted it. Kari's brow furrowed as she frowned slightly in discomfort. "What's wrong with this kid?" he snarled. _Why won't she wake up and scream?!_ He moved his bloody kunai to her shoulder and slid it down her arm, tearing her skin and leaving a trail of blood in his wake until he reached her palm. He then repeated the gesture with her other arm, leaving her mangled and bloodstained. "Don't look so perfect now do you?!" he shouted. "Are you dead or somethin' eh?! Wake the hell up!"

"What the hell has she done to you eh?!" Ino cried.

"Ino! I don't want to die!" Chouji cried.

"Tch, you're still here? You can run if you want, _**fatty**_" Zaku sneered. Chouji froze and straightened up.

"What… did that person just say? I couldn't hear him too well…" Shikamaru stared worriedly. _Those words are taboo for Chouji… _"If he says it one more time…"

"I said you could go run off in the woods if you want you _fat ass!_"

_**Fat ass!**_

_**Fat ass!**_

_**FAT ASS!**_

"_**I'M NOT FAT! I'M BIG-BONED!!"**_ Chouji bellowed. With a blast of chakra he prepared himself. _**"HOORAY FOR BIG-BONED PEOPLE!!"**_

"Yoooosh! You understand that this is a fight between Konoha and Oto, ne?!" Chouji cried, fire burning in his eyes.

"Man, this is going to be troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, not sharing in Ino's delight in Chouji being extremely pissed off. Sasuke let out a long painful groan, attracting Sakura's tear filled eyes back to him.

"Sasuke-kun" she whispered, sensing his pain. The hand that had until a moment ago clutched Kari was balled into a tight fist, the knuckles white, droplets of blood running from his palm where his fingernails had pressed into the skin.

"Ka…" he mumbled hoarsely, his face crumpling slightly.

"Sakura." Ino said sternly, catching the anxious kunoichi's attention. "You look after them two and the puppy, we'll get Kari back." Sakura stared for a moment in awe before smiling and nodding, putting trust in her old friend. "The Ino team is going to go with everything they have!" Ino cried confidently. Chouji shouted his approval while Shikamaru discreetly rolled his eyes. "Formation! Ino!"

"Shika!"

"Cho!"

"Go for it Chouji!" Ino cheered.

"Okay! Baika no jutsu!" Chouji cried, his torso expanding into a large ball. "And Konoha style hand-to-hand combat—!" Chouji's arms, legs and head disappeared into his body, creating a ball. "MEAT TANK!!" With a jump, Chouji started spinning, hurtling towards Zaku.

"What is this? It's just a fat ass rolling" he sniggered. He glanced back at Kari, who had a slither of blood running from the corners of her mouth. "I'll get back to you later…" he whispered, grabbing the front of her shirt and tossing her to the side. "Zankuuha!" air shot out of the holes in his palms, trying to push Chouji back. He increased the air pressure but Chouji shot upwards. Realising his attack was useless, Zaku watched helplessly as Chouji shot down towards him. Dosu ran towards him to aid him.

"Ninpou; Kage Mane no jutsu!" Shikamaru managed to catch his shadow stopping him in his tracks.

"My body!" Dosu cried, realising his paralysis. Zaku managed to jump out the way of Chouji's attack. Dosu was shocked as his arms moved over his head into a monkey like pose.

"Dosu?! What are you doing?!" Kin asked, she gasped noticing Shikamaru in the same pose.

"This must be the shadow bind jutsu…" Dosu said.

"Ino, now it's up to you women" Shikamaru said, twisting his hands and watching Dosu's do the same.

"Okay, Shikamaru take care of my body" Ino said confidently. Shikamaru made a bored grunt of acknowledgement.

"Ninpou; Shintenshin no jutsu!" Ino said. Shikamaru caught her as she fell sideways, her conscious mind having invaded Kin's. Meanwhile, Zaku dodged another of Chouji's attempts to squash him flat.

"Kin!" Zaku cried, looking for assistance.

"Doushita?!" Dosu cried when she didn't reply. Kin looked up and placed a kunai to her throat, smirking widely.

"This is it!" she cried. "If you move, this Kin girl is dead! If you don't want to retire, leave your scroll and get out of here! Once you two back off far enough so that we can't feel your chakra, I'll let this girl go." To Ino's surprise though, Dosu and Zaku just laughed. "Chouji!"

"Okay!"

"No!" Sakura cried in warning. "They're trying to—" but she was cut off by Kin getting thrown into a tree by Zaku's air attack. To Shikamaru's horror, blood started running from Ino's mouth.

"I'm dizzy…" Chouji mumbled as he shakily rose to his feet, his hands clamped over his mouth.

"What's wrong with them? They hurt their own team-mate." Ino said through Kin.

"Heh, you took us too lightly" Zaku sneered.

"Our purpose is not a dumb scroll or to get through this exam." Dosu added. "it's Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan! Oh…?" Shikamaru glared as his technique reached it's time limit and Dosu was released. "I see your Shadow Bind technique can only be used for five minutes at most."

"It's not '_Shadow Bind_' it's Shadow Immitation!" Shikamaru corrected.

"And that girl's technique, it seems that she can slip inside another's mind and take control of their body. Seeing that blood from her mouth, if we kill Kin that girl will die…"

"You'd kill a team-mate?" Shikamaru asked with disgust.

"If we have to, yes" Zaku replied, opening his hand and directing it toward Kin.

"This is over…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Damniiiittt…" Chouji complained.

"Close, you almost had us" Zaku commented, getting to his feet.

"You let your guard down…" Dosu said.

"Hn. How disgusting." Kita's ears pricked and her tail immediately set into a light wag.

"Neji-san!" the little wolf cried in delight. "TenTen-chan!"

"The mere sound-nin. Acting like victors by defeating those second class ninja and a small cub."

"Kyaaa! Kita-chan is not small!" Kita cried indignantly.

"They're from Lee-san's team…" Sakura said in surprise.

"Lee!" TenTen cried, noticing him unconscious on the ground.

"Looks like he's screwed up…" Neji said. Glancing down he saw Kari lying on her side also out cold. _If he found that they layed so much as a finger on her he'd murder them with his bear hands…_

"Kari-chan's out too" Tenten cried worriedly.

"You guys keep coming out like roaches!" Zaku sneered.

"That bobbed hair kid there is on our team and the wolf girl is our apprentice." Looking back down at Kari he noticed a trail of blood coming from her mouth. At once, veins throbbed on the sides of Neji's face in rage. "Looks like you went overboard with them!"

"His eyes! They look like they can see everything there is!" Dosu cried at the sight of Neji's Byakugan.

"If you continue to fight, we will fight with everything we have." Neji said, his voice deep and controlling. He lowered it slightly, so it came out as a bitter, harsh whisper. "_**Nobody**__ hurts her._"

"Neji? Doushita?" TenTen cried, seeing that he had frozen with a look of surprise.

"Hn, if you don't like what we're doing, stop showing off and come down here." Dosu challenged.

"Iie" Neji replied with a small smirk. "It seems that I don't need to anymore…" Dosu gasped as he felt two blazes of extraordinary chakra erupt around him.

* * *

Sasuke clenched his fists as he furiously fought back the stupid tears that swam in his eyes. '_I'd never leave you alone'_. He could still feel her fingers slipping through his, making him feel cold and lost. He grit his teeth and screwed his eyes shut.

'_Never_'

"Kari…" Sasuke whispered, his rage burning through him. _No one will take you away…_ Sasuke's fists clenched tighter as a mature Sharingan blared before his eyes. _Not even you aniki!_

A purple haze surrounded Sasuke as he slowly stood.

"Sasuke-kun! You woke up—!?" Sakura was cut off when she saw the evil chakra surrounding him. Her head spun round, only to see a violety red haze swarm around Kari. "K-Kari-chan?!" The chakra swirled around them, Sasuke started to straighten and Kari also slowly began to rise.

"O-okaa-san!" Kita cried worriedly.

"Ore wa… Sasuke-kun?" Ino said through Kin in surprise. Neji's eyes narrowed as burning, fiery marks made their way across the left side of Sasuke's and Kari's bodies simultaneously. He heard a barely audible cry from Kari at this and his mind was filled with worry that she was in pain. But he didn't become stressfully worried until he heard her speak.

"Sakura." She said, her voice hoarse and hollow but with an echo of a fierce, enraged snarl. "Who did that to you and who injured Kita."

"Okaa-san I'm fine, honest!" Kita said, afraid of her mother's sudden change in behaviour. "We protected you from the bad Oto-nin! And, and InoShikaCho helped too!"

"K-Kari-chan" Sakura whispered, fearful of the change her friend had undergone. Her face was hauntingly blank and still deathly pale. Her eyes were a deep red, almost like the Sharingan, but more like the blood that was running down her side. Her pupils were slitted, her hair lightened to a silver. But the way she spoke… It lacked the infectious cheeriness that usually brought a smile to anyone's face, it was hollow and murderous.

"Sakura… who did that to her?" Sasuke said, in a low and angry hiss. "Who hurt Kari?" Sakura turned to Sasuke only to be met by a raging Sharingan. "Answer me" he demanded.

"Sasuke-kun, your— and Kari-chan, your body" Sakura whispered, her eyes flowing over his now black markings.

"Don't worry it's just the power… I can feel it surging inside me" Sasuke replied. Kari slowly slouched backwards, until her back found the support of a thick trunk, the same one she had been slammed against. "I'm feeling good right now… He gave it to me."

"Nani?" Sakura asked as Kari let out a low growl, her canines lengthening inside her mouth.

"I finally understand now. I'm an avenger. I must obtain power no matter what, even if I must let the devil take hold of my body." Sasuke said firmly. Kari winced as Kumouri's mocking laughter rang in her ears.

_Let me take over his body?! What desire would I have to do that?!_

"Sakura, say it! Who hurt you both? Who the hell hurt Kari?!" Sasuke demanded.

"I did!" Zaku cried smirking. Simultaneously, Sharingan and fierce red eyes turned on the cocky oto-nin.

"Ino!" Shikamaru shouted from the bush. "You're going to get confused as the enemy! Return to your own body! Chouji, you come here too, we're going to hide!"

"Okay!"

"Kai!"

At once, Ino began to stir, having returned to her own body. Chouji jumped in the bush on Shikamaru's other side.

"Shikamaru, what's going to happen now?" Chouji whined.

"How would I know?!"

"You… you hurt her…" Sasuke growled as the marks spread across the rest of his body, mirroring Kari's perfectly.

"And my team-mate Kin battered your little white rat" Zaku added, with a smirk at the unsteady Kin. Dosu shot him a warning look, etched with terror which was ignored. Kari's chakra doubled as Sasuke's increased slightly. Kari lightly groaned as she grimaced, her clawed hand grasping her side, her eyes alight with a crimson flame.

_Kill them, kill them! Let's bathe in blood! Blood, blood, BLOOD!_

"Th-This is too much for us! Their chakra is too huge and, her bloodlust, it's overwhelming!" Dosu cried in horror.

_Make them pay Kari-chan! Kill them, kill them!_

Kari appeared at Sasuke's side as a maniacal smirk began to spread across her face, her fangs on show as her glowing ruby irises fixed on the enemy.

_Fight her Kari-chan! Don't listen to Kumouri!_

_Kill, KILL!_

"Dosu! Don't be afraid of that guy and the half-dead little girl!" Zaku cried, slamming his hands together and preparing to attack.

"No Zaku! Don't you understand?!" Dosu shouted as Kari's smirk widened, her hair blowing about as a fierce wind kicked up around her.

"Go on, dare you" she whispered, the echo of a growl in time with her voice, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I'll kill them all! I'll finish this in a flash!" Zaku cried. Sakura looked from him to her team-mate's in horror as Naruto's brow furrowed and he murmured in his sleep. "_**ZANKYOKUKUUHA!**_" a huge burst of air shot a t Sasuke and Kari with the force of a tornado, Shikamaru pulled his team-mate's heads down and TenTen and Neji clung to the tree, the Hyuuga's eyes struggling through the dust and wind trying frantically to see if Kari was alright.

"Heh, blew them to pieces." Zaku commented as the dust cleared, not a shred of team seven in sight.

"Dare ka?"

Zaku gasped and went to turn but was thrown aside by a viscous backhand from Sasuke. Kari smirked and set down Naruto and Kita, but her smirk faded and her eyes blazed as she turned to the Oto-nin.

"Zaku! …They're fast, on top of that they moved instantly, even when holding their comrades…" Dosu said fearfully. They gasped as Sasuke made rapid handsigns.

"Katon; Housenka!" Sasuke cried, blowing small fireballs at them.

"Don't get so cocky, I'll erase it!" Zaku said, opening his hands to blow the fire out, but he didn't count on their being shuriken hidden in the flames. "Nani?!"

"Zaku! Below you!" Dosu cried in warning as Sasuke shot behind Zaku pulling his arms behind his back.

"Nyeh, how come you get the fun?" Kari said teasingly. With a huff she appeared next to Kin before slamming her into the tree. She turned to kin, her frightful smirk back in place. "You seem to have caused the loss of some of my friend's hair…" she grabbed a handful of hair at the back of Kin's head and twisted her, shoving her face into the tree. "I think I should repay you, I'll even throw in a little interest hmm?" Kari asked, a kunai sliding into her hand and being pressed into Kin's neck. "Just a question of whether I should make it quick or slow…" Kari chuckled and glanced back at Sasuke, smirking wider seeing he was about to rip Zaku's arms out of their sockets. "But I'll let you watch a little show first" she through Kin to the floor and placed a foot on the back of her shoulders, then holding onto the end of her hair, yanked the kunoichi's head up, so her wide fearful eyes would see everything that's happening.

"You seem to be proud of these arms…" Sasuke said to Dosu, catching Kari's eye and smirking.

"Yamero—_**AGHH!!**_" Zaku screamed as Sasuke pressed his foot into Zaku's back and dislocated his arms with a sickening cracking and popping noise. Sakura let out a hushed scream, as she peered though her fingers with tear-filled eyes. Zaku fell down, twitching slightly in pain.

"Oh? She passed out" Kari said with a pout looking at the limp kunoichi. Her blazing eyes turned to Dosu, "That just leave's you for me to have fun with… you seem to like your arm too, and your postures terrible, I should straighten out your back" Kari chuckled, her snarl dripping with mockery.

"You better entertain us better than the other two…" Sasuke sneered. They both began to walk towards him, Kari carelessly dropping kin and pressing her face into the ground as she headed towards Dosu.

"That isn't…" Sakura whimpered hoarsely as her eyes began to fill with tears. "That isn't… that isn't… the Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan I know!"

There was a simultaneous shriek from Kita and Sakura across the clearing of '_**YAMERE!**_' as Kari and Sasuke were stopped in their tracks. Sakura threw her arms around her beloved, holding tight to Sasuke as her tears began to soak into the back of his shirt. At the same time, Kari was held firm by Neji, his strong arms embracing her to his chest, stopping her from continuing her murderous rampage. At once, Kari slackened, her hair deepened to gold, the marks receded and her eyes dulled to a deep grey. Sasuke turned his Sharingan on Sakura with a fierce glare, but she wouldn't let go, just staring back with wide streaming eyes. He looked away until his eyes met Kari, who's expression mirrored Sakura's but with more intensity, and a pure, sheer horror, that no scream could ever sound.

* * *

**Translations:**

_"Dokomadehanashimashita ka?"_ - Where am I?

"_Dare (desu) ka?_" - Who (are you)?

"_Dou shitteru?_" - Why am I here?

"_Tenno Shichi Kitsune_" - Seven-tailed Fox of the Heavens

_"Kageno Rokubi AkumaInu"_ - Six-tailed Devil-Dog of the Shadows

_"Shizenno Gobi GensoOokami"_ - Five-tailed Elemental Wolf of Nature

_"Doko desu ka?"_ - A shorter version of 'Where am I?'

"_Daijobu ka?_" - Are you alright?

_"Usotsuki"_ - Liar

"_Urusai!_" - Shut up!

_"Yamero/Yamere!_" - Stop it!

_"Nigete!" - _Run away!

_"Onegai" - _Please

"_Sou kawai"_ - How sad/pathetic

"_ko musume_" - Girlie/bitch

_"Shimatta!"_ Damn it!

"_Doushita_?" - What's wrong?

* * *


	38. Womoji no

**A/N:** I managed to squeeze this out before my birthday even though I'm on work experience. Thank you for the wonderful reviews, they really cheered me up and sped me along! Keep it up! :D

**Disclaimer:** No, one doesn't own Naruto, becausehe would have dragged Sasuke ass back to Konoha by now and Itachi would be in a nunnery or something because he is a saint. No, I'm still not over Uchiha Itachi's premature death :(

**Claimer**: Check the dog tags, Kari and Kita are mine.

**Jap: **Chotto matte - Wait a minute, Uso - Lie.

* * *

**Womoji no**

_**Out of Character**_

* * *

_He held her tightly as he tried to stay strong,_

_Each crimson tear like a needle tearing straight through his heart._

* * *

With a cry, she turned in Neji's arms and threw herself on him, her face hidden in his chest. "Onegai… yamete, for Kari-chan…" Sakura begged her arms tightening round Sasuke's stomach. His marks receded as he stilled in Sakura's arms and he fell to his behind, bringing Sakura to her knees beside him. Neji slowly slid until his knees hit the ground, holding Kari's violently trembling body close to him, trying to stay calm in spite of what he had just seen.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said as she supported him in a sitting position. He was panting with exhaustion, his body feeling like lead. He looked round, his obsidian eyes tired and lost, until his eyes fell upon Kari. He couldn't see her face, but the way her body was curled up to Neji's her face pressed into his chest as he held her body on his lap, she was obviously terribly shaken and upset. He wanted to go and take her out of the Hyuuga's arms and into his own, so _he_ could be the one to comfort and protect her, but a stranger was in his place, and he knew without being told, that he was one of the last people she needed right now and would only make things worse.

"You're strong" Dosu said, speaking up. Sasuke, Sakura and Neji looked round as Kita limped over to Kari and pawed at her knee. "Sasuke-kun, we cannot defeat you or Kari-chan." Dosu said, holding out his earth scroll. He then placed it on the ground. "Let's make a deal… Please let us leave for now." He walked over to Zaku, slinging his broken arm over his shoulders. "We may be asking for too much, but we have something to confirm." With his other arm, he picked up Kin's limp body. "In return I promise you this, if we are to fight each other in this exam for the second time, we will not run or hide…"

"Matte!" Sakura cried. "Who is Orochimaru? What does he want with Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan? Why _them_?!"

"I do not know. We were just ordered to kill them." Dosu replied, with that, he turned with his team-mates, and left.

"Ne, Okaasan! I'll go see if Naruto-kun's ok!" Kita cried, deciding that Naruto would be a good person to cheer her poor Momma up.

"Hey are you okay?!" Chouji called from the bushes.

"It's troublesome, Ino, you take care of that guy" Shikamaru said, motioning towards Lee. She nodded and ran towards him as Shikamaru and Chouji followed Kita and headed towards Naruto. TenTen dropped down beside Neji and Kari, startling the wolf girl and making her tighten her hold on Neji.

"Kari-chan…?" TenTen asked, reaching her hand out to brush Kari's hair out of her face so she could see her, but a violent flinch stopped her in her tracks. "Kari-chan doushita?" she asked worriedly. Kari turned her wide eyes onto TenTen making the girl gasp and look at Neji with worry.

"What is it?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

"She's crying..." Tenten whispered in surprise. "She's crying blood Neji."

"Impossible" Neji said, dismissing it immediately.

"Look though" TenTen said, motioning towards their friend. With surprising gentleness and care, Neji's hands cupped her cheeks and slowly eased her away from his chest. His breath was lost in his lungs as his keen eyes took in her bloodshot eyes and her crimson stained face. "See?" TenTen said anxiously, biting her bottom lip. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know" Neji said quietly, observing her face. Her wet eyes were locked on his face, wide with a sort of fear the Hyuuga had never seen before, she was horribly pale, almost like a corpse, her cheeks and lips lacking the flushed rose colour that gave her an angelic, healthy innocence.

"N-Neji!" TenTen cried in alarm, immediately catching his attention. "Neji's she bleeding!" out the corner of his eye, Neji noticed blossoming crimson stains across his beige shirt that wasn't coming from him. His hands trailed down her sides, his right meeting a large amount of thick blood. "Her arm! No—_both_ her arms!" TenTen cried, grabbing her left arm, next to her bleeding side.

"What the hell happened?!" Neji hissed as TenTen pulled out her supply of bandages and began hurriedly wrapping her wounds. "Kari what happened to you?"

"Neji, she's upset" TenTen scolded, lifting up Kari's shirt and motioning for Neji to hold it for her. He looked away out of manners, even though her torso was already bandaged, letting TenTen wrap her up, trying to ignore TenTen's curses and words of comfort for Kari. "Neji, can you do her other arm? I'm going to go help with Lee." TenTen said, handing him the linen. He nodded as she walked off and took Kari's hand in his. The ninja hadn't cut the vein, much to Neji's relief, but had left a nasty cut all the way down Kari's arm. She was dainty so the wound was quite deep on her. With as much care as he could muster, starting at her shoulder he wrapped her arm down to her palm, trying his best not to cause her any unintentional pain. She watched him with those big bloodshot eyes, yet didn't make a sound.

"Daijobu ka?" Neji asked as he reached into his pouch and grabbed his canteen. He soaked a spare, clean piece of bandage and gently wiped the blood off her face. He finally finished at her jaw, wiping the blood from her lips and put the bandage and canteen in his pouch. "You had me really worried for a while there." He admitted awkwardly, he wasn't good at this… Her breath hitched as her eyes became bloodshot again. "Iie, iie, no more crying Kari-chan" he said, wiping her fresh red tear away with his thumb. She buried her face in his chest again, her arms locking round him. He sighed, one arm supporting her back while the other stroked her golden hair, his cheek resting against the top of her head.

* * *

"Ne… Sakura-chan watch out. No, I'll save you Kari-chaaaaan..." Naruto mumbled in his sleep, a gushy smile on his face.

"What should we do with him?" Shikamaru asked as Kita pressed her paw into Naruto's cheek, causing drool to spill out the other side. "...Let's kick him awake."

"Can I do it?" Chouji asked hopefully.

* * *

"What was I…?" Sasuke asked, gripping his shaking hand and staring at it in horror. "Kari…?" he asked, looking round at her again.

"They're bandaging her injuries Sasuke-kun, she-she'll be fine" Sakura said, trying to reassure him.

* * *

"_**GYAAAANANANAAAA!!**_" Naruto shrieked holding his head in pain. Kita wagged her tail happy the stick she found ended up useful; after all it was _her_ stick that Chouji used to smack Naruto on the head and wake him up. Kita had been praised by the larger boy for her intelligence and she was feeling very proud indeed.

Now awake, Naruto looked around suspiciously, he noticed Sakura and Sasuke sitting to one side, Ino supporting Lee, Neji comforting _his_ Kari-chan (_the nerve!_) and then it hit our little knucklehead ninja why he had been out cold in the first place. "_**AAAH!!**_ **MINNA**! Hide—_**NO**_! Get down!" Naruto shrieked, performing the fastest belly flop ever seen as he dived to the ground. "Where is he shimatta, dattebayooo?!" Naruto whined crawling along the floor and looking around for any sign of that mean, nasty, _snakey_ grass-nin while Kita watched in amazement, standing between ShikaCho of InoShikaCho, whom she was rather fond of.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked as she and Sasuke looked round. Sasuke was instantly drawn out of his terror, so not to be mocked by Naruto. His fist clenched as he looked over at Kari. "Daijobu Sasuke-kun?"

"She's not laughing…" Sasuke said, more to himself than her. "Kari always laughs and smiles at whatever Naruto does…"

"You're right…" Sakura said sadly, looking over at Kari who was holding tight to Lee's team-mate. She hadn't let go of him yet, and the pink kunoichi was worried that she'd been crying. _Kari **never** cries, she **hates** it when she cries_…

"You're pretty dumb aren't you?" Shikamaru asked as Chouji poked Naruto's sore head with the offending stick. "Actually, _watching_ you pisses me off…" Naruto suddenly gasped.

"**SAKURA-CHAN!!**" he cried, scrambling to his feet and rushing towards her. "T-that!! Sakura-chan!! What happened to your _hair_?!"

"Oh this?" Sakura asked, touching her roughly cut, messy hair. "Just changing my image" she softly lied. "I like long hair, but you know it gets in the way when I move around in a forest like this."

"But Kari-chan won't cut her hair because she'll look too much like me!" Naruto said with a chuckle, making Sakura smile and Sasuke snort. He looked round to see Kari with Neji. "_**EHH?! KARI-CHAN? DOUSHITA?!**_" Naruto cried, noticing Neji holding her. "_**ARE YOU HURT?!**_"

"She doesn't feel well" Sakura cut in, knowing if Naruto got worried it would stress Kari out even more. "She's asleep and uh… using him for a pillow, you know what she's like" Sakura lied again.

"Pshhh I'm so much more comfortable" Naruto complained, completely buying it. He looked round at Shikamaru and Chouji. "And why are you guys here anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Explaining to you is too troublesome for me…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Everyone helped us" Sakura said, playing with her hair. Ino watched with a smirk, seeing through Sakura's tough-guy act.

"I'll take him now" TenTen said appearing beside Ino. The younger kunoichi nodded and handed Lee to his team-mate. TenTen grabbed Lee's shoulders and violently shook him back and forth his limp head waving around so much it threatened to fall off. "**_LEEEEEEEEE!!_**" she shrieked, with much experience.**_ "WAKE UP!!_**" She dropped him with a heavy thud and he opened an eye.

"TenTen?" he asked surprised. "Why are you here?"

"We came to help you" she said, crouching down so she was level with him.

"Where did the Oto-nin go?" Lee asked confused, looking around dopily.

"Kari-chan and that Sasuke boy drove them away."

"I see…" Lee said, looking round at Sasuke.

"Why did you take action on your own?" TenTen scolded. "On top of that you're hurt badly! You really are a baka!"

"I can't argue with that…" Lee said sadly, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, looking like a small child.

"**AHA**!" Naruto cried suddenly, rushing over to them. He pointed a finger at Lee. "I know you _bushy-brow_!"

"_**NARUTO!! DON'T TALK LIKE THAT TO LEE-SAN!!**_" Sakura shrieked, delivering the mother of all punches straight to Naruto's jaw and sending him flying a good few feet.

"Naruto's totally out of it…" Shikamaru said irritated.

"He's the type of person who can't become a main character in a story…" Chouji agreed.

"Lee-san" Sakura said, turning to him. "Arigatou. Thanks to you, my eyes are wide open now." She said with a soft smile. "I think I've become a little stronger."

"S-Sakura-san! I-it looks like I need more training." Lee cried, his eyes watering, he quickly wiped them on his bandaged arm. "Sasuke-kun." He turned to Sasuke instead. "You live up to the reputation of the Uchiha-clan. You and Kari-chan drove the Oto-nin away; she couldn't have done it all alone. You show great power and potential. While I lost terribly" Lee said sadly, his eyes dropping to the ground in shame.

_He lost? Were they really that strong?_ Sasuke thought shocked.

"Sakura-san, the lotus of Konoha blooms twice. The next time we meet, I promise I will be a stronger ninja." Lee said with a smile. Sakura returned it, feeling content.

* * *

"Kari-chan" Neji whispered gently. She made an incomprehensible mumble, so Neji assumed she was listening. "I'm going to take you over to the others. I and my team must leave soon." At once her grip on him tightened and her breath choked, she shook her head, her tears smudging on his shirt.

"_Iie, iie don't leave me_!" she begged in a terrified whisper.

"I taught you to be strong, you have to be strong now" Neji said gently, his heart being torn seeing her in such a state.

"Don't leave me here…" she said, her voice breaking and dying in her chest.

"You have to be strong Kari-chan, gomen, but there's no other way. You're a shinobi." Neji said, his left arm sliding under her legs as he stood up, his right arm cradling her to him, her hands tightly gripping the front of his shirt, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

"Neji-kun…" she whispered broken, and he could feel her tears slide down his neck as he carried her towards the others.

"Stop crying, Kita will worry" Neji said with forced firmness, noticing her grip weaken as she slowly gave in, saying no more. Sasuke's eyes watched their every move; he hardly noticed when Sakura went off with Ino to fix her hair. They stopped in front of him, Neji setting her down carefully, his arm wrapped around her back, her head resting on his chest. She was concentrating solely on the rhythm of his heart, her dull, unfocused eyes gazing at nothingness. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he reached to touch her hair, noticing there were patches of red staining it, she flinched horribly, her muscles tensed for flight, but the Hyuuga held her still and whispered hushed words until she calmed. "Uchiha." Neji said sternly suddenly turning to Sasuke, his lavender eyes strong. Sasuke looked at him with his Uchiha arrogance and emotional barriers, regarding the Hyuuga with immediate dislike. "Look after her. She needs it."

* * *

"You sneaky little troll, hugging him back there…" Ino muttered, cutting Sakura's hair with a kunai.

"In public, the one who takes the initiative, wins. _Ino-pig_" Sakura said with a smirk, a spark lighting in her eyes.

* * *

"Neji, let's go!" TenTen called, Lee's arm over her shoulders. Kari's grip tightened again, as a last desperate attempt to persuade him not to leave. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he looked away, secretly hurt that she didn't want his protection instead.

"I have to go now Kari-chan" Neji said with the soft tone he saved solely for her, he took her cold hand off his shirt and held it in one of his, his thumb brushing across the back of her hand. With his other hand, he brushed away a tear that escaped from the dam that was threatening to break at any moment. "I said no more tears" he said, her other hand holding his to her face, not wanting him to leave. "You'll see me when you pass the exam" he said surely, and in a swift, thoughtless moment, his pale eyes closed and his lips touched her forehead.

"He really does care" TenTen whispered with a soft girly giggle. She couldn't deny that she rather liked Neji for a while, but he was such a _**teme**_ she just wouldn't be able to_ stand_ him. But to see him like that, it was heart-warming to say the least.

"Care about what?" Lee questioned.

"Nothing!" TenTen quickly said, starting off into the forest before Lee saw and spurted a speech by Gai-sensei, ruined the moment, or cried and whined that he loved Kari too.

Mortified by what he had just done, Neji turned without another word and prepared to dash off, not wanting to see her expression.

"Neji-kun…!" she cried, stopping him. He half turned, so he could just see her, but could sprint off quickly. A soft smile spread across her face "You're right, as always… Arigatou." Neji allowed her a small smirk, before rushing after his team, a light brush across his face, but a lighter heart and an almost visible smile.

"What's that guy to you?" Sasuke muttered, glaring at the trunk of a tree. Kari looked round at him, she was calmer now and was finally coming out of her sudden depression, but was still wary of him.

"Sempai." She said, also looking away. "Close friend."

"Tch." Sasuke said grumpily.

"Sasuke" Kari said, her voice soft, but once again warm. He looked round with a moody sulky expression and reluctantly turned to face her. "I meant what I said."

"What?" he asked, looking her hard in the eyes. They were lighter now, but still dull, her face marble white. She took his hand, making him slightly uncomfortable.

"I'll…" her eyes half closed. "Never leave you…" her voice softened as her eyes fluttered closed "alone…"

"K-Kari!" Sasuke cried as she slumped forward, falling into his arms. "Sakura! Sakura something's wrong with her!" Sasuke cried in alarm.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto shrieked rushing over.

"Baka! You're the last person we need!" Sasuke snapped as Sakura rushed over.

"I care about her a hell of a lot more than you do!" Naruto retorted.

"It's her fever" Sakura said worriedly. "Just hold her for a while Sasuke-kun, I'll get rid of Ino and the others" Sakura said, walking back over to Ino, knowing she wouldn't be satisfied until Sakura's hair was presentable. Sasuke shifted her into a more comfortable position, so her side was leaning against him, her backside between his legs. Grumbling, Naruto walked off and grabbed Kita and talked to her, most probably ranting and teaching her words Kari would absolutely murder him for in the future. Sasuke pressed his palm against her forehead, but quickly retracted his hand, it wasn't enough to burn him, but it was uncomfortable to touch. He rested his head against hers wearily and at some point, fell asleep.

* * *

"Well we're off" Shikamaru said as he and Chouji gratefully turned to leave. Ino nudged Sakura and whispered her thoughts.

"Do you think there's anything between them two" she asked looking pointedly at Sasuke and Kari, who were asleep together, much to Naruto's displeasure. Sakura looked round, but ignored the doubt her eyes gave her and turned to Ino with confidence.

"Nah" she said. "They've got a love-hate relationship as _friends_." Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Sasuke-kun has a friend?" Ino said sceptically. "No offence to Kari, she's a great kid, but Sasuke-kun doesn't _**do**_ friends."

"Well Kari-chan likes that Neji guy" Sakua said defensively. Ino immediately brightened up.

"Oh yeah!" she cried her light blue eyes gleaming. "They were so sweet together! The way she held on to him, him carrying her…" she sighed dreamily.

"Oi Ino, you coming or what?" Shikamaru questioned. Ino grumbled and shouted at him and finally they left. Sakura sighed tiredly and looked back at Sasuke, whose eyes had half opened. He didn't seem bothered by Kari being in his lap; in fact he seemed strangely content.

**Just** friends.

Maybe _best_ friends.

How Sakura wished she could be where Kari was now…

* * *

"Kage bunshin; fish catching version! Kyaaaa!" the Naruto clones (and Naruto) cried as they dived off the ledge and into the stream. Kari was absentmindedly drawing circles in the water with her fingers; she was lazily laying on her front with her legs bent slightly over her back. Frightened by Naruto's swarming the water, four fish jumped into the air to escape, only to be pierced one by one by Sasuke's kunai.

"Kyaaa! Don't kill the fishies!" Kari shrieked, pushing her body up with her right palm, swinging her leg into the front of Sasuke's ankles before speedily changing hands, spinning round and kicking him in the back of the knees, sending him flying into the river. Naruto cracked up with laughter, accidentally swallowing some water and choking. Sasuke surfaced, with the grandmother of all glares, and in one quick movement, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her in too. Amazed, Kita flew in after Kari.

"Nyaa?! It's wet!" Kita cried as she splashed about. Delighted, Kari steadied her and began teaching her how to swim.

"Move around more, I want some more for preservation purposes" Sasuke snapped at the laughing/choking Naruto. "That isn't enough. I need more _usuratonkashi_."

"KAH! This is really tiring!! Why don't you do it, you're in the freaking water now! A_**nd**_ Kari-chan's sick and you pulled her in! _You_ should have to do it!" Naruto shrieked.

"_Kari-chan I need to check your temperature_!" Sakura called. "_And Sasuke-kun I could use one of your fireballs_!"

"Must I do everything myself?" Sasuke sighed pulling himself out the water. "Oi Kari-baka, come on" he said, watching impatiently as Kita swam in circles round her, her wagging tail helping to speed her along. Kari ignored him, clapping with glee and congratulating her clever little wolf. "Kari **now**." Sasuke growled, pointing at the bank next to him as he sat and watched her. She swam over, crossed her arms on top of his knees and rested her head on them as she looked up at him.

"What's up with you?" she asked. Without giving an answer, Sasuke lifted her out the water and plopped her on the ground. He then stood up, flung her over his shoulder and walked towards Sakura, ignoring Naruto's frustrated shriek of;

"_**CHOTTO MATTE!!**_"

* * *

"It's been four days since the second exam begun…" Sasuke said as they watched the fire (Naruto looking more at the cooking fish). "The second exam began at around 7am. We only have 25 to 26 hours left."

"A lot of teams might have already finished." Sakura added. Naruto grinned as he waited impatiently for the fish to finish cooking, not paying the slightest bit of attention.

"On top of that, Kari's in poor health. That gives us a big disadvantage. Kakashi wasn't kidding when he said it would be more difficult with four people." Sasuke said.

"Oi!" Kari cried offended, pausing in teaching Kita how to count, honestly, she was being made out as a 'disadvantage' when Sasuke was hurt too! Sakura sighed and decided the fish were done and Naruto immediately snatched the biggest. Kari immediately gave hers to Kita, noticing there wasn't enough to feed her cub.

"Baka, you need to keep your strength up." Sasuke said in a scolding tone. "You've barely been awake until today, and you haven't eaten anything the whole time we've been in here."

"Yeah, but I'll just throw it up again. Besides I've drunk a hell of a lot." Kari argued. Silence swept over them for a while, only the sounds of munching could be heard.

"It may be possible that there are no more Heaven scrolls…" Sakura said sadly, half-heartedly taking a bite out of her fish.

"What do you mean Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Four out of the allotted five days for the exam have already passed. That means we used eighty percent of the time for the exam already. Total participants 82; or 27 teams. There are only 13 heaven scrolls and only 13 earth scrolls and one extra and I overheard an examiner say it was an earth scroll, so only _13_ teams can pass. On top of that, you remember right, Sasuke-kun? That Orochimaru guy burnt our Scroll of Heaven. When he did that, only _12_ teams could pass. Also, there's no guarantee that the other scrolls are safe." Sakura said.

"After we split up from the other Konoha guys, we used two days to recuperate. We'll need to increase the distance we make today, the next enemy we meet could be our last chance…" Sasuke said, he paused for a moment, then sighed aggravated looking back at Kari. "Eat the rest of mine, you'll just pass out while we're running, you've hardly been able to move." He shoved his almost finished fish in her face. Just the smell made her stomach churn into knots.

"I'm gonna puke…" Kari said, placing Kita onto Naruto before walking off into the foliage.

"I'll make sure she doesn't get into trouble, and then I'll get some more water." Sasuke said, picking up his canteen as he stood up. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"Uhnn, stupid Sasuke, stupid fish" Kari mumbled as she walked through the bushes, the ground swaying beneath her. She stopped unsteadily before leaning over and chucking up bile. Having been right behind her (without her realising), Sasuke pulled her hair away from her face, looking rather disgusted. She coughed when she was completely empty then began to sink to her knees. Sasuke managed to catch her before she fell into her own sick. "Stupid _everything_…" she mumbled hoarsely.

"Oi daijobu ka?" Sasuke said as he hoisted her onto her unsteady feet. "Can you walk?" Kari huffed, her unfocused eyes looking straight ahead.

"Course I can, I'm not an invalid…" she said before her eyes closed as she fell backwards. Sasuke caught her with difficulty, almost dropping his canteen. "Let go I'm fine…" she mumbled, putting up a weak struggle.

"Like hell you are baka" Sasuke grumbled, lifting up her legs and holding her like a baby, deciding not to go through the trouble of putting her onto his back just so she could throw up down his shirt. "Come on, let's get you some water."

"But I'm fine" she insisted.

"Don't lie to me Kari" Sasuke said as his brows furrowed. "Just hang on a little longer, just one more day and we can get you to a doctor."

"I hate doctors and hospitals and medicines and all that stuff." She said stubbornly, her eyes half opening. Sasuke smirked, almost accidentally making a smile.

"Yeah. So do I."

* * *

"Ano sa, ano sa!" Naruto whispered, picking up the scroll, Kita jumped on top of his head for a better view. "I have a good idea and it doesn't require us to fight, dattebayo!"

"Eh?" Sakura said in surprise as Naruto emptied his pouch, letting three scrolls clatter to the ground. "Are you going to…?"

"Yep, I have a lot of scrolls with me; a ninja techniques manual, a poison manual and a note-taking one. I figured Kari-chan might need them too. If we edit these to make them look like the Scroll of Heaven…"

"Wait!" Sakura cried. "Even if you do that, we don't know what's written inside. If the examiner takes a look inside, she'll find out right away! Baka!" Sakura said as Kita nodded.

"These probably have some sort of passwords on them and you won't know what the password is unless you get both scrolls. In other words, we need the password to pass, something like that! So…?" Naruto cried.

"But it's naughty!" Kita scolded.

"We don't know what's inside, so there's no point in making a fake!" Sakura pointed out. "Geez, I thought you were going to say something better as you were so confident. You didn't think enough" Sakura said.

"But what if we can predict the contents? This Scroll of Earth…" Naruto began.

"Are you planning to…?!"

"We'll try opening this scroll dattebayo—!"

"**NO**!" Sakura shrieked, Kita jumping up as she went to smack Naruto in the head. The wolf landed on his bump, safe and unharmed. "Did you forget the rule, baka?! She told us not look inside the scroll until we get to the tower!"

"Demo! We're in trouble at this rate!" Naruto whined, his eyes watering, trying to put his hands over his sore head, but only succeeding in pressing Kita down onto his head. Sakura went to reply, but couldn't think of a good answer. Both their eyes travelled to the scroll as Kita watched them both, hoping her Okaasan and Sasuke would get back before something bad happened. Naruto picked up the scroll, Sakura watching, but not stopping him.

"No, no, no! Bad Naruto-kun!" Kita cried, jumping off his head. Sakura grabbed her and held her firmly and despite Kita's wriggling, she couldn't break free. "No, no! People will be mad!" Naruto looked back at Sakura, who only nodded. He held the scroll with trembling hands, a drop of sweat hitting the 'Earth' kanji. Naruto's thumb slid under the end and slowly began to lift it up; suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed the scroll.

"You shouldn't do that…" Kabuto said sternly.

* * *

"Do you feel better now" Sasuke asked, as he watched Kari drink from the canteen. She sighed and nodded, allowing him to take it from her and fill it up again. "Do you need anymore?" she shook her head, declining the freshly filled canteen offered to her. "If you're not going to be sick again, get on my back." Sasuke said, standing up.

"I can walk fine" Kari said wearily, giving him a half-hearted glare. Sasuke returned it, and in the end he won, Kari being too tired to argue. "All right, all right, you break your back, I don't care." She said, standing up as best she could and placing her hands on his shoulders. She lifted her legs up and he adjusted her, her legs over his forearms. Once he felt she was secure, he set off, the canteen in hand.

"For the record, you're pretty light. Its one of the reasons you're so fast." Sasuke said, trudging at a steady pace.

"I know, Neji-kun told me." Sasuke huffed and scowled at the mention of the Hyuuga, not liking him at all.

"Is that Hyuuga guy strong?" Sasuke asked, trying not to sound _too_ irritated.

"Yeah, Neji-kun's really good. I haven't beaten him yet." Kari said, her eyes fluttering closed, but she was still awake and listening.

"I want to train with you when we're done with this exam, that Rock Lee guy and Hyuuga are pretty strong, you must have picked things up from them." Sasuke said, planning in his head which training ground would be best.

"Guess, but I'm not as good as them yet."

"That's because you don't have the experience they do" Sasuke said "But even so, you've progressed a lot more than you should have."

"Gee thanks." Kari said sarcastically. Her eyes flew open and her muscles tensed.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked stopping, feeling her go rigid. She pushed her self up, pressing down on his shoulders and flipped over his head, she landed off, but sprinted ahead, back towards Naruto, Kita and Sakura.

"Oi baka! _Kari chotto matte_!"

* * *

"That was clo—!" Kabuto was cut off with a blow to his gut; he flew back into the river, coming up coughing and spluttering.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried. "It's ok, he was here to help—Kari-chan!" he jumped to his feet and caught her as she swayed backwards, breathing uneasily. Kabuto walked onto the bank dripping wet, but didn't seem any worse for wear. Sasuke ran up mistaking Kabuto for an enemy, but Kabuto caught his punch.

"I've already been hit by Kari-chan for coming unannounced, you don't have to too" Kabuto said with an airy smile. "Naruto-kun here was going to take a peek at the contents of your Scroll of Earth, so I stepped in and stopped him." Kabuto explained while Naruto sat down with Kari in his lap, explaining what Kabuto said but in a more Naruto-like dialogue. Sasuke towered over his team-mates (he was standing, they were sitting) and was looked at them with anger and disappointment, this cut Sakura deep and rather offended Naruto, though he was struck with guilt and lowered his head too.

"Kita told them no!" Kita added, not wanting to be told off too, being completely innocent and all.

"I can't believe you guys" Sasuke scolded.

"Those who break the rules will be forced into a situation where they must retire. In the previous exam, the scrolls were made so that those who opened the scroll would see a sleep-inducing inscription. So they'll remain in this forest until the exam ends." Kabuto explained.

"By the way, you're Kabuto right? What are you doing here alone?" Sasuke questioned as Sakura and Naruto stood up, Naruto supporting Kari. Kita was on Naruto's other side, watching her Momma worriedly.

"It's not like I was after your scroll or something." Kabuto said dismissively.

"Right, if you wanted the scroll you could have stolen the scroll from Naruto back there…" Sasuke said.

"Give Naru a break would ya?" Kari said through light panting.

"So, are you after the Scroll of Heaven too?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I already have both, see" Kabuto said, pulling out both a Heaven and Earth scroll. Sasuke gasped. Kari's eyes narrowed, he was too at ease, too open, too confident and on top of that, too friendly. But hey, take what's offered to you if it might benefit you, but like hell is he gonna backstab her team. "A lot happened, but I was headed for the tower to meet up with my teammates." Kabuto turned to leave.

"Matte!" Sasuke cried, Kabuto paused and looked back. "Fight me." Kari's eyes shot towards the higher trees, her ears twitching at the sound of breathing and rustling.

"Fight?" Kabuto repeated.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said reproachfully.

"Baka! Do you know what you're saying?!" Naruto cried defencively.

"Are you serious?" Kabuto questioned.

"Gomen, but we don't have time" Sasuke said seriously.

"Oi Sasuke! Kabuto helped us!" Naruto cried, hardly looking threatening in his boxers (which he had been swimming in when catching the fish).

Sasuke-kun, I don't think that's appropriate either" Sakura agreed, smiling sincerely.

"Urusai!" Sasuke interrupted.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said watching him worriedly.

"We don't have much choice. I told you before; this is the only way we can survive in this forest!" Sasuke said, his coal black eyes fixed on Kabuto.

"Mm, that's a lie." Kabuto said with a confident smile.

"Uso?" Naruto repeated.

"You're not as prepared as you say you are. If you wanted to be more serious about this exam, then why did you need to challenge me? You could have attacked me when I had my guard down instead of declaring a challenge." Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "That's what a ninja is supposed to do."

"This is deep…" Naruto commented. "Dontcha think Kari-chan?" he gave her a light nudge which unsteadied her, but she stood firm on her own, her eyes untrusting, her muscles tensed for movement. One slip up and that guy was going down. She was still listening to the hidden enemy in the trees, but sensed he was solo, so didn't raise the alarm.

"I don't hate you for doing so though. That's why I shall tell you which path to take. But let's talk while we walk. The bonfire's smoke was carrying the smell of grilled fish. If we stick around, wild animals and enemies will come after us." Kabuto said, turning to leave again. Kari watched as Kabuto's eyes glued themselves to the enemies whereabouts. Her eyes narrowed, _this guy wasn't as pathetic as he looked._ "And if that doesn't attract attention, the scent of Kari-chan's blood will. You must have had a rough battle." Kari's eyes widened to a full out glare.

"I'm watching you" she growled, "One slip up and you'll be the one who's leaving blood everywhere" her eyes slowly reddening.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto and Sakura scolded as Sasuke stared in shock. Kari ignored them and picked up Kita who was pawing at her leg worriedly.

"With such injuries it's a miracle you haven't bled to death; it's amazing that you can even move, you shouldn't be conscious." Kabuto said, a slight hint of mockery that only Kari caught. "But I don't blame you for not trusting me, it's a ninja rule to never let your guard down. I just hope I can _earn_ your respect Kari-chan."

"Good luck with that."

"Kari, get on my back, you need to save your strength" Sasuke said, breaking the tension that was thickening the air. Her glare broken by a hacking cough that sounded like she was dragging up her own lungs. She spat out blood. Naruto went to check her, rubbing her back and worriedly questioning her health. She simply said she was fine and left it at that, getting on Sasuke's back. They set off into the trees, worry hidden in the depths of Sasuke's soul.

_Kari was probably the most trusting in the whole team. She was known for being friendly, she kept her doubts mostly to herself, stewing them over in her mind for long periods of time. Sasuke had never seen her so defensive and untrusting, never heard her make serious threats (especially so violent) and the warning that hung in the air afterwards almost choked him of air._

_Looks like she had undergone a drastic change in this forest…_


	39. Jikan to

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A/N:

Sorry this took a while :) Thanks again for the reviews guys, I really appreciate it!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto, the main character would be back in action by now! And Sasuke would be Naruto's slave.

**Claimer:** Kari and Kita belong to their respective owner, me.

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Jikan to

**_Against the clock_**

* * *

 _She laughed and walked over to him, forgetting all about her pain and concentrating solely on his big grin. His smile made everything bad seem unimportant._

* * *

__

"Are you sure there are enemies left?" Sasuke asked as they hurtled through the trees. He adjusted Kari into a more comfortable position, taking note of the tightness of her grip and the rate of her breathing to judge whether her health was worsening. She was holding rather tight, which reassured him, yet could hear the pain in each breath she took.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it. You just need to think a little to understand." Kabuto replied. "In a jungle battle like this or in a forest, do you know the best way to fight?" Kabuto asked.

"No…" Sakura admitted as Naruto pulled a puzzled face. Kita was perched on his shoulder, having been limping since their run in with the Oto-nin and not really up to a load of running.

"The goal of the examinees is the tower at the centre of this forest." Kabuto continued. "That means that on the last day, the easiest place to get a scroll is around that tower.

"I get it! So we're going to lay and wait!" Sakura cried, understanding his logic. "That means were going after the teams that have both scrolls and are heading for the tower."

"That's one-third correct" Kabuto agreed.

"Huh?"

"That means you're not the only one thinking that. People who thought of the same idea should have set traps around the tower" Kabuto explained.

"I got it!" Naruto cried. "That means there are lots of enemies there waiting for us!" A competitive smirk spread across his face. "It's more exciting when there's a handicap. I look forward to it! All we need to do is beat those guys, get the Scroll of Heaven and we're out of here! Dattebayo!"

"Iie, that's still only two-thirds correct." Kabuto corrected.

"So what is the remaining third?" Naruto asked confused.

"We have to think of the '_collectors_' who appear in exams like this." Kabuto said, a frown darkening his face.

"Collectors?" Sakura repeated confused.

"Even if the tower is really close, you're still not safe in this exam" Kabuto explained. "This special situation gives birth to them. In other words, if they meet an unexpected enemy, they keep extra scrolls and give one to the enemy in exchange for going free, or by giving friends who are in the same village a scroll they need, they can gain information to get through the remaining exams quicker, or crush those strong ones who will get to the third exam." He paused for a moment. "As you've probably figured out by now, they're pretty strong. They are the worst enemies you can meet since they are never satisfied."

"I see, I get the reason you came to us" Sasuke said with a smug smirk. "You're afraid of them too right?" Kari's sore eyes finally fluttered closed as she rested her head against the back of Sasuke's neck. Sasuke could feel the heat tingling his skin from her fever and noticed her grip loosen so her hands were just lightly resting on his shoulders. He hoisted her up a bit further so she was more secure as a scowl set onto his face. He was getting more concerned the longer it was taking.

"Hai, but another disadvantage is Kari-chan's poor health. She's in no condition to fight and on top of that she's tiring you by having to be carried." Kabuto added.

"It's not her fault" Naruto immediately cut in. "She's just caught something, she'll be fine after a rest. Besides, it's not like she's Chouji's size eh Sasuke?"

"Still, it will be better if we switched her onto different people after a while, Sasuke you should give her to Naruto and give your back a rest." Kabuto said.

"She's not heavy" Sasuke said in a rather monotone voice. "And Naruto-dobe will drop her."

"**HEY**!" Naruto cried offended.

"And she's asleep" Sasuke added, giving Naruto a glare.

"Another half hour, then you'll switch" Kabuto said decidedly, a silence falling upon them as they hurtled through the trees, a pained grimace spreading across Kari's half-conscious face.

* * *

Night fell, the silhouette of the tower almost black against the dully lit full moon.

"Sa, there's the tower" Kabuto said, as they all paused for a break. Kari had been switched to Naruto, her shallow ragged breaths barely audible to his keen ears. Even Naruto, as ignorant and dim-witted as he tended to be, could see she was very ill and was becoming more and more worried. "This is where things get crucial."

"Then let's go!" Naruto cried with a half-hearted cheer. Kari's eye's shot open as the others became aware of a noise in the clearing.

"An enemy already?!" Sakura cried, spinning round to where she heard something. In a flash, Naruto sent a kunai shooting narrowly past her bubblegum pink locks and hit something with a disgusting, squelchy, thud. That something; turned out to be a humungous centipede that was nearing the side of the gigantic snakes team seven had come to loathe.

"Oh? It's just a centipede" Naruto said simply. Sakura shivered, goosebumps spreading across her skin.

"It's huge, those legs are just creepy" Sakura groaned, inching closer to an unphased Sasuke. Kari slid off Naruto's back and threw up her stomach juices, having not been able to successfully keep anything down. Naruto pulled her hair out of her face and rubbed circles across her back, asking if she was alright. Everyone was surprised to say the least by this _helpful_ behaviour.

"Naruto-kun" Kabuto said, turning to him. "I want to avoid careless actions and unnecessary noises from here on out. If we go through this forest making noises like an elephant it's the same as signalling to everyone that we're coming. We will receive a passionate welcome." Naruto nodded unnerved, as Kari sat down (a fair amount of distance away from her vomit) with a rather ungraceful flop. "And as well as that, if Kari can get more rest and regain a little more strength, that's sure to come in handy. We will hide and move as slowly as time allows." There was a chorus of quiet "_okay_"'s from Kari's team, Kita crawled onto her lap and Kari lifted her into her arms, irritated by her exhaustion and lack of strength. She frowned and closed her tired eyes.

"Something feels wrong…" Kari said in a hoarse croak, getting the others attention.

"It's because you're ill Kari-chan, don't worry, it'll be over soon" Sakura reassured.

"I'll take Kari-chan from here. I'm nowhere near as tired as you three and we've still got a fair way to go." Kabuto said as he approached the wolf-kunoichi. Kari's ears shot back, her eyes narrowed to a glare and a growl rumbled in her throat as he went to lift her.

"Kari." Sasuke warned. She turned her eyes to him with a look of mild betrayal. "It's the only way we'll get through this exam. If there was any other way, we'd use that." Sasuke said with a serious tone. "Sakura can't carry you can she? Kita certainly can't—"

"Kita isn't small!" Kita cut in with a slight huff.

"Even so, Sasuke-kun's right. Kita-chan has a limp, I or Naruto can take her." Sakura said. Kabuto went to touch her again but she leaned away.

"Kari!" Sasuke said with a slight harshness to his tone. Kari gave him a look of disgusted defiance. It shook him, even if he didn't outwardly show it, and the Uchiha fell silent.

"Oi, Kari-chan" Naruto said, crouching in front of her, a goofy grin on place, obviously blissfully unaware of the tension between Kari and the others. "The sooner we finish the exam, the sooner we can go get ramen together, and the sooner you can get better." Naruto's eyes shone with genuine concern "I don't like seeing you hurt Ookami-neechan, when you're hurt I'm hurt." Kari's face softened with guilt. "Don't worry, Kabuto's a nice guy. And if he's not and he hurts you in any way, I'll beat him into the ground, promise you, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a grin as he placed a hand on her head, her ears shooting up at his touch as the first true smile any of them had seen in a good while spread across her face.

"For you then" she said with a slight giggle. She linked her little finger with the pinky of his spare hand. "It's a promise though; Kitsune-niisan doesn't go back on his word!"

"Up you go then" Sasuke said, breaking their tender moment and gripping Kari on the sides of her rib cage and hoisting her to her feet.

"Temee!" Naruto said with a childish scowl that made Kari giggle again. She wasn't able to stay steady on her feet due to light-headedness and fell back onto Sasuke, who had to hold her up by her upper arms as her weight was pressed onto his torso. He grumbled something incomprehensible and looked away. Kabuto stood in front of her, bending down slightly, ready to take her onto his back. Sasuke felt her muscles tense and gave both her arms a light squeeze. She seemed reassured, and was grudgingly helped on.

* * *

Kabuto observed from the high points in the trees to where everyone was, seemingly impressed. Kari had managed to copy his cloaking technique much to his surprise, Sakura was walking as quickly and quietly as she could through the tall grass, Sasuke was swimming underwater through the river, with a bamboo as a makeshift snorkel. Naruto however, was tangled up in vines, as Kita looked at him hopelessly. They travelled this way for a couple hours before meeting up again.

"Okay, we'll go this way" Kabuto said as he peered through a device that gave a rough measurement of the distance of an object. They kept moving, time difficult to guess without the sun in the sky. Naruto stopped and stared puzzled at a piece of string that was dangling in front of his face. Kabuto secured Kari with one hand, hoisting her weight more to the right and touched Naruto's shoulder with his left hand. He motioned for them to look up, and when they did, they saw bodies across the branches, kunai and shuriken sticking out of them, covered in dried blood.

"A trap?" Naruto wondered aloud as Kari struggled to keep her eyes open. '_Don't let your guard down, don't let your guard down, not for an instant_" she kept repeating to herself. This was something Neji had told her many times, usually before he broke through her pathetic attempt of a block and sent her falling to her behind. Her eyelashes brushed her cheeks before her eyelids raised again, mental curses streaming through her mind.

"Yeah, it gets more intense from here on out" Kabuto agreed, beginning to walk again. Kari mentally groaned. His walk was smooth and steady and was slowly lulling her to sleep. How much longer would this take?

Naruto looked up at the trees, looking at the corpses as he slowly passed them. Not paying attention to where he was going, Naruto tripped over a hidden wire. Kari's eye's shot open before Naruto even began to fall.

She shot off Kabuto's back and darted towards Naruto, whom kunai were flying at from all directions, he let out a startled cry just as he was about to hit the ground and momentarily closed his eyes. Kari grabbed him around the middle, wings shooting from her back creating a feathery shield.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm, as she dropped him and went to reach for one of the kunai embedded in her wings, shoulders, or back. She'd managed to avoid a large percentage of them, but in her current condition, she misjudged her speed and timing, unable to get completely out of harms way in time. The weapons were rather shallow though, so it could have been a lot worse.

"Kari-chan!" Sakura cried, rushing to her side.

"Don't fuss, it's not that bad" Kari lightly scolded, flinching as she went to pull one out of her left wing, a light trail of blood sliding down her snowy feathers. Kabuto went to assist her, seeing she was having trouble reaching but was immediately cut off. "Don't touch me" Kari hissed.

"Baka, they need to come out" Sasuke said as he grabbed the handle of the kunai Kabuto was going to get and yanked it out. On reflex Kari's wing shot into him, knocking him over. Sasuke was rather irritated (and just a little embarrassed) by that, but mentally marvelled at the strength of her wing.

"Okaasan's hurt?" Kita questioned with worry. Kari gave a pained smile and placed a hand on her cubs head.

"I'll be fine Kita-ko" Kari reassured as Sasuke yanked out a shuriken without warning, her tail bristled, but her wings were tense from the pain and remained still, they weren't completely healed from their battle with Orochimaru and their were still traces of tree bark here and there.

"I told you it was going to get more intense from now on" Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "Luckily, those wounds aren't too deep and didn't go near any of your main organs. There were one or two that may have scraped your kidneys, but seeing as your movement isn't too bad it looks like you don't have any damage to your spine" Kabuto assessed. Due to Kari's foul mood, fuelled by Sasuke yanking out the rest of the weapons none too gently, it took every ounce of her self control not to smack the living daylights out of the irritating bespectacled ninja. "If one of you can help her back onto—" Kabuto went to bend down so she could climb on his back but Sasuke cut him off.

"You've carried her for hours, you should take a break." Sasuke said as he watched Kari's tail twitch, fur bristled. "Besides, her temper is looking thin." Sasuke hoisted her onto his back, Naruto pushing her steady. "Let's go."

* * *

For a couple more hours they padded on towards the tower. But no matter how fast they walked, they didn't seem to be getting any closer. Perspiration clung to their skin, they took deep ragged pants of air, every muscle aching. Finally Sakura fell to her knees.

"I can't go any further" she whined, rubbing her sore ankles. They were beginning to swell.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, stopping at her side.

"How long have we walked? The tower isn't getting any closer at all." Sakura panted, holding herself up by her arms.

"It looks like its right in front of us… it's weird." Naruto said.

"Oi baka" Sasuke said, shifting Kari. He tightened his hold for a second trying to get a response. "Are you alright? Hey."

"It seems like we're already inside someone's 'passionate welcome'." Kabuto said, looking around. "See? Look over there" he said, pointing behind Naruto and Sakura.

"Is that…?!" Naruto shrieked, seeing the centipede he had killed _hours_ ago. "What's going on?! Dattebayo!"

"No way!" Sakura cried in disbelief.

"Genjutsu." Sasuke said, glancing around. His eyes narrowed as he remembered something Kari said earlier at this exact same spot; _"Something feels wrong…"_ She felt it from the beginning, yet they were so quick to dismiss it as her poor health.

"So it seems" Kabuto agreed. "I was totally fooled. It seems that we were tricked into walking in circles in a very careful manner."

"We're being watched" Sasuke said. He gave Kari another nudge, _she should be able to find them_, but she still didn't respond.

"They most likely want us to waste our strength and were planning a surprise attack when we tired, also when Kari-chan was unconscious so she couldn't alert us to them coming. She was so quick even in her ill health to notice the kunai from the trap, her senses and reflexes are amazing." He glanced at her. "I doubt she could even wake, let alone be able to assist us now."

"Then we're already playing to the enemies plan" Sasuke said, still nudging Kari in attempt to make her stir. Any movement at all would reassure him, she'd been silent for the last hour or two.

"Ja, they might attack us soon" Kabuto agreed. The trees began to creak as figures began to materialise out of the trunks and branches. They were all identical, black-clad ame-nin with bandages over their eyes and a gas mask covering their mouths. They advanced from all sides, surrounding Kabuto and team Kakashi. Kita growled and backed up to Sasuke's leg, close to her mother.

"They're here" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"This is a good handicap, dattebayo" Naruto said with a confident grin.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked nervously.

"There's a lot of them, and they're all replications" Kabuto said. One of the replications chuckled.

"Like a mouse in a trap."

"Urusai! Dattebayo!" Naruto cried, lunging at the nearest clone, but to everyone's surprise, Naruto's fist went through it like it was some sort of thick runny goo. Another clone rose out of the indent Naruto's punch had made, holding two double-ended kunai. "What's going on, dattebayo?" Naruto cried as he got up.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke cried. "Naruto!" he cried, pulling out shuriken and slicing the clones arm off. The clone instead turned to him, throwing the other kunai directly at him. Sasuke found himself paralyzed with a numb pain, worst in his neck. He felt Kari shudder behind him, her dull eyes opening a fraction.

"Sasuke! Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm. Sasuke felt a downwards pull on his shoulders as Kari flipped over him, pushing him down, the kunai streaked passed her arm, leaving a nasty cut on her shoulder. She landed roughly on top of Sasuke as she glared at her bleeding shoulder.

_Wrong timing again…!_

Kita rushed forwards and jumped up, grabbing the double-ended kunai in her mouth.

* * *

"_Hey, Kiba-kun" Kari questioned as they headed through town, Akamaru on Kiba's head, Kita on Kari's shoulder. "Do you think I'll be able to teach Kita to be a nin-wolf? I mean teach her to use a kunai or something?" Kari asked. Kiba shrugged and grinned._

"_Me and Akamaru are developing our own style, he trains and fights with me. Okaachan and Oneechan use nin-dogs on missions, so I don't see why you can't have Kita learn some cool moves." Kari reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai._

"_Hey Kita-ko, hold this" Kari said, holding it up to the young cub. Kita tilted her head to the side and pawed at the weapons handle. "No, no, in your mouth like this!" Kari explained, putting it in her mouth. She then held it up to Kita who held it securely in her jaws. Her little tail wagged with glee. "You practice with that Kita-ko! You'll be a great nin-wolf in no time!" Kari cried, clapping her hands. Kiba laughed and placed his hand on Kari's head._

"_There's no doubt you're her Mom" Kiba cried with a large grin, Akamaru barking in agreement._

* * *

Kita held the kunai tightly with her sharp teeth. This was her chance to protect her Okaasan and make her proud! And that's exactly what she's going to do! Kita sped into battle, cutting ame-bunshin ankles and shins as she went. Even if she wasn't the biggest, baddest ninja, she could still help!

* * *

Sasuke stared up at the sky, unable to move a muscle. Kari was laying still on top of him, her long, golden hair like a blanket covering them both. He wasn't sure if she was still awake. With a strong will he made a huge effort to try and move, only to be met with a burning pain in his neck. Kari let out a pained gasp and rolled off him, grabbing hold of her burning curse mark as her body shuddered violently with each wave of pain.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, helping Sasuke sit up.

"Seeing as Kari-chan got hurt, does that mean they're kage bunshin with real flesh?!" Naruto cried in confusion. "Demo, demo, kage bunshin should disappear if they're hit cleanly. Since they don't disappear are they really illusions? Which is it?! K'so!"

"It's useless! Stop!" Sasuke cried, one hand grasping Kari's shoulder as she writhed in pain. "They're just a genjutu created by the enemy" Sasuke panted, squeezing Kari's shoulder to try and calm her down. Her ears were back, her eyes dark and wide, blood sliding from the corners of her mouth.

"Demo…! Kari-chan's wound is real!" Sakura cried, glancing at the blood stain blossoming beneath Sasuke's palm.

"Iie, Sasuke-kun is right" Kabuto cut in. The enemy is most likely hidden somewhere and they are attacking from someone else while matching the illusion ninja's movements. This makes it seem as though the illusions are attacking us."

"Then I'll find the idiots hiding in the forest throwing knives at us and go beat them up, dattebayo! No one hurts Kari-chan!" Naruto cried.

"Matte Naruto-kun!" Kabuto warned. "In this situation, the source of the real knife is hidden, so we can't figure out the enemy's exact location. Do you understand now? That's their tactics. According to my data, those who are weak at taijutsu prefer to attack like this. The real enemy won't come out until we can't move at all. Listen up, minna. We can only dodge the enemy's attack right now."

"Yosh, if you're planning on doing that…" Naruto said, readying his kunai. Real kunai flew at them and they dodged and blocked, Sasuke lightly kicking Kari out of harms way, unable to do more due to his restricted movement.

"There's no end to this!" Sakura cried in exhaustion as they all panted. Kita was standing close to her mother with the kunai still in her mouth, her mouth was sore, but she refused to give up. She managed to deflect a kunai aimed at her Okaasan, cringing at the horrible vibrations that rang through her mouth giving her a headache. She turned and pawed at her mother's shoulder.

"Okaasan will get hurt if she stays here!" Kita warned, her voice muffled by the weapon in her mouth. She continuously nudged Kari as she slowly and unsteadily got to her feet.

"I'll just…" Naruto said, making a hand-sign.

"Stop, Naruto-kun" Kabuto warned. "Don't waste you're chakra, there's no point in attacking them."

"If we get rid of all the illusions at once, the enemy can't attack during the time they return back to normal, seeing as they're going to reveal their position. Kage bunshin no jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, an army of Naruto-clones appeared, attacking the ame-bunshin's. But as quick as he pummelled them, they reformed.

"Sasuke-kun, what should we do?" Sakura asked.

"That idiot, we have to fight too." Sasuke cried.

"But…"

"Yeah, he can't handle this situation alone" Kabuto agreed.

"Kari" Sasuke instructed, his eyes glancing to her. "You stay—" he was cut off when she shot into battle, pulling out her twin katana. "I said stay there baka! Agh, baka-onna! Come on Sakura!" Sasuke cried, following in Kari's footsteps and rushing in.

* * *

Dawn broke and Team 7 and Kabuto were driven to the ground, either on knees or backsides. All Naruto clones were destroyed; Naruto himself sent sliding on his back over to where the others were. The ame-nin finally showed themselves, walking out of the bushes.

"How lucky" one of them mused as the illusions melted away. "You." He said looking over at Sasuke. "You're the one that injured my left soldier right? I finally found you. You wasted our time. How lucky, I can finally get revenge." He said as he raised his kunai. But to his surprise, Naruto smirked.

"Like a mouse in a trap." Sasuke's voice said from the bushes.

"It went well, Naruto" Sakura's voice said happily.

"What did they do?" the ame-nin cried looking round. His eyes widened when he saw Kabuto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kari, and finally Kita. "That can't be! When did they…?!"

"You baka's finally showed yourselves damnit." Naruto made a handsign and the Sakura, Sasuke, Kari and Kabuto around him, poofed into Naruto clones.

"What? Did this kid…? It can't be!" The ame-nin cried.

"I used Kage bunshin to set up this little trick, dattebayo" Naruto explained. He rose to his feet. "So I could pretend to be everyone from this team… except Kita-chan, I wasn't too sure how to transform into her…"

"Once Naruto undid his replications the four of us hid, Kita had slid into the bushes when Kari ran to attack and found your location and chose a safe distance for us to hide without alerting you." Kari beamed with pride at her clever little wolf. "We then waited for you to reveal yourselves. Hn, a genjutsu master fooled." Naruto went to stand up but fell to one knee. "Naruto! You used up too much chakra, I'll do the rest" Sasuke said with a smirk. However, disobedient as Kari, Naruto delivered a punch to the ame-nin, sending them flying like dominos.

"I'm not going to let you take all the good parts like that" Naruto puffed.

"What a kid, he can still move after all that" the ame-nin said in awe.

"We're not in an unlucky situation yet" another one of them said, as they all made identical hand signs. "Time is running out… We'll show you our jutsu now; Ninpou; Oboru bunshin no jutsu!"

'_Hazy replications'_ Kitai's voice immediately answered. Kari's eyes widened in remembrance. _That's right… I was in that chamber…_ In a poof of smoke many copies of the three ame-nin appeared.

"Kage bunshin?" Naruto asked.

"No they're just normal replications." Kabuto replied. "But they must have some sort of tactic planned out. Be careful!"

"If they're just replications there's only one real one." Naruto said. "I'll beat up every one until I hit the real one."

"Baka! That's just a waste of energy!" Sasuke cried.

"I told you not to interfere!" Naruto cried before rushing towards the army of ame-nin. Kari shot past the others until she was beside Naruto. He glanced at her and smirked. "Let's do this!" She smirked back and nodded.

"Naruto it's impossible!" Sakura cried. Sasuke prepared to jump out but froze when he was hit with a wave of pain, at the same time Kari stumbled grasping her curse mark as she fell to her knees. Naruto sent punches at every ame-nin he saw, but he just went straight through them.

"Naruto-kun, stop!" Kabuto cried as he too joined Naruto. Kita was slicing through the illusions legs with her kunai, but so far had hit nothing solid.

"Is every single one of them a fake is it an illusionary technique again?" Sakura cried. Sasuke glanced at Kari, if he tried to use his Sharingan, they would both suffer pain, but if he didn't they would just be fighting blindly. Kari looked round at him as she panted. She managed a small smile.

'_Go for it Sasu_' her voice called through his mind. He ignored the irritation of being called _Sasu_, and focused his chakra.

'_Kari get back to me and Sakura!_' There was a slight hint of blue as Kari pooled chakra into her weak legs, she shot backwards until she reached Sasuke and Sakura, the glow of chakra disappeared and she fell to her knees.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke cried. At once, all the replications turned to blazes of chakra. He looked around but saw no one solid. His vision blazed white as he cried out in pain holding tight to his shoulder. He fell to his knees as he panted through the pain.

"Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan! Sasuke-kun don't use your Sharingan anymore!" Sakura begged. She could see Sasuke's 'bruise' blazing a fiery orange colour, she looked over at Kari, but she had pulled her hitai-ate round her neck since Neji had left, saying her ears were too uncomfortable.

_It was to hide that mark…_ Sakura thought, finally realising. "Kari-chan!" Sakura cried, almost in tears as Kari shuddered in pain again curling up into an almost fetal position. Hearing Sakura's shout, Naruto looked round worriedly.

"Don't lower your guard!" the ame-nin cried with a kunai raised. Kabuto hurtled into Naruto, pushing him out the way, the kunai grazing his knee.

"Kabuto-san!" Naruto cried, he glared at the ame-nin "Chikusho!"

"Stop Naruto!" Sasuke cried. "No matter how hard you try, the real one isn't in those replications."

"Then where's the enemy going to attack from?!" Naruto shouted back. "If they are normal replications, the replications themselves can't attack us!"

"If we knew that, there's no need for us to work this hard! This is the enemy's plan!" Sasuke shouted back. He looked round at Kari. Her eyes were half closed and she was laying horribly still, apart from a violent twitch every minute or so. She had once again lost all colour in her face, the blood smudged across her lips sharply contrasting her snow white face. "Kuso…" Naruto fell to his knees exhausted as Kabuto struggled to sit up.

"It looks like they've reached their limit" an ame-nin stated. "How lucky…" it jumped towards Naruto, kunai in hand.

"Tsuchi…" Kari whispered. Sasuke glanced at her before his eyes widened. _The ground?!_ Sure enough, the three ame-nin slowly rose out of the soil behind Naruto. Kabuto looked round, but his reactions were too slow and a kunai whipped straight across his face sending him flying and his glasses shooting elsewhere. They approached Kabuto but froze at the intensity of his glare. Kari shuddered as Kumouri cackled with glee.

'_Bloodshot eyes, bloodshot eyes, blood lusting eyes! Bloodshed, bloodshed!!_' Kari groaned and clamped her hands over her ears, but it only made it worse.

The ame-nin were caught off guard by Naruto's foot painfully colliding with their skulls and once again they were sent like dominos, falling to the ground.

"Don't let your guard down was it?" Naruto said mockingly.

"Arigatou Naruto-kun, you saved me!" Kabuto said smiling.

"That was great Naruto!" Sakura called as Naruto plopped down on his backside. Kari's pain seemed to have lessened; now she just seemed exhausted. Sasuke glanced at her, or more specifically, where her curse mark was hidden. His brow furrowed and he slid his arm underneath her shoulders to pull her into a sitting position. She sloppily smacked his arm to show her displeasure and propped her upper body up by resting her chin on her knees. Hell she felt so sick…

"Ne! Kari-chan come here!" Naruto called happily, waving to catch her attention. Kari laughed and slowly walked over to him, forgetting all about her pain and concentrating solely on his big grin. His smile made everything bad seem unimportant. Sasuke watched her unsteady movements, seeing straight through her ignorance. _If she doesn't get medical attention soon…_ "I was great wasn't I?" Naruto cried as she hugged him tightly and he pulled her into his lap.

"Hai Kitsune-niisan" she said with a tired smile, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Well I had to protect my Ookami-neechan, ne?" he said with a laugh. She smiled and closed her eyes. "Heeey! No sleeping yet! We've got to go get celebratory ramennnn!" Naruto whined lightly hitting his head against hers. Kita jumped into Kari's lap. "And Kita-chan kicked rain-nin butt! Dattebayo!" Kari smiled and rubbed Kita's ears.

"Okaasan's proud of you Kita-ko" Kari said gently, making Kita's tail sway, her eyes shining with pure adoration.

"Come on, let's get our scroll!" Naruto said with a grin. Kari nodded and he supported her as they walked over. Sakura smiled sadly, Naruto was always fooled by a brave face, Sakura wiped her left eye, ignoring the tears that were slowly building up. _She must be in so much pain, yet she smiles through it so not to worry us…_

* * *

"Were you injured?" Kabuto questioned, looking at Sasuke, his eyes fixed on the cursemark. "That looks like a big bruise." Sasuke immediately covered it.

"It's nothing." He said. "It's her we should be worrying about." He said as he looked over at Kari who was smiling and laughing with Naruto. Sasuke felt an unexplainable twinge of emotion at that. _He makes her smile and laugh so easily…_

"We found it!" Naruto cried in delight jumping up and holding the beige scroll high. "Look! It's a Scroll of Heaven!" He flipped open Kari's pouch and placed it inside, next to the navy earth scroll.

"Great!" Kabuto congratulated with a smile. He didn't notice Sasuke suspicious glare, but Kari did and her smile faded slightly. _It's about time…_

"Come on Kari-chan! I can smell the ramen!" Naruto cried excitedly. Sasuke hoisted her up and pulled her arm over his shoulder. "Hey! It's my turn to carry her!" Naruto whined. "Tell him Kari-chan!"

"Kari-chan is sleeping, please leave a message." Kari mumbled, taking her arm from Sasuke and just using the whole of him as a leaning post.

"Ne?" Naruto questioned as Kita climbed up his back and settled herself on his head.

"Let's go guys!" Kabuto called. Kari grumbled something vulgar and put Sasuke's arm round her shoulders and began trudging along. Naruto cried something about ramen and marched ahead.

"Baka, you're the one who needs help walking" Sasuke said as they walked at the back. Sakura was telling Naruto off for being too loud, the two of them walking a couple of feet in front with Kabuto.

"Your shoulders are too high" Kari replied. She'd been walking along with her eyes closed, limping on her left leg. "I should learn to sleep walk… You can get Sakura to help you if you want." Sasuke grunted something along the lines of not wanting to be touched up, but Kari wasn't really playing attention.

"You walk wonky anyway" Sasuke grumbled. She sighed and put her arm around his waist. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Using you not to walk wonky" Kari said, her head fell onto his shoulder and her walking slowed.

"Baka" Sasuke said with a smirk, steering her straight as she started swaying to the left. He wasn't too sure how she could walk when she was sleeping, but it was her after all. He went to switch positions so he could support her better, but when his left hand went to her waist he was met with a wet substance. He pulled his hand away, putting his arm back over her shoulder and looking in alarm at his palm.

_Blood?_

* * *

"Baka, we're here" Sasuke said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She ignored him and started sliding towards the ground. Sasuke hoisted her up again and gave her a light smack on the head.

"Ite-e! Headache!" Kari whined, holding her pounding head. She turned to glare at Sasuke.

"You look like shit." He commented. She huffed and headed up the stairs, successfully tripping over half way up.

"Okaasan!" Kita cried, bounding down towards her. "You need to awake-walk now!" Kari sighed and walked up the rest, stumbling twice. They reached the top and Naruto immediately went to support her, giving Sasuke a glare.

"Tch, have her" Sasuke said leaning against the wall next to the door.

"You're late."

"Gomen, I ran into some trouble" Kabuto replied, turning to two similarly dressed shinobi that seemed to be his team-mates.

"Demo sa, demo sa, thanks to you we got both the scrolls, dattebayo!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"Iie, it was because of your hard work." Kabuto said. "Especially that last move, it was incredible Naruto-kun!" Naruto chuckled in delight. "Well, we'll go through this door. Good luck to us all. I hope you heal quickly Kari-chan" Kabuto said as he and his comrade's turned to the door next to the one Naruto was standing in front of. Naruto opened the door, breaking the seal and led them inside. Kari suddenly froze, catching their attention.

"Daijobu Kari-chan?" Naruto asked. She turned and looked at the wall, her eyes an eerie blood red. The wind picked up in the room, whipping their faces.

"It's nothing…" Kari said turning and walking ahead.

"Kari-chan?" Naruto asked, "Hey! Wait up!" he called rushing after her. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

_**What was that?**_


	40. Yosen

**A/N: **Getting to the good bit's now, huh? :) Thank you for the reviews!

* * *

**Yosen**

_**Preliminaries**_

* * *

_That girl is strong hearted… _

_Despite the pain she must be enduring, _

_she still smiles._

* * *

They entered a large room with a large panel of writing on it. Kari sighed and sat down. Kita sat in front of her and wagged her tail. Kari smiled half-heartedly and rubbed the little wolf's ears.

"No one's here…" Naruto commented, stating the obvious. "Hey, hey, what are we supposed to do now, dattebayo?"

"Look at that!" Sakura cried, pointing to the writing. "_If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and gain strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe paths. This is the secret of something, something. It shall lead you on your way._"

"What does that all mean?" Naruto asked as Kari re-read it to Kita, explaining the characters with the words.

"That part looks like it's missing a word" Sakura said. "It's probably to do with the scrolls. I think it's telling us to open both the Heaven and Earth scrolls."

"Are you sure they won't explode?" Kari asked, pulling them out of her pouch. Sasuke took them off her and hit her on the head with them. "Ite-e!! It's a possibility!" Naruto and Sakura both took a scroll, unnerved by Kari's comment.

"Then let's open them, dattebayo!" Naruto cried with fake confidence, Kari quickly shot over, standing behind Sasuke for protection, standing on tiptoes looking over his shoulder. Both Naruto and Sakura opened a scroll. They both had the same symbol written inside. "What's this?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side, much like the way Kari tended to do when confused.

"'Person'? 'Jin?'" Sakura read, utterly baffled. The scroll started to smoke.

"It's a kuchiyose inscription!" Sasuke gasped. "Naruto! Sakura! Let go of those scrolls!" They quickly threw the scrolls as a blast of smoke erupted from them. As the smoke began to clear, they all gasped. "You're…" Sasuke began.

"Yo… Long time no see" Iruka said with a smirk.

"What's going on?!" Sakura cried.

"Looks like you all went through a lot of trouble" Iruka commented, taking in their battered appearances.

"Eh? Nande? Why did you appear through a kuchiyose no jutsu Iruka-sensei? Dattebayo!" Naruto cried.

"We Chunin's are here to welcome the examinees at the end of the Second Exam. I was given the duty to pass on the message to you lot by chance." Iruka replied.

"A message?" Sakura repeated. Iruka pulled a clock out of his pocket.

"Phew… You made it just in time." A wider smile spread across his tanned face. "Minna, congratulations on passing the Second Exam! I'd like to treat you all to some ramen at Ichiraku, but—"

"_**YATTAAAA!!**_" Naruto shrieked charging into the chunin and engulfing him in an embrace.

"Hey! Naruto let me finish!" Iruka said awkwardly. Naruto let go of him and began to cheer.

"Hai! Ramen… **RAMEN, DATTEBAYO**!" He charged over to Kari and lifted her off the ground. "Ramen Kari-chan, **RAMEN!**" He spun her round with joy as she laughed at his wide grin.

"Ite-e! Naruto-kuuun!" she giggled as she wrapped her arms around him so she wasn't dropped.

"I did it! I'm the best! I want to eat ramen!!" Naruto squealed s Kari just laughed. Both Sakura and Sasuke slid to their behinds in exhaustion as they watched Naruto bounce around like a hyperactive toddler. Iruka smiled as he watched the two young blonde's, warmed by the friendship the two obviously shared.

"What an energetic guy…" Sasuke sighed. Naruto looked round at them in surprise finally letting Kari's feet touch the ground again; she swayed dizzily before landing on her backside.

"YEAH!" Naruto cheered jumping of the ground and pumping his fists in the air.

"Urusai!" Sakura shouted. Kari sighed and shuffled backwards, so she was leaning against Sasuke's torso. She closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh.

"Geez, you're still restless like before" Iruka said wearily.

"Baka, wake up" Sasuke grumbled. Her eyes opened grudgingly as he rested his chin on the top of her head. "Chiisai –oomph!" he was slightly winded by an elbow jabbing him in the gut. Iruka raised an eyebrow. Sasuke seemed oddly relaxed around the wolfish kunoichi, he wasn't rigid or tense, overall he didn't seemed the slightest bit bothered she was practically laying on him. Before he would avoid contact at all costs, but he seemed to have changed. Well, he was calling her an idiot and making fun of her being small, but it seemed to be more teasing than insulting.

"I see now" Sasuke said with a smirk, an idea sparking as he watched Iruka. "If we had opened the scrolls during the exam… Iruka-sensei, what were you planning to do?" Sasuke asked. Iruka picked up the Earth Scroll.

"Sasuke, you're as sharp as ever." Iruka said. Kita padded over with the Heaven Scroll in her mouth. "Ah arigatou er…"

"Watashiha Kita!" Kita cried at once. Iruka stared blankly at the wolf that had just spoken back to him. He glanced at the others that were waiting for an explanation to Sasuke's question.

"Sugoii Kita-ko!" Kari congratulated.

"Arigatou Okaasan!"

"O-Okaasan?" Iruka repeated, looking at Kari in confusion. She just grinned. Iruka banished his confusion and picked up the cub as she dropped the scroll into his other hand. "Well, as you have guessed, this exam tests your mission completion efficiency."

"Wasn't it to test survival as well?" Kari asked, looking round at Sasuke. He tapped her on the head and told her not to interrupt.

"So, if you break the rules and open a scroll…"

"If we open the scroll…" Naruto repeated, urging Iruka to continue.

"We were ordered to knock out the examinees until the Second Exam ended." Iruka finished with a rather devious smirk.

"Hn, aren't you two glad you didn't open it" Sasuke said with a smirk to Naruto and Sakura. Kari gave them both a scolding glare.

"Kita-chan told them it was naughty!" Kita added, secure in Iruka's arms.

"Kabuto-san, arigatou, dattebayoooo" Naruto said in terrified gratitude.

"Oh yeah, sensei?" Sakura began. "What does that text on the wall mean? It seems to be broken; we can't understand it at all."

"Who cares, who cares? We passed!" Naruto cried with glee, right in Sakura's left ear.

"No, my other mission is to explain what this means" Iruka said with an embarrassed smile.

"Eh? Really?" Naruto asked.

"Hai. Read it. This is the principle Hokage-sama wrote that you should keep in mind as a Chunin. The '_Heaven_' in this text points to the mind of a person; and "Earth" is the body. _If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared._ That means for example, if Naruto's weak point is his brain… He should study and prepare for his missions."

"Che…" Naruto grumbled as he scowled. "That's none of your business…" Kari prodded him in the leg making him smirk and poke her in the shoulder. Sakura giggled, but was cut off when Iruka turned to her.

"_If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and gain strength._ For example, if Sakura's weakness lays in strength, she should train everyday. That's what it means." Iruka said. "_If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe paths. It shall lead you on your way._"

"But what about that missing part?" Sakura asked.

"It's the word Chunin" Iruka said with a smile. "The letter for human that was in your scrolls goes there." He paused for a moment. "The survival mission you took part in these last five days tested the basic abilities of the examinees of the Chunin exam, and you guys completed it. Chunin is a _commander_-class. They have the duty to lead a team. Deeply inscribe into your heart the importance of knowledge and strength in missions. Never forget that Chunin principle, and go on to the next step. That's all I was ordered to tell you."

"Ryoukai!" Naruto cried with a salute. Iruka's smile faded.

"Don't push yourselves in the Third Exam. Especially you Naruto, I'm worried about you—"

"Iruka-sensei" Naruto interrupted. "When I got this Konoha hitai-ate, I graduated from academy. There's no need to worry. And this is the proof you gave me to show I'm not a child anymore, ne? Iruka-sensei? I may still be restless, but I'm not a kid anymore. Right now… I'm a ninja!"

"He's right." Kari said with a smile. "If you can't put your faith in Naruto, who can you believe in? He's going to be Hokage someday."

"Kari-chan…" Naruto said, deeply touched.

"IIE! Don't you use those puppy-eyes on me Uzumaki Naruto!" Kari scolded. Iruka smiled.

"Sou ka. Gomen Naruto." Iruka apologised. "Their wating for you in the next room."

"Chotto matte. Kari-chan, don't you need a doctor?" Naruto asked, turning to his closest friend. She smiled and shook her head.

"I'll be fine." She reassured. They all rose and bid their goodbyes to Iruka. Kita jumped down and walked at Kari's side. Iruka watched them leave, his eyes falling upon the newest member. _She's a strange one, but she could be just what they need._ He smiled; he owed her for bringing Naruto such happiness…

* * *

Seeing the rest of the groups were already in lines, team seven followed suit, finding a place between Kurenai's and Gai's team. Naruto stood at the front, pulling Kari by the hand so she stood behind him, Sasuke took his place behind her and Sakura stood at the back. Kari glanced around, _Konoha rookies, Team Gai, Gaara's team, Oto-nin we fought in the forest, Oto-nin guy I sat next to in First Exam's team. _Kari smiled back at Hinata and Kiba, their faces immediately brightening up, Shino offered a curt nod, but otherwise stayed coolly focused. Lee beamed from ear to ear and struck his nice guy pose until TenTen hit him on the back of the head with the handle of one of her kunai, she then smiled in greeting. Neji seemed strange to stay the least. His gaze was more intense than usual, his pale lavender eyes sliding to her arms and her injured side. Even thickly bandaged she felt practically naked.

"First off, congratulations on passing the Second Exam." Anko, their proctor began. Kari noticed Kakashi standing with the other Jonin and Chunin and smiled. Kakashi noticed and smiled behind his mask. Gai seemed to be talking to him, but when Kakashi finally turned to him, he seemed hugely pissed off. Kari glanced around then gave Sasuke a nudge.

"They're all getting some Uchiha eye-candy" Kari whispered. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and his fist collided with her head. "Ite-e! The truth hurts!"

"All the rookies from Konoha are here" Sakura said as she looked around.

"Hey, hey, Hokage-Ojiisan, Iruka-sensei and even Bushy-brow are here, dattebayo! It feels like everyone important is here!" Naruto cried in delight.

"I don't have a good feeling about it though" Sasuke said, placing a hand over his throbbing curse mark. He could see Kari was shaking, but the look of determination she wore, he knew not to bother her.

"We will now receive an explanation of the third exam from Hokage-sama. Everyone listen well. Hokage-sama, please do the honours." Anko bowed with respect and Kari held in a smirk at her bipolar personality. Hmm, if she was coupled with Kakashi… Images of fires and explosions filled her mind as she grinned mischievously. The Hokage walked forward and cleared his throat.

"The Third Exam will begin. But before the exam there is one thing I want to make clear to all of you." Kita shifted in Kari's arms, sensing a good long lecture. "It's about the true purpose of this exam. _Why do we do a joint exam with allied nations?_ 'To maintain good relations with the allied nations' and 'heighten the level of the ninja'. Do not let those reasons deceive you. The 'exam' so to speak…" the Hokage paused to take a puff on his pipe. "The epitome of a war between the allied nations."

"What do you mean?" TenTen asked.

"If we go back through the history, the allied nations right now were neighbouring countries that have fought each other over and over again. To avoid wasting military power, those countries decided to chose a place to fight. That is the beginning of the Chunin Selection Exam." The Hokage replied.

"Why do we have to do that, dattebayo? We're not doing this to select Chunin's?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, this exam does examine those who are worthy of this title. But on the other hand, it is also a place where shinobi fight and carry their country's dignity. In this Third Exam, feudal lords and famous people from various countries who may be potential clients are invited here as guests. And feudal lords from countries with hidden villages and ninja leaders will see your battles. If there's a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. If a country is seen as weak, their jobs will decrease. And at the same time, countries are able to show how their village has grown and possess excellent military power to the adjacent countries. In other words, they can put foreign pressure on them."

"So why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?" Kiba barked.

"A country's power is the village's power. A village's power is the ninja's power. And a ninja's true power is only born in a life-or-death battle." Kari's heart skipped a beat. _Did she really want to know her full power?_ An image of the fight with the Oto-nin flooded her mind, that horrible, overwhelming murderous instinct… She shuddered and goosebumps sprouted across her skin causing her tender wounds to tingle unpleasantly. _For the love of Naruto, hurry up Ojiisan!_

"This exam is also a place to show off the ninja power of one's country. Since this is an exam where your life is on the line, it has a meaning. And your predecessors have fought and dreamed of being in the Chunin exam because of it."

"But why do you say this exam is to promote good relations?" TenTen asked.

"I told you in the beginning not to get confused with that." The Hokage said sternly. Kari groaned, praying he would not repeat his speech all over again. "The custom of shaving one's life and fighting to maintain balance… _that_ is the 'good relation' in the world of ninja. This is a life-or-death battle for your dreams and village's dignity."

"I understand now." Naruto said grinning. Kari shot a disbelieving glare at the back of his head.

"I don't care." Gaara said. "Tell us the details of this life-or-death exam." Though it was rather rude, Kari couldn't help but whole-heartedly agree with the ruby-haired Suna-nin. The Hokage nodded.

"Then I will begin the explanation of the Third exam—" a chunin jumped down in front of the Hokage, cutting him off.

"Sumimasen Hokage-sama. I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain." Kari was momentarily distracted. _Eeee! I love geckos!_ She shook off her short-attention-span and tried to concentrate, despite her thudding headache.

"Please do." The Hokage agreed.

"Minna, it's nice to meet you." The man said, rising to his feet. He was interrupted by a cough. "Minna, before the third exam (_cough, cough), _there's something I want you to do..." He stopped and coughed violently. Kari's brows furrowed, it looks like she wasn't the only one in poor health. "…Fight in some preliminary matches to see who gets to advance to the Third Exam's main battle."

"Preliminary matches? What do you mean?" Shikamaru cried.

"Sensei, I don't know what you mean by preliminary matches" Sakura said in confusion. "Why can't we just start the Third Exam with the remaining examinees?"

"In this case, it must be because the First and Second Exams were too easy, I don't know. But there are too many examinees left." Hayate replied. "According to Chunin regulations, we must decrease the number of examinees for the Third Exam."

"Oh no!" Sakura cried.

"As Hokage-sama previously mentioned, there are many important guests invited to the Third Exam, so we cannot just have a lot of matches. We are limited on time as well, so those who are not feeling well—" the instructor was cut off by a coughing fit. "Excuse me. If anyone wants to quit after hearing the explanation, please let me know. The preliminary matches will begin immediately."

"Eh?!" Kari whined. _Immediately as in __**now**__?_ _Please say he's joking!_

"Immediately?!" Kiba cried.

"But we just got through the second exam…" Ino whined.

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru groaned.

"Eh? What about my meal?" Chouji asked, ever hungry.

"I forgot to mention this, but you will have one-on-one matches from here on out. So please withdraw if you wish." A wave of pain shot through Kari's body as though taunting her. She grit her teeth and closed one of her eyes gripping her curse mark tightly. She leaned forward until her forehead hit the back of Naruto's shoulders, her breathing becoming laboured.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said worriedly. Glancing back, Kari could see Sasuke seemed to be sharing her problem. "Sasuke-kun you should withdraw from the preliminary matches" Sakura cried. "You've been acting weird since ever since that Orochimaru guy beat you. That bruise hurts even now doesn't it, and Kari-chan's hurting too. At this rate…" She clutched her hands to her chest as her eyes filled with tears. "Onegai… Onegai yamete, I'm afraid…" she whispered wiping her eyes. "Kari-chan can't take much more" she whispered, choking on her tears. Sasuke glanced at his injured comrade, Kita staring at him with wide fearful eyes. Kari's face was twisted with pain, her bangs beginning to stick to her burning hot face.

"Keh, I'll be fine" Kari said, forcing a pained smile. Sasuke's fist clenched, _Even Naruto wouldn't believe that brave façade._ Naruto had been watching, but kept his body still to support Kari. He was worried and confused, not understanding why Sakura was so upset. He could feel the warmth of Kari's fever through his thick jacket and noticed the tension in the air. His azure eyes couldn't properly see Kari, but he could feel her hand grasping his jacket. _When you hurt, I hurt too Ookami-neechan. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside I do._

* * *

"Just as I thought." The Hokage sighed.

"What should we do?" Ibiki asked.

"We should take them out of the exams and isolate them with ANBU escorts." Anko said. "We need to advise them to withdraw immediately and…"

"Their not the type to listen to you that easily" Kakashi interrupted. "He's part of the famous Uchiha clan after all. She's stubborn too, she won't leave her comrades."

"Stop fooling around! I'll make them quit by force if I have too!" Anko snapped. "The cursed seal reacts when they try to mould chakra, and it will try to extract power out of them! It's a forbidden technique that undermines the affected person!" She grasped her own cursed seal and looked back to the two in question. "It's amazing they can withstand it, a normal person would be dead. Her body is clearly trying to reject it, the cursed seal is destroying her body; she shouldn't be alive…"

"Torai-kenshi." The Hokage finished, glancing at the young girl. "She seems to be wounded, there is fresh blood spreading across her arms and left ribs."

"She's very strong" Kakashi said softly. "She survived a Raikiri through the chest."

"It's always the strong the strong that suffer most, ne Kakashi?" the Hokage said, taking a puff on his pipe. Kakashi nodded as he watched his team. _Always the strong, eh Sensei, Obito…_

* * *

"You're not in any condition to fight Sasuke-kun, you either Kari-chan!" Sakura cried.

"Shut up" Sasuke hissed.

"I know it!"

"Be quiet" Sasuke said quietly.

"You've been bearing with the pain all this time, both of you! Look at her Sasuke-kun! She'll die!" Sakura cried.

"Just be quiet" Sasuke snapped, a horrible pang of pain hitting his heart. He glanced at her, her eyes were barely open, her face once again horribly pale.

"Whatever you say, I'm going to tell the sensei about your bruises! Then…" Sakura went to raise her hand, but was stopped when she noticed someone had raised their hand before her.

"What is it?" the Hokage asked.

"I'll quit!" Kabuto said with a smile.

"Kabuto-san…?" Naruto said in hurt surprise.

"Eto… You're Konoha's Yakushi Kabuto-kun?" Hayate asked, flipping through his notes. "You may leave then."

"Hai" Kabuto said, turning to leave.

"Kabuto-san, why're you quitting?" Naruto cried. "Ne, nande dattebayo?!" Kabuto stopped and looked round at the loud ninja.

"Gomen Naruto, but my body is completely worn out already. Even before the First Exam, when I had that quarrel with the Oto-nin, I couldn't hear anything in my left ear. I can't fight right away, especially if it's a life-or-death battle…" Naruto looked away, hurt by Kabuto's lack of determination and perseverance. Kari laced her fingers with his, giving the support he wanted. Kabuto smiled and waved and then left. Kari stood straight, still woozy.

"May I assume there are no more candidates that wish to retire?" Hayate asked. Sakura's hand slowly rose but was smacked down by Sasuke.

"Oi! Don't be so rude!" Kari cried, smacking him on the back of the head. "That is no way to treat your team-mate!"

"Be quiet about this bruise" Sasuke growled, completely ignoring Kari, much to her irritation. Sakura's eyes filled with tears and Kari's heart wrenched painfully.

"Why are you acting so tough!? I don't want to see you both suffering anymore! Kari-chan, you have to get to a doctor before you get any worse…" Sakura sobbed.

"It doesn't matter to you! You're just being nosy. Hai, _maybe_ Kari has something to do with it, but **not you**." He glanced at Kari who looked ready to smack the living daylights out of him. "I told you before, I am an avenger. This isn't just an exam to me; I don't care about being a Chunin either. Am I strong? I just want the answer to that. I'm going to fight the strong guys and those strong guys are here! I will not allow even you to take away my path."

"Sasuke-kun" Sakura whispered, here eyes moist. Kari wrapped her arms around the bubblegum-haired girl and whispered in her ear.

"I promise Sakura-chan, I'll protect him for you. Kaka-san, Hokage-sama… They're all here to stop it getting out of hand. Please don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt him." Kari whispered, trying to comfort her. Sakura's tears overflowed from her eyes as she embraced Kari back.

"Arigatou gozaimasu… Kari-chan…"

"Stop acting cool dattebayo you baka, Sakura-chan's just worried about you!" Naruto cried. Kari smiled, _that's her Naruto-kun._

"Naruto." Sasuke interrupted with a smirk. "I want to fight with you too." Kari gave a cry and jumped on them both, wrapping an arm around their shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you!" she cried happily. _Finally, Sasuke accepts Naruto-kun as strong!!_ Naruto laughed and hugged her back causing her to curse and tell him off for touching her injured side.

* * *

"What Orochimaru said worries me a little." The Hokage said. "Let's let them both go on, and just observe them for now."

"Hokage-sama!" Anko cried in shock.

"However, if their cursed seal opens up and their powers become uncontrollable, or if there is any sign of the AkumaInu becoming unstable, stop them." The Hokage said.

"Hai" Ibiki confirmed.

"Demo—! …I understand." Anko said grudgingly. She looked back at the two cursed ninja. "That girl is strong-hearted…" Anko observed, watching as the wolfish kunoichi ignored her pain. "The pain she must be enduring, yet she still smiles."

"Hai, hard to believe one that seems so angelic holds such a horrible monster." The Hokage said thoughtfully.

* * *

"Then, let's begin the preliminary matches." Hayate said. "It will be a one-on-one match. In other words, it will be like real combat. Now that we have exactly twenty four people, we will have twelve matches. And the winners will be able to advance to the Third Exam. There are no rules. You will fight until the other person dies, is knocked out, or admits defeat. If you do not want to die, please give up immediately." Kari sighed, _well that was a lovely thing to say…_ "However, if I judge the match is over, I may stop you to prevent ant unnecessary deaths. The thing that will hold your destiny…" Kari cringed feeling that was such a Neji-thing to say. A panel in the wall suddenly opened. "Will be this. The electric bulletin board will randomly display the names of two fighters for each match. Without further ado, I will display the names for the first match." All eyes were fixed firmly on the board as names flashed across it. Kari's heart skipped a couple beats when she saw hers, Naruto's and Hinata's names flash for an instant. Finally, with a beep, the names froze causing Kari's breath to disappear from her lungs.

* * *

_**Akadou Yuroi**_

**Vs**

_**Uchiha Sasuke**_

* * *

Sasuke smirked but was cut off by a wave of pain. Kari cursed and fell back, the pain weakening her already exhausted body. Sasuke managed to catch her.

"Heh, Uchiha eye-candy time again…" Kari said weakly with a smirk. Sasuke sighed and smacked her on the head. "Ite-e…!"

"Those, whose names were displayed, step up." Hayate requested.

"Naruto" Sasuke said handing Kari to him. "Make sure she's alright." The Uchiha then proceeded to walk up and face his opponent, who happened to be one of Kabuto's team.

"The first match's fighters are Akadou Yuroi and Uchiha Sasuke. Are there any objections?" Hayate asked.

"Iie!" both replied. Kari smirked. _Knock him dead Uchiha._ She shuddered in pain._ Knock him dead as quick as you can…_

"Eh… We will now begin the first match. Everyone other than the two fighters, please move up there" Hayate said, motioning to the viewing balcony. Kari rushed up and hugged Sasuke much to his displeasure.

"Good luck baka!" she cried, as he tried to ignore her. He failed, a smirk coming to his face and he lightly smacked her on the head. "Ite-e! Sasuke!"

"Oi!! Kakashi-sensei!!" Naruto cried jumping up and waving at their approaching sensei.

"Kaka-san!" Kari cried in delight. Kakashi waved then motioned for her to return to Naruto and Sakura. She did so, leaning on Naruto when she reached him.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said, stopping behind the Uchiha. "Don't use your Sharingan."

"So you know…" Sasuke said with a smirk.

"If that curse mark on your neck becomes uncontrollable it may kill you." Kakashi said.

"I figured that. It's the same with her isn't it?" Sasuke asked, glancing at Kari, who was chatting away to Naruto and Sakura as though she hadn't a care in the world. _Always putting on a mask to hide her pain._

"Her body is unstable as it is; it's trying to reject the curse mark. The massive strain is what's making her so ill. If the worst happens, the match will be cancelled. I'll stop you, so keep that in mind." Kakashi then continued walking, leaving Sasuke with his thoughts.

_This mark seems to react to my chakra. If I try to mould chakra, it takes over my mind and will extract chakra out of me without limit. And then Kari's body does the same. In other words, using my Sharingan is out of the question and I can't use normal techniques either._

Kakashi reached Kari, who had been the only one who bothered to wit for him (Naruto had taken Kita). He put an arm round her shoulders to help her walk.

"Kaka-san…" Kari began.

"Mm, what is it?" he asked.

"The mark… it's stirred up Kumouri and the others said there will be times that they can't fully control her" Kari said, looking up at him.

"As I thought. I'd hoped you would have been a little more experienced before you had to deal with this. But try not to worry, I'll help you." Kakashi reassured, smiling behind his mask.

"And Sasuke?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine." They fell silent as they ascended the stairs, reaching Naruto, Kita and Sakura. Kari sat down and looked through the bars. Naruto crouched beside her and did the same.

"Hey Kari-chan? Are you feeling better?" Naruto asked. Kari smiled weakly and nodded. _Heh, I'm worried sick…_

"Begin" Hayate instructed.

"Let's go!" Yuroi cried, making a hand sign. Sasuke readied himself as Yuroi's right hand glowed blue with chakra. Both pulled weapons out of their pouches, Yuroi flung shuriken Sasuke, who deflected with his kunai. He went to move but was stopped by a pain from his mark and fell over. Kari groaned and smacked her head on the bar.

"Heh, Sasuke was kinda sloppy" Naruto agreed. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. _That was pain… Not disappointment in Sasuke's ability._ Yuroi avoided the deflected shuriken and appeared in front of Sasuke. Kari's keen eyes followed his movements with ease. Sasuke rolled out the way and slammed his kunai into the floor, using it as leverage he spun round and kicked Yuroi's leg, pushing him off balance and pulling him into an arm lock.

"Yatta!" Naruto cried. Yuroi snorted and grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt, his hand once again glowing blue. Kari winced as pain shot through her chest and her body became heavy and weak.

"My strength!" Sasuke cried. Yuroi easily pulled his arm out of Sasuke's grip and brought the back of his hand into Sasuke's chest. Sasuke cried out in pain. Kakashi was torn which way to look. _The second Yuroi's fist hit Sasuke, Kari starting violently coughing…_ Yuroi stood up as Sasuke struggled to move.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried as Yuroi charged, his fist once again glowing blue. Sasuke wasn't able to move quickly enough and Yuroi grabbed Sasuke's head and shoved him to the ground. Sasuke's hold on Yuroi's arm weakened and his arms fell to his side.

"Are you… my chakra…?" Sasuke cried. Naruto stood up and watched in shock. Kakashi moved behind Kari and placed a hand on the top of her head. She was clutching fistfuls of golden hair on the sides of her head.

"Stay strong…" Kakashi whispered.

"Did you notice now?" Yuroi mocked. Sasuke's fist clenched.

"Get off!" he cried, kicking Yuroi off of him. Sasuke struggled to sit up as Yuroi stood up easily.

"You still had some strength left?" Yuroi asked. "You're just a guinea-pig though. Relax, I'll end this quickly." His hand glowed blue as he charged at Sasuke, who was now standing. Sasuke dodged swipe after swipe, the last brushing his raven hair. He quickly stumbled out of the way. "What's wrong, are you done for already?" Sasuke turned and aimed a sloppy kick at Yuroi, but missed as the older ninja jumped out the way. Sasuke breathed heavily as he tried to think of what to do. Kari's hands slid through her knotted hair and fell into her lap. Naruto, irritated that Sasuke was losing, decided to make his opinion known.

"_**SASUKEEE**_!! You call yourself _Uchiha_ Sasuke with _**that**_?! Stop acting like a baka! Get serious!" Naruto cried as Sasuke looked round. His eyes travelled over Naruto, to Kari who looked like she was going to pass out any second, to Rock Lee. _Rock Lee…_ Sasuke's eyes widened as it hit him.

"You don't have time to be looking the other way!" Yuroi cried as he came charging towards Sasuke again. "This it!" Sasuke dodged each blow, until a smirk came to his face. He appeared beneath Yuroi, kicking him into the air.

"Heh… cheater" Kari whispered. Sasuke jumped into the air behind Yuroi.

"From here on it's all original though" Sasuke said. "It's the end! Eat this—!" he tensed as his curse mark burned. Kakashi quickly crouched next to Kari who was shaking violently, blood spilling from her lips He wrapped his arm round her shoulders while watching Sasuke intently. "Chikusho, it responds when it doesn't need to!" Sasuke cried as markings began to spread across his body. Kakashi glanced back at Kari to see markings slowly crawling across her collarbone and up her neck, hidden from everyone else by a sheet of long blonde hair. It slowly spread across half her face. Kakashi looked back up at Sasuke.

"I guess now's the time to…" Kakashi was cut off by Kari grabbing hold of his vest.

"Matte… He can do it… I know he can…" she begged. Sasuke grit his teeth and closed his eyes.

"_Onegai… Yamete…"_

"_Temee! Sasuke! Stop acting like an idiot!"_

"_I'll never leave you alone…"_

_I can't believe I've gotten them worried…_ Sasuke thought angrily. _And if I'm hurting this much… then she must be…_

"_You've been bearing with the pain all this time, both of you! Look at her Sasuke-kun! She'll die!"_

_No she won't… Not if I can do anything about it! For her sake more than anything, I won't let this thing take over!!_ The burning marks slowly receded back into the curse mark. Kari smirked.

"Told ya so…"

'_Way to go Sasuke, I knew you could do it, now kick his ass!!'_

Sasuke smirked. _'Not like I needed you to tell me to baka.'_

"Let's get this on!" Sasuke cried. He spun Yuroi round, but his kick was blocked.

"Not good enough!" Yuroi cried. Sasuke twisted round and backhanded Yuroi in the face. Sasuke then twisted and punched him in the gut.

"I'm not done yet!" Sasuke cried, spinning again and kicking him into the floor. "Shishi rendan!" Sasuke went sliding backwards doing a backwards somersault and coming to a stop, lying on his front. Kari clapped and laughed.

"That was neat! Do it again!" she cried enthusiastically. Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. Hayate walked over to Yuroi and shook his head signallin that the opponent was unconscious; he then looked over at Sasuke who was standing up. Kari's eyes suddenly widened, slowly turning to focus on the Oto-nin's sensei.

_You…_

'_**KILL HIM!**__'_ Kumouri shrieked, causing Kari to grab the sides of her head._**KUMOURI!**__' _Kitai's usually soft voice boomed. '_Kari-chan is nowhere near strong enough to take on a Sannin! She needs to recover before she can even begin to increase her strength_!'

'

'_**I DON'T CARE! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!**_'

"Urusai…" Kari hissed. "Urusai shimatta…"

"Resist her Kari. Force her to calm" Kakashi whispered. Kumouri settled grudgingly for the moment and the blonde kunoichi turned to look back at the fight. Sasuke wiped the blood leaking from his mouth on his sleeve as he panted.

"I will stop this match now. The winner of the first match is Uchiha Sasuke." Hayate said. "This means he passes the preliminary round."

"YATTA!!" Naruto cried as Sakura laughed with joy. Kari smiled softly as Kita crawled into her lap. She had gone to see Hinata's team to see Akamaru. She lifted her paw to Kari's face.

"Okaasan is ok?" she asked. Kari nodded. "Sasuke-kun won! We'll win too!" Kita cried her tail wagging.

"Hai Kita-ko, we'll win too!" Kari laughed.

"Kari, I'm going to get Sasuke" Kakashi told her before standing up. She nodded and he poofed down behind Sasuke.

* * *

"You did okay." Kakashi said.

"Sasuke!! You won in such an idiotic way! You're all worn out! Bakaaa!!" Naruto cried in delight.

"Naruto! That was an awesome little somersault! He has to do it again!" Kari cried.

"Geez, usuratonkashi, baka-onna" Sasuke's irritation faded as he smirked. He sighed and put a hand to his aching chest. Neji glanced at Kari.

"He used Lee's move combined with some traits of your style of Taijutsu." He said. Kari tilted her head to the side. "You have very powerful kicks and tend to use the back of your hand a fair bit."

"Neji-sempai are you complimenting me?" Kari asked with a cheeky smirk.

"No, I'm stating his technique." Neji replied. "Are you feeling any better, you're health deteriorates rapidly, then you get distracted and ignore it. Ignoring it won't make your pain go away Kari."

"Che, I'm fine." Kari said, waving away his worries with her hand.

"Liar" Neji said bluntly. Kari glared at him. "There's only so much strain the body can take. I know you well enough to know you won't pull out, but be careful when your fight comes."

"You really do care" Kari teased. Neji replied with a long stare. "I hate staring contests" Kari grumbled as she was forced to blink.

* * *

"Uchiha Sasuke, we medics will give you the best treatment we can." A medic-nin said as he walked up to the injured Uchiha. Other medic-nin carried Yuroi out on a stretcher.

"This isn't your field, I'll take him." Kakashi said. "I'll take you into the cursed room and seal that curse mark." Kakashi said to Sasuke.

"Wait until the preliminary matches are over!" Sasuke cried. "I want to see the matches of the guys who will move on to the main event. I want to see _Kari's_ fight." Sasuke said glancing up at her as she conversed with Neji. Kakashi sighed heavily.

"It's strange. Every blow that hit you caused her pain. When your seal activated, hers reacted too. You can stay for as long as she lasts, which I assure **won't** be until the end of the preliminaries. If she misses her match, that's the way it has to be." Kakashi said firmly.

"Nani? She _has_ to fight!" Sasuke cried. "You know how she'll be if she misses it."

"Hormonal probably." Kakashi sighed. "But we have to seal it as soon as possible. It might do something irreversible. Kari's body is rejecting the seal as though it's a virus, the longer she's left untreated the more ill she becomes." Kakashi gave Sasuke a stern look. "One missed fight is nowhere near as bad as the worst case scenario."

"Just a little longer." Sasuke asked. Kakashi nodded and helped him up onto the higher level.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun you did it!"

"Quiet down guys, the next fight will be starting soon." Kakashi said.

"Oi baka" Sasuke said looking round at Kari. "Don't push it."

"Geez… Everyone thinks I'm so useless…" Kari sighed. She blinked, noticing his stare. "Okay, okay... I'll beat up them before they hurt me."

"Now we will begin the next match." Hayate announced. Silence immediately fell as names flashed across the screen, except this time without Sasuke's or Yuroi's. Sasuke stared hard as he willed the screen to show Kari's name, yet at the same time, wished her name not yet to appear. Kakashi placed his barely read book away.

_Being strong in spirit can't help being weak in body. _Kakashi's dark visible eye narrowed. Fate will decide if you will fight Kari. If time runs out, the Chunin Exam will be over for you._  
_


	41. Jikan Kagayakiwo

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait, relationship trauma and school work - which I'm supposed to be doing right now. Thanks again to all who reviewed and especially to my dear imouto Maddy-chan. The other genin fights will be the same ani-sand, so not to cause confusion, but won't be written in detail.

**Disclaimer:** Naruto charachters and the half of the plot belong to Masashi Kishimoto-san.

**Claimer:** Kari, Kita, Kari's fighting style, the 2nd group of Oto-nin, the Torai-kenshi and Kari's relationships with characters are completely mine.

* * *

**Jikan kagayakiwo**

**_Time to shine_**

* * *

_Courage bloomed in her chest as excitement fluttered in her stomach_

_She smiled and new it was time to see how much she had improved._

_

* * *

_

A collective gasp erupted from the Konoha ninja as they stared at the screen.

* * *

_**Kari**_

Vs

_**Murasaki Akio**_

* * *

"Well, that's awfully convenient." Kari said in surprise. A smile spread across her face. "Second's the best after all."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kakashi asked sternly. "You can always take it again." Kari gave him a rather affronted look.

"Thanks for the show of confidence…" she sad sarcastically.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried enveloping her in a crushing hug. "Win it for me, dattebayo!"

"Be careful Kari-chan!" Sakura cried, her hands laced together in worry.

"Oneechan!" Hinata cried rushing up. Her face burned red as they turned to look at her. "G-good luck!" she squeaked shyly. Kari grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"From you, that's all I need. _And_ from the rest of you, wish me luck guys!" Kari cried. There was a shout of encouragement from Lee, TenTen, Naruto, Kiba and even Ino. Neji nodded to her, a slight smile on his face.

"Make us proud." He said gently. "I know you will."

"Kita, you're gonna be in the finals with me. But this time, I'm gonna beat them with you watching." Kari said to her dear cub. Kita nodded, a little disappointed.

"Will the fighters for the second match please come down." Hayate requested. Kari glanced back at Sasuke who was leaning against the wall for a split second before grasping hold of the top of the balcony pushing herself up into a handstand on it, before fluidly flipping down and landing lightly on the lower level.

"Hn. Show off." Sasuke snorted, a smirk coming to his face. _Be careful baka…_

"Eh? I'm fighting a girl?" Akio, Kari's opponent mused as his golden eyes took in her appearance as she stopped a few metres apart from him. He was a good foot taller, and was at least two to three years older than her. He had long violet hair, and looked a lot like the boy she was next to in the First Exam, the eyes and hair colour obviously showing they were related. He was a muscled build, his visible biceps not too pumped, but still obvious. Kari's eye twitched as the long hair reminded her a little of Neji (and his murderous poking). "You're a little odd aren't you?" he asked as his eyes settled on her ears.

"Makes me interesting, ne?" she said tilting her head to the side with a confident smirk.

"Are there any object—"

"_**KNOCK HIM DEAD KARI-CHAN!!**_" Naruto hollered.

"Urusai baka! The match hasn't even started!" Sakura shouted and a heavy thud and a low whine were heard.

"Are there any objections?" Hayate finished wearily.

"Nope" Kari replied.

"None here." Kari's opponent smirked devilishly.

"Begin!" At once, music pounded in Kari's mind placing her into a trance of concentration. She shot forwards, sweeping Akio's legs from underneath him in a tidy sweep kick, before fluidly continuing her spin and placing distance between them again. Akio quickly got to his feet and they simultaneously charged, Kari's speed coming into play and catching him of guard. She punched him in the gut before jumping and throwing high speed kicks towards his head as she span in mid air. Slightly winded, Akio didn't bother to try and dodge and instead blocked her kicks. As soon as she began to descend he grabbed hold of her wrist and began to spin, catching hold of her other wrist. Once they had picked up enough speed, he let go, flinging her towards the wall. Determined to avoid another skull-shattering headache (which she had been having frequently over the last two days), Kari span so she was facing the floor and flipped in mid air just before her head made contact with the hard wall. As light-footed as a cat, she bounced off like a rubber ball without a second's hesitation, hurtling back towards her opponent like a blonde bullet. The unexpecting Oto-nin was head butted viciously just above his abdomen and sent flying backwards. Kari flipped again, using her hands to slow her and swinging her feet underneath her. She hissed and her hand grasped her injured side, panting as she watched Akio begin to rise. Flips were absolute torture and any tension in her arms felt like the skin was being ripped apart. _Not good…_

* * *

"Sugoii… Her taijutsu is amazing" Sakura said in awe as her mind replayed the high speed hand to hand combat. "Even though she's worn down and not feeling well, she's so quick and accurate."

"What did you expect from Kari-chan?" Naruto said, looking offended. "She's on the team of the future Hokage you know!"

"Sakura's right." Sasuke said, pushing off against the wall and standing close to the rail for a better view. "Kari-baka's taijutsu, even in her weakened state, is far above genin level. We knew she was fast, but those blows are fused with chakra."

"Even Sasuke noticed" Kakashi mused. "You're all right though. Kari's taijutsu is far more advanced than I expected; nothing less from working with Gai. But her fluidity between movements and her grace and precision are all in her own style which she's developed on her own."

"Kari-chan's doing well" TenTen said happily. "Don't you think Neji?"

"You dance beautifully as always Kari-hime!" Lee whispered, tears of pride streaming down his face.

"Our little apprentice" Gai said, mirroring Lee's expression.

"She's struggling. Her injuries are protesting against her advanced movement" Neji said, though knowing no one was bothering to listen, being too intent on the fight. His keen eyes could see how she was tense with pain. She was best when relaxed, she was a lot smoother. He knew she couldn't keep it up too long, but with a low level of chakra from the last exam the little ninjutsu she knew was out of the question. Remembering the state of her arms (he being the one who carefully wrapped them) she wouldn't be able to use her katana (he hadn't seen her sword fighting skills as of yet, but was curious because of her taijutsu style).

The Oto-nin sensei smirked with excitement at his object of interest. He could see she was in pain, yet marvelled at her willpower and fighting ability. His eyes were alight as he impatiently waited for his student to put her under more pressure.

* * *

Kari scowled as her hand travelled from her ribs to her burning neck. She closed one eye against the pain as the other became hazy. She felt hot and heavy and the room began to swirl. Her eyes shot open as her sensitive ears detected Akio's movement. He was speeding towards her, his hand glowing with a peculiar purple chakra. She went to move, knowing that his attack couldn't be good and it would be an absolute disaster if it was anything like Yuroi's. Heaven knows what would happen if chakra was drawn out of her. A blast of pain spread from her neck causing her to stumble. She felt pressure just beneath the middle of her collarbone and gasped in pain, falling backwards.

"_**KARI-CHAN!!**_" Naruto shrieked as her back hit the floor, pinned down by Akio's weight. His palm was the pressure she had felt and blood flooded into her mouth, spilling out the corners of her lips and running down her cheeks as she choked and coughed. Her ribcage felt as though it was shrinking, constricting her organs and cutting them to pieces. Her heart felt as though it was exploding in slow motion, being torn from the inside out. Her eyes threatened to roll to the back of her head from the pain, but the feel of his hot breath against her face forced her to stay conscious.

"My kekkei-genkai is like a poison dipped chakra sword" he whispered to her. "It attacks your inner organs and chakra network which is why you're bleeding." He smirked widely. "But there's something else, something even more poisonous in my ability." He said teasingly. "Do you hurt hime?" he whispered against her cheek. "Do you want mercy? Maybe if you beg—"

Now then. He just made the mistake of telling _Kari_ to _beg_. Sasuke had the habit of teasing her about being canine. If this little **temee** thought she was going to _beg _to him. Oh that did it. _**THREE**_ days she'd had all the shit in the world and now this?! _**NO WAY!!**_

Just as Naruto was about to shout again, a war cry was heard and Kari's chakra filled leg shot into Akio's crotch. He was sent flying upwards into the air, off the enraged girl in absolute male _**agony**_. She appeared above him at breakneck speed and sent her heel into his abdomen, sending him shooting downwards into the concrete floor, spreading cracks across it as she back flipped and landed a couple feet away, landing on one knee and spitting out the remaining blood in her mouth.

"…Oh…" Kakashi said; the first one to speak. A pained cringe had spread across most of the males faces (excluding Gaara) and they all silently vowed to not upset Kari enough to suffer what Akio just had.

"W-Way to go! Dattebayo!" Naruto cried in a slightly higher voice than usual, his hand securely around his lower region.

"That's my girl!" TenTen cried with pride.

"I like this one" Anko said to the Hokage with a large grin. "She hits them where it hurts!"

"A lot like you, isn't she?" the Hokage said as he took an extra long puff on his pipe. "She can be polite and elegant when she wants to be, yet she's a rose and has extremely sharp thorns."

* * *

Akio slowly stood up (though quite wonky). He gave her a pained glare. She too quickly got too her feet, though unsteady. She charged and jumped, aiming a kick to his head, he ducked and her blow instead hit his sheet of violet hair. Her defence being as it was, she wasn't able to avoid his punches to her torso. His biceps weren't for nothing, this guy hit hard and Kari was quite fragile (despite her denial about it). With a particularly hard punch she was thrown backwards until her back hit the wall cracks spreading round her. Blood flew out of her mouth as she slid down slightly before tipping forwards so she was standing again. She shot forward, kunai in hand and deflected the two kunai thrown at her. Akio, realising how much she had weakened, charged again, his hand alight with purple chakra. He went to grab her round the throat, but she feared what would happen if that chakra hit her cursemark. She managed to successfully dodge but was left open in another place and was unlucky in her second attempt to dodge.

"Gotcha!" Her kunai was immediately dropped as Akio pressed his palm into the left side of her ribs, just the pressure of his palm causing the wound to burn and sting as though drowned in salt. If Kari was any weaker in heart she would have screamed and burst into tears right their and then. An explosion of pain hit her side as though a bomb had been stuck to her and detonated. Her skin felt like it was being burned away as her organs were punctured by white hot needles, her muscles being sliced into microscopic pieces over and over again. Her ribs felt as though they were bending backwards. She grasped his wrist as she sunk to her knees, blood bursting out of her mouth again. Her shirt began sticking to her side as she took shallow ragged breaths.

"Kari-chan!"

"Kari-hime!"

Kakashi's brow furrowed and he stepped forward, ready to stop the match and say enough was enough. He couldn't bear to see her suffer with a brave face anymore.

"Matte!" Sasuke cried, grabbing his arm. "Don't give up on her yet!"

"_**COME ON KARI-CHAN! YOU CAN DO IT!!**_" Naruto called as Lee cheered in agreement, Kita giving a loud yip of agreement.

_Come on baka, no way am I going to the finals and you're going to be sitting in the audience eating pocky the whole time! Fight him!_ Sasuke thought desperately.

Kari's glazed, unfocused eyes slid to the blurry outline of her kunai. She'd dropped it beside her. She grabbed hold of it and blindly stabbed it towards where she thought Akio was. Luckily, her shot seemed to have hit home when she heard a shout of pain and the burning pressure left her.

"Temee… You're gonna pay for that" Kari mumbled as she sloppily stood up. There was a clatter of her kunai being thrown to the ground and she shot forward, relying more on her ears than her eyes. They hit each other at the exact same moment, their fists embedding into the others stomach. Before Kari was sent backwards though, Akio grabbed the front of her shirt with his right hand and a second after, his left fist collided with her cheekbone, pushing her face to the side and causing blood to spill from her lips yet again. From the pain that shot through her face, he had put all he had into that punch and Kari wouldn't be surprised if she got bleeding on the brain.

_**No way**__ did she just get practically bitch-slapped by a __**guy**__… __**THAT'S IT. ENOUGH!**__ No more __**SNAKES, OTO-NIN**__ or __**INJURIES**__, especially __**BLEEDING INJURIES**__, for Kari today! Just __**COMFORT FOOD**__ and __**SLEEP**__! And __**PAINKILLERS**__! Sasuke you're __**BUYING**__ me pocky you bitch!!_

With a frustrated scream (much like the one before she most probably made Akio infertile) she flooded her right fist with chakra and put every ounce of her rage, frustration and irritation directly into Akio's nose. There's was a painful crack and Akio was sent flying into the opposite wall Kari had been thrown into, leaving cracks along the wall. Blood covering his jaw and slowly spreading down his neck, he slid down the wall until his backside hit the floor before slumping forwards, unconscious. Hayate stared at him blankly for a second, before turning to Kari.

"The winner of the second match is Kari. She passes the preliminary round and will advance to the Third exam." Hayate announced.

"_**YATTA! THAT'S MY KARI-CHAN!!**_" Naruto cheered, jumping up and down. As Lee embraced TenTen and shouted with glee.

"I knew you'd win Oneechan" Hinata whispered happily as Kiba whooped and whistled beside her.

"Yay…" Kari sighed in exhaustion before flopping backwards, only to be caught by her favourite sensei. He lifted her up like a baby as she lay limp in his arms. Kita looked down at her mother. She hadn't been able to cheer because of the foreign ninja (her voice could still be a secret weapon) but was truly proud of her Okaasan.

"Way to go Kari-chan, you did great" Kakashi said softly. Her endurance and perseverance amazed him. How she could continue to struggle on was beyond him, even he would have considered giving up if he was as injured as she was. But looking at the current state of her, pushing her body over its limit wasn't anything positive.

"Arigatou Kaka-nii" she mumbled in reply. "Maybe a doctor wouldn't be too bad… As long as I don't have to stay in them horrible, smelly, uncomfortable beds" she said, opening an eye. "But I wanna watch the other matches first."

"No, we're sorting you out. You're health is deteriorating." Kakashi said sternly. She opened another eye and gave him a sorrowful look. "Don't you give me those eyes..." Seeing as she was in significant pain, her eyes became teary quite easily. She pouted and her ears lowered in heart wrenching disappointment. Kakashi grew awkward at the heartbreak radiating off her (though mostly acting) and coughed. "I'll consider you coming back… maybe. But not likely. We're going to sort out that nasty cursemark."

"Hai…" she said as her eyes closed. "I think I need to go to sleep now…"

"Sasuke! Let's go, you need to have medical attention too" Kakashi called. Sasuke quickly rushed down the stairs and joined them as they headed out the room, he subconsciously grabbed his cursemark.

* * *

Sakura's eyes followed the rest of her team as they walked towards a door. She barely listened to Naruto's whine of not being able to congratulate Kari. Kita was exactly like Sakura. Naruto's keen blue eyes noticed Sasuke holding his neck and his eye widened as he remembered seeing dark smudges across Sasuke's skin when he was in the air.

"Sakura-chan, did you see some kind of weird wound on Sasuke's neck during the match?" Naruto asked. Kita glanced up at her.

'_Promise me. Don't tell Naruto about mine or Kari's bruises. This is part of teamwork; it'll worry me if he's worrying about me. I know Kari feels the same.'_

"I don't know." Sakura finally answered, picking up Kita and holding her close.

"Sou ka… Do you think Kari-chan will be alright now? I wish I could go with her…" Naruto said sadly, watching as she was carried out the room. _Heal fast, Ookami-neechan._

* * *

"Could you hold her for me?" Sasuke nodded and Kari was eased to him, grimacing in her sleepy daze as her wounds were brushed. She would dip in and out of consciousness as they walked.

"Baka, I told you not to go overboard." Sasuke said to her, though couldn't help smirking. "You weren't as bad as I thought you were going to be, I'll give you that."

"And you'll buy me pocky?" she mumbled. Kakashi chuckled and placed a hand on her head as she whined about a '_headache from head butting solid abs_'.

"We'll both buy you an all you can eat sugar buffet." Kakashi said fondly. "You deserve it kiddo."

"Guess I do…" Kari mumbled with a smile as she seemed to fall unconscious again. Sasuke shifted her into the position he found most comfortable, as he had gotten used to carrying her around a fair bit. Her head rested in the hollow of his neck, so his jaw lightly rested against the top of her head. His right arm was supporting her mid-back and his left was under her knees. Her tail was wrapped around her and long enough to lie on top of her pelvis.

"I wonder who will fight next…" Sasuke wondered out loud. Kakashi didn't miss the dirty look directed at him, but chose to ignore it.

"Abumi Zaku and Aburame Shino" Kari said.

"How do you know that?" Sasuke said suspiciously. "Oi, wake up."

"Nghh, I can see through Kita somehow." Kari replied, trying to roll over while Sasuke was still carrying her.

"Alright Sasuke, you can put her down while I set up the jutsu." Kakashi said as they entered the middle of the room. Once she was sitting comfortably on the floor, Kari looked around at the pillars and the stone grey floor and walls. "I need to write kanji on your upper bodies for this, so you'll have to remove your shirts" Kakashi said calmly. Sasuke twitched in disgust and Kari pulled a horrified face before plummeting backwards onto the floor. "If Kari's unconscious we'll have to do it for her" Kakashi added simply, as though asking someone to remove their shoes.

"No!" Kari cried shooting into a sitting position, wincing and falling back down again. "Ite-e…" she whined softly.

"Gomen, but it's the only way" Kakashi said grimly. "You're pain will ease by a lot if you do. The other option isn't good to think about." Kari grumbled and removed her tank top and net shirt, left only with bandages from her armpits to her hips. She undid her katana sheaths and placed them gently on the floor as though they were made of glass.

"Won't she bleed to death though if the bandages are removed?" Sasuke questioned as he removed his own shirt and his arm warmers so that he didn't have to look at her.

"We'll just have to move quickly. No stalling. I don't have enough chakra to seal you both separately, and neither of you can wait until my chakra is restored, so I'll have to improvise and seal you at the same time. Seeing as you were both bitten at around the same time, and there's a chance it was done in the same jutsu, it might just work." By now he had drawn a large circle and was writing kanji in it, kunai being placed symmetrically at various points. He was now drawing a second circle. Kari seemed upset by the fact he was writing in his own blood and felt a churn in her stomach. Kakashi glanced at her with a serious look in his visible eye and sped up.

"Do I have to…?" Kari said meekly as red dusted her nose and cheeks. "Can't Kurenai-sensei or…"

"Not many can do this jutsu I'm afraid. At least you know and trust me. It's not like Sasuke's got the normal teen hormones anyway." Sasuke glared at his sensei in utter disgust while Kari couldn't help but giggle. "and he'll be shirtless as well as you, imagine how Sakura would die to be in your place." Kari's mood was lightened a little and she and Sasuke went inside the half finished circle. Kakashi commanded them both to sit. They did, but Kakashi altered them into a position of horribly close proximity, where poor Kari was practically straddling poor Sasuke. "I know it's awkward, but it'll only be for a couple minutes. Kari you can stand up to unwrap if you want." She did so, turning her back to them, and slowly began to untie the thick bandages, horribly embarrassed. "You can start with your arms Kari" Kakashi said gently, sensing her unease.

"Hyuuga was probably bad at wrapping anyway." Sasuke scoffed as she slowly unravelled the linen on her left arm. Sasuke stomach twisted unpleasantly at the sight of the raw wound. It was starting to heal and the blood flow was lighter, but it looked horrible, standing out from her pale skin. The other arm was in the same mangled state, and Kakashi could only silently look on with sympathy. The bandages on her stomach loosened and fell away, her hands shaking and her body flinching as she touched her left side. Each layer was a darker, fresher crimson, until her worst wound on her left side was revealed. There was bruising all along her side, the cut still open, but healing as best it could. Sasuke felt vomit rise in his throat and quickly looked away, able to see slivers of her ribcage through the deep cuts.

"You're very brave Kari-chan…" he heard Kakashi say softly. She looked round and gave him a half-hearted smile, only her long golden hair protecting her from her self-consciousness. Kari had gone through shyness and anxiety before, which is why she sympathised so much with Hinata. She wasn't one who would happily get her kit off for anything; she didn't even walk naked around her own house. She folded her arms across her breasts as she looked fixedly on the stone wall. Her hair was pushed over her right shoulder and she felt Kakashi begin to write down her back. It half-hurt, half-tickled, but she knew he was being as gentle and quick as he could. Even if he read those novels of his, she trusted him wholeheartedly.

"Oww…" she mumbled as he wrote down her left shoulder blade.

"Did you injure your wings? You've got some bruising across your back, but nothing too severe. And you've got splinters, but that will be sorted at hospital." He wrote down the outer side of her arms and then looked completely over her head as he wrote across her stomach and chest (mostly avoiding her breasts). Her hair mostly covered her and made her feel a little less insecure. She was thankful she liked to have it long. "I need to check it's written right. Can I look?" Kakashi requested. She pulled the rest of her hair over her shoulders and agreed. He quickly scanned her but paused as he caught sight of an almost invisible gash that was almost fully healed. "That's where…"

"Yeah… It hurt" Kari agreed, thinking back to Nami where she'd had Kakashi's Raikiri straight through her when she tried to protect Haku. She'd hoped it would be enough to save him, but according to the others he was dead. "Can you be quick with Sasuke; I'm a little dizzy…"

"Of course" Kakashi said, breaking out of his reverie and going to write on Sasuke. "When was the last time you ate, you look sickly and thin." The jonin said, glancing back at Kari.

"She was ill and threw everything up." Sasuke answered as his skin was covered in Kakashi's blood.

"Hm… Carbohydrates and protein with your sugar then" Kakashi said. "And fruit and vegetables." Finally he finished and Kari and Sasuke awkwardly got into position, refusing point black to look at each other. Until Kari's eyes closed and she limply fell against Sasuke, just as Kakashi was finishing the final touches, writing on their shins.

"Oi baka! Kari wake up! Kakashi-sensei, hurry up!" Sasuke said worriedly.

"Hold her steady." Kakashi ordered as he stood behind them, praying that it would work. Kari's eyes slowly opened, dull and dark. "Bear with this a little, it'll be over soon." On impulse, Sasuke laced his hands with both of hers. Her blood was making him queasy and he could feel the sticky liquid sliding down his side. Sasuke nodded, her forehead uncomfortably hot against his. He was staring her determinedly in the eye, but her dazed stare back was hardly encouraging. Kakashi quickly made a number of complex hand signs, his hands gloveless for what he was about to do.

"Fuuja Houin!" he cried, placing a hand directly over each of their curse marks. Light blazed inside the circle and Sasuke cried out in pain. Kari's eyes shot open as the kanji began to crawl up her skin as though being sewn. She didn't have the strength to scream and instead struggled to squeeze Sasuke's hands as hard as he was gripping hers. After seconds, minutes, maybe hours of excruciating pain a dark ring surrounded their marks. Their bodies were trembling, panting through the pain.

"If either cursed seal tries to activate again, the power of the Fuuja Houin will hold it in. However, this seal utilizes your wills as its main source. If either you lose faith in your power and your will sways… The cursed seal will activate." Kakashi explained. He watched as their eyes closed and they both collapsed, Sasuke landing on top of her, their hands still intertwined. Kakashi couldn't help but smile. "Looks like their worn out…"

"_So you can use sealing technique's now? You've grown Kakashi._"

"You're…" Kakashi began, looking round.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi-kun" the man said silkily, his voice with a hiss.

"Orochimaru…" Kakashi said in shock.

"Gomen, but I have no business with you" Orochimaru said simply. "But I do have business with the two behind you" he finished, his eyes gleaming as a smirk spread across his pale face. Kakashi's eyes hardened as he tried to suppress his anger.

"Why are you after Sasuke and Kari?" he asked.

"You're lucky, seeing as you got what you wanted already. You didn't have _that_ a long time ago, that Sharingan in your left eye." Orochimaru hissed as Kakashi tensed. "I want it too. Uchiha's powers that is."

"And why her? Why Kari?" Kakashi said, his visible eye blazing.

"Surely you know what she holds?" Orochimaru asked looking around at her. "She has such horrible power inside her small, fragile body. Someone pure and beautiful to hide the devil."

"No one can control the Torai-kenshi. Even you know that." Kakashi said.

"Yes, but if no one else can, do you really expect her to?" Orochimaru asked, his smirk widening. "As strong-hearted as she is, she will suffer continuously until she breaks. She would make an interesting weapon, or an apprentice perhaps."

"What is your purpose?" Kakashi demanded, biting back his rage.

"The recently-made Hidden Village of Sound is mine." His smirk became darker. "You understand if I just say that right?"

"What a stupid ambition…" Kakashi replied.

"Oh my… That was blunt. But to accomplish my ambition, I need pieces to be my legs and arms and accomplish things for me.

"So Sasuke and Kari are just two of those pieces?" Kakashi asked.

"No, Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan are supreme pieces. And the ones taking the exam right now are" his eyes flashed with glee "merely sacrifices." He slowly began walking forwards, making his way towards the unconscious genin. Kakashi glared at him, before he finally snapped and slid in front of his students, positioning himself to attack.

"Don't get any closer to them!" he cried. Orochimaru's smirk faded as blue lightning sprayed from Kakashi's palm. "Even if you're one of the legendary Sannin, I can sacrifice my life to kill you!" The Sannin's smirk returned as he bowed his head and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi growled.

"What you say and do, don't agree with each other." Orochimaru hissed.

"Nani?"

"There's no point in using that seal. You know, right? He has a heart that seeks power no matter how evil it is. He possesses that kind of disposition. He is an avenger." He was cut off when a blast of red chakra struck the pillar beside him. "Ah, seems as though I'm making my chiisai-ookami angry."

"So you took advantage of that. But Kari will never allow Sasuke…"

"Eventually, _he_ will seek _me_ out, seek me out for power that is" Orochimaru said simply. "And she _will_ follow. Then I'll have both."

"She would never…"

"Yes she does seem rather cold towards me. She could sense my chakra and immediately I felt a wave that could only be from the AkumaInu. But I'm sure he means more to her than her hatred for me." Kakashi's Raikiri faded as Orochimaru turned to walk away, but paused after a couple of steps. "Also, you said that you could kill me? Try, that is, if you can." Kakashi's eyes widened and his body shook, sensing no advance to attack, Orochimaru disappeared.

"Sacrifice my life to kill him? Am I mad?" Kakashi whispered. He took a deep breath and walked over to his students. He put Sasuke's shirt on Kari, Sasuke grimacing when he was moved from her, then relaxing when he could feel her underneath him again. "You're his only hope, if he loses you, then he'll have no lantern to lead him safely through the darkness. You're all he has now." Kakashi kneeled next to them looking at their intertwined hands. Even unconscious, the Uchiha held her to reassure himself she was there. The jonin sighed as he looked at Sasuke's peaceful expression.

"No more nightmares, eh Sasuke?" he said softly, remembering how tired he looked when he first saw him. "Kari, you're going to have a lot of trouble when you're older. All those boys will be after you… And they'll end up getting beaten up one way or another." Kakashi's fingertips brushed her ear and it twitched and the touch. She always could bring a smile to his face. Maybe her and Sasuke would end up together? It would give him a reason to stay. But heaven forbid should Kakashi find out he'd impregnated her before she was sixteen—no. Eighteen at least. She has Kita to look after. But if Kari and Sasuke did end up together, surely that would bring yet more conflict between Sasuke and Naruto? After all, Naruto does care about her immensely, and Kakashi could see love blossoming between his two blonde students. If memory serves correct, she seemed close to Gai's student the Hyuuga as well. What a disaster…

"Kaka…?"

"Oro? Kari-chan what are you doing awake?" he whispered, hoping his quiet voice would convince her to go back to sleep.

"I could sense _him_." She mumbled.

"Ah" Kakashi wasn't sure whether to lie or not. But he knew she had sensed him (and unconsciously attacked him) so decided to be truthful. "Hai, but he's gone. I didn't let him come anywhere near you."

"Thanks Kashi" she said with a tired smile. "Can I go watch the other matches now?"

"No." Kakashi said sternly. "You're going to hospital to rest. End of discussion."

"But Kashi! Naruto… Hinata… I want to see…" she whined, barely conscious. Kakashi sighed as she looked up at him with glazed eyes.

"Maybe. I'll come and see if you're awake when Naruto, or Hyuuga Hinata have their fights." Kakashi relented. She smiled in gratitude before glancing at Sasuke.

"Will he be ok?" she asked.

"I'm sure he will. He's an Uchiha after all" Kakashi reassured.

"Good…" she said before her eyes fluttered closed and she was swept into her dreams.

"Rest well Kari-chan. The worst is yet to come…" Kakashi said softly, brushing her bangs out of her face.

* * *

_Protect Sasuke, Kari-chan. If not for him, then for yourself._

* * *


	42. Kitsune Oyubi Houndo

**A/N;** First off, thank you so much for your kind reviews of last chapter, special thanks to Maddy-Imouto and Yaruhi, your review in particular made me smile. Im glad you all enjoyed Kari's fight! I just hope the finals will be even better for you! Secondly, apologies on the long wait for this chapter, exams suck ass.

**Claimer:** Kari, Kita, and everything to do with them belong to me.

**Disclaimer:** You know what? After the last manga chapter, Masashi Kishimoto is a bitch ;_; Im sure you all know what would NOT happen if I owned Naruto. Until Masashi redeems himself, Naruto belongs to Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

**Kitsune Oyubi Houndo**

_The Fox & the Hound_

* * *

"_Never…" She held his gaze with hard determination, _

_but then her eyes softened with warmth._

"_Never let anybody tell you you're not good enough."_

* * *

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried.

"Don't just say 'Yo' to me! What about Sasuke-kun? A-and Kari-chan? Are they alright?" Sakura cried anxiously.

"Hai, they're asleep at hospital now. Kari-chan's being made better" he added, catching sight of Naruto's worried face. "She woke up and asked to come back, specifically to see Naruto and Hinata fight." His eye crinkled with his hidden smile as he lifted up a gloomy Kita. Naruto beamed, touched that his best friend would suffer through anything just to support him, and he would win, just for her! Kakashi's smile faded, remembering the ANBU escorts he had left with them. Kita sighed sadly, wishing her Okaasan was there. Their attentions were momentarily distracted, by the announcement of the next two fighters.

* * *

Tsurugi Misumi

Vs

Kankurou

* * *

Kari's eyes slowly fluttered open. Her vision wouldn't focus properly and her whole body felt heavy. She guessed she was sedated. She could feel something on her face, but couldn't lift her arms to feel what it was. Her head turned to its side, feeling as though it was full of water, the sudden movements causing waves to crash against her skull. Her eyes sharpened slightly, causing them to sting. Sasuke was on the bed next to hers, a small window between their beds. They were no more than two feet apart. Kari tried to call to him, but only managed a pitiful croak. She struggled and slowly managed to move her arm towards him, the muscles straining. Her vision blurred as she noticed the bandages that covered her arm and a cough ripped through her chest. There was a harsh beeping from her other side but she ignored it. Her hand brushed Sasuke's, which was hanging from his bed and her fingers weakly tangled with his. She let out a pained sigh before her eyes closed and her muscles relaxed slightly. She wasn't conscious enough to feel Sasuke lightly grip back unconsciously, preventing her fingers from slipping from his.

* * *

Kankurou won, having confused his opponent into thinking his puppet was him and catching him off guard. Sakura came back from freshening up, washing the dust off her face, only to see she was up next;

* * *

Haruno Sakura

Vs

Yamanaka Ino

* * *

Yamanaka Ino; Sakura's ex-best friend, her rival in love, her old idol… The cherry blossom kunoichi bit her lip, wishing now more than ever that Kari was at her side. Her confidence always could calm Sakura, and her optimism sets all worries aside. Sakura glanced at Kita who yipped and wagged her tail whilst still in Kakashi's arms and Sakura felt warmth in her chest. _Kari is beside me, she's watching through Kita._ Sakura decided, not knowing how true her statement was. _For Sasuke-kun, for Kari-chan, for myself; I can do this!_

_

* * *

_

The match was fought hard, but ended in a draw, the rival kunoichi brought closer together. Though both knocked out, they woke up after a short nap. Next was;

* * *

TenTen

Vs

Temari

* * *

All TenTen's attacks were thwarted by Temari and her fan. Tempers ran high when the Suna-nin threw her opponent across the room, but luckily TenTen was caught by Lee, who furiously defended his team mate, disgusted at the rudeness of the foreign kunoichi. After Gai had stepped in to avoid an unauthorised fight, the next match was revealed.

* * *

Nara Shikamaru

Vs

Tsuchi Kin

* * *

The lazy ninja was irritated at being paired with a girl, but managed to win with his logic, trapping her in his kage mane technique and leaning her body back so she smacked her head on the wall behind her and knocked herself out. At least his conscience was clear; no way would he hit a girl.

* * *

Kari's eyes lazily slid open. She felt like she was in a warm bath, heck she felt like actual_ water. _Morphine really could work wonders. She blinked sleepily as her brain processed the matches she had watched through Kita while she was unconscious;

_Right…_

_Fight 1 – Sasuke wins_

_Fight 2 – I win_

_Fight 3 – Shino wins_

_Fight 4 – Kankurou wins_

_Fight 5 – Sakura and Ino tie, so no one wins_

_Fight 6 – Temari wins (poor TenTen)_

_Fight 7 – Shikamaru wins _

Kari snorted slightly as she tried not to laugh, _making her smack her own head against the wall, Shika you're brilliant!_ So they were up to the eighth match? That means the next fights will be between Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, Lee, Chouji, Dosu and the two from the other team of Oto-nin, Gaara and Neji. Kari sat up and looked around dazed. _Hm… needles…?_ One was connected to blood, the other connected to a clear substance she supposed was morphine. _If I took these out…? _Kari proceeded to yank them out, hissing at the sting and jumping when the machine beeped beside her. She quickly pressed the biggest button and the noise stopped. She sighed then groaned when she felt pain thudding in her skull. _Maybe the morphine should go back in…_ Kari sighed and put the bags on the tray near her bed and took off the oxygen mask. _Ah… that's what it was…_She lazily got out of the bed, but the minute her feet hit the floor she keeled over landing with a painful oomph, the wind being pushed out her lungs and pain shooting through her chest. Kari sat up and crawled over to Sasuke's bed, resting her head on the uncomfortable mattress. He too had an oxygen mask and his eyes were bandaged. He was breathing gently and sleeping soundly.

"Sasu?" Kari asked softly, her voice strained, her throat sore. "Are you okay?" she didn't expect him to answer, but couldn't help being saddened by the lack of response. "Sasuke?" She found his hand and wrapped her smaller hands round it. _At least he was warm…_ She took one of her hands off his and brought it to his cheek. _He's colder than usual though…_ She sighed, seeing him so vulnerable really upset her. She wanted to hold him and tend to him until he was the usual grumpy miserable Sasuke that liked to poke fun at her now and again. She forced back tears that stubbornly wet her eyes and forced a smile. "I'm gonna go see everyone else okay? I promise I'll be back as soon as I can" She placed a swift kiss on his bandaged forehead. "Get better soon ne? You've still got to beat me up in training" she said softly, and with that she turned away, disappearing in a light breeze. Had she stayed a moment longer, she would have seen Sasuke's fingers curl into his palm, as though searching for her hand.

* * *

"**KARI-CHAN**!" Naruto shrieked upon her arrival, causing tears to spring to her eyes as she clutched her sensitive ears. The oto-nin from Akio's team had been paired against each other but the girl had withdrawn. Kakashi rounded on Kari as Kita jumped into her arms with sheer joy.

"**You** are meant to be in _bed_" he said sternly, his arms folding over his vest.

"Morphine?" she said with an awkward smile. "It works wonders; I could go for another round right now!" There was a tap to her head which made her whine in pain. "Ite-eeeeee!"

"Back to bed" Kakashi said as her ears drooped and her eyes widened. "Don't you dare…" she bit her bottom lip as her eyes glistened. "…I hate that look" Kakashi sighed looking away in defeat. Kari grinned and returned Naruto's surprisingly gentle embrace.

"Ne, Kari-chan why are you wearing Sasuke-kun's shirt?" Sakura asked in confusion. Kari blinked looking down.

"Hers got covered in blood" Kakashi said placing a hand on Kari's shoulder as she tried to fold down the massive collar that kept hitting her in the face. It was funny really how big it was on her.

"Ugh, I smell like Sasuke" Kari said in disgust. "Ooh! Sakura-chan! Your fight was amazing!" Kari cried in delight, engulfing her team-mate in a hug. "Kari-chan is so proud of you!"

"Kari, the next fighters are about to be announced, try and contain yourself." Kakashi said with a chuckle as she tried to blow the collar out of her face. Kari, noticing Neji was glaring at Hinata, quite literally pounced on him.

"Neji! Stop glaring!" Kari hissed while giving the Hyuuga a headlock while on his back. He easily got out of it and set her down, tapping her on the head and telling her not to be so undignified in front of her enemies.

"You should be in hospital, what are you doing back?" Neji said sternly, much like Kakashi had. With an air of depression, Kari latched herself onto Lee.

"Lee-kun… Neji doesn't want me here…" she said sadly, her depressed aura spreading.

"Neji! How dare you hurt Kari-hime's feelings like that!" Lee cried at once, patting Kari on the back supportively. Kari grinned and stuck her tongue out at the stoic Hyuuga, who rolled his eyes and looked back at the screen that was beginning to flash names. Kari trotted back over to Naruto, who seemed to be willing his name to come up. Finally, the fighters were chosen.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto

Vs

Inuzuka Kiba

* * *

"**CHA! CHA! CHA! **_**CHAAA**_!" Naruto cried in delight. He turned and lifted Kari up spinning her round. "Kari-chan! You're my lucky charm!!" he set her down and cheered. "Thank you for waiting, Uzumaki Naruto's fight is finally here, dattebayo!"

"Hell yeah! We got lucky! We can win against him easily Akamaru!" Kiba said with a grin as Kari ran up to him.

"Ne! Kiba-kun!" Kari cried as she hugged him. "Have a good fight!" She kissed Akamaru's head, pulling him out of the jacket and hugging him, cooing to the little puppy as it wagged its tail in delight.

"I wasn't next…" Lee said in depression as Naruto continued to cheer behind him. "Sakura-chan will call me fuzzy eyebrows and hate me…" Kari then pounced on him, Lee automatically steadying her on his back.

"Lee-kun! You have more time to prepare and you give people a fight to wait for!" Kari cooed rubbing her face against his affectionately. Kakashi's visible eyebrow rose.

"Maybe we should lower your drug dose… It seems to make you hyperactive…" Kakashi mused.

"Oi! I need that stuff!" Kari cried, pointing accusingly at him. "How dare you think of making me suffer!"

"Do your best Naruto!" Sakura encouraged.

"Hai! I expect an interesting fight!" Kari said twisting and latching onto Naruto instead.

"I'll do it, for you Kari-chan!" Naruto said confidently. "Dattebayo!"

* * *

"I'm tired from all that waiting!" Naruto shouted as he stood opposite Kiba. Kari was sat on the top of the railings leaning back on Kakashi shoulder so she wouldn't fall. Kita sat in her lap, watching Naruto with interest. "It's finally my turn to show off my moves!"

"That's my line!" Kiba cried, pointing at Naruto accusingly. Kari grinned and caught Kurenai's eye. She had definitely rubbed off on him. "Drawing you as my opponent means I've already won, right Akamaru!" Kiba cried, looking to his partner for support. But he was still way too cocky…

"Keep dreaming! You can't win against me! Dattebayou!" Naruto retorted, pointing back.

"Ne, maybe they'll shout at each other until one of them passes out from lack of oxygen!" Kari said thoughtfully.

"Temee!" Kiba shouted as he placed Akamaru down.

"Hey! Don't bring puppies in here! He's going to interfere with the battle, dattebayou!" Naruto shouted. Noticing the violent aura directed towards him Naruto squeaked. "Ne, ne! No offence to Kita-chan, honest! She's a wolf not a puppy!" Naruto cried in excuse to Kari's threatening glare, his eyes focused on the orange book she was ready to throw. Kakashi quickly took it back, putting it back in his pouch where it would be safe.

"Baka, Akamaru's gonna fight too!" Kiba said as Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Hey, hey! Is that ok?" Naruto whined to the proctor.

"Hai, animals and bugs are treated as weapons" Hayate said. Kakashi awkwardly patted Kari on the head as she clutched Kita to her with a horrified expression. "It isn't a problem."

"Oh well, it's a good handicap, dattebayou" Naruto cried, squeaking again when he saw Kari's angry expression.

"Ha, acting tough eh? Kari-chan's going to beat you up" Kiba said with a smirk as Naruto's face went momentarily blue. "Akamaru, you don't do anything. I'll do this alone" Kiba said to his furry companion.

"Naruto! Don't lose to that guy!" Sakura cried. Kari looked over at Hinata who seemed to be having an internal battle on who to support.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" Kari called motioning for her to come over. She did so shyly and Kari wrapped an arm round her shoulders to whisper in her ear. "You can support them both you know, but you know who you're cheering for inside" the Hyuuga blushed, before nodding a small smile on her face. Catching Neji's glare she pulled out a kunai and shot him a glare. _I'm so gonna beat you up in training! If you upset her I'll cut off your hair pretty boy!_

"I'll beat you in one hit out of pity" Kiba said.

"Oh, whatever. But you can't defeat me, dattebayou" Naruto said simply.

"I told you not to act tough!" Kiba said hot-headedly. Kari smirked, so that's where her shortening temper was coming from.

"Begin" Hayate instructed. Kari sighed, that verbal fight didn't count as part of the match? Kiba bent down and formed a hand sign. Kari's keen eyes brightened, knowing what he was going to do, having been on the receiving end of most of his attacks, another reason why she hated her poor defence… Chakra flowed out of his body as he pressed his hands to the floor, claws grew and Kari couldn't suppress a shudder remembering how wild she had become when she released Torai-Kenshi chakra.

_Giyuu Ninpou; Shikyaku no jutsu_ : Beast Mimicry Ninja Technique; Four Legs.

"Let's go!" Kiba cried, shooting forward. Kari's eyes were sharp enough to follow his movements with ease. She beat Kiba in speed, but her defence was so pathetic she had to work hard with sharp turns and changing direction _and he still managed to hit her_. Her body tensed as Kiba's elbow shot into Naruto's gut. As blood shot out of Naruto's mouth a metal taste filled her own. Kakashi wrapped his arm around her back, noticing her pain.

"With Naruto too huh?" Kakashi said in surprise as blood trickled down her chin.

"He wont be waking up for a while Examiner-san" Kiba said, looking at Naruto laying flat on his back, a confident smirk on the dog-boys face.

"Just as I thought…" Shikamaru mused.

"There's no way Naruto can defeat Kiba" Ino agreed.

"Naruto-kun… You look so foolish…" Lee said sadly.

"Geez… he's weak" Kankurou said.

"Hm" Kari scoffed. Hinata looked at her in surprise. Surely she wasn't disappointed in Naruto too? "What a load of baka's…"

"Oneechan…?" Hinata asked.

"**NARUTO-KUN!**" Kari cried, a wide grin on her face. Her smile softened.

_We feel each others pain, and I felt that blow. Yet you're going to win it for me, just like I won mine for you. We're best friends after all… Come on Kitsune-niisan, Kiba needs a good ego battering, dattebayou!._

Kiba turned around, his eyes widening as Naruto sat up and then stood, breathing heavily.

"Don't… Don't underestimate me!" Naruto cried, determination sparking in his deep blue eyes.

"Get him Naruto!" Sakura cheered. Kari simply smiled. Naruto glanced up at her and returned her smile with confidence.

"You're bleeding so stop trying to be cool! Stop with the tough guy act!" Kiba shouted angrily.

"Ha, I went easy on you dattebayou! Just so I could see how strong you were!" Naruto retorted. "Why don't you stop acting tough and use your dog or whatever."

"You're going to regret that…" Kiba growled. "Let's go Akamaru!" Both dog and master charged towards Naruto, Kiba pulling smoke bombs from his pouch. "Take this!" Kiba cried, throwing them at him, Naruto was smothered by purple smoke. Kari's eyes narrowed and suddenly her vision became sharper, able to see shadows in the smoke. She hissed as she felt fists come into contact with her body, or more specifically, into Naruto's body. Naruto ran out the smoke, only for Akamaru to hurtle into him and shove him back in. The smoke cleared to reveal Naruto lying on his side with Akamaru sitting beside him. "All right! Way to go!" Kiba cried. Akamaru ran towards him and Kari smirked. "Good job Aka—huh?" Kiba cried as Akamaru pounced on him, sinking his teeth into Kiba's arm. "Akamaru… why?"

"You fell for it!" Naruto's mumbled voice sang from Akamaru's body, Akamaru poofed into Naruto, who continued to bite Kiba's arm. Kari didn't know whether to giggle or cringe at the scene.

"You transformed?!" Kiba cried "Ouch… damn it, let go!"

"You taste like a dog!" Naruto cried spitting and coughing in disgust.

"Where's Akamaru?" Kiba cried. A Naruto kage bunshin grinned and held him up by his front legs.

"Over here!"

"Akamaru! Damn it…"

"No way, that's Naruto? He's on equal ground against Kiba, no he might even be better than him!" Ino cried.

"There's no way Naruto can use something crafty like a kage bunshin and a transformation jutsu together" Shikamaru said.

"He's good at using his techniques at the right time" Temari said smirking.

"Naruto-kun sugoii—" Hinata whispered in awe.

"That was amazing Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"Looks like you've gotten a little stronger" Kiba said. "But it's over, I'm going to get serious now!"

"Really? But you can never defeat me, dattebayou!" Naruto said simply.

"Naruto, you're going to give me back my Akamaru" Kiba said, reaching into his pouch. He flicked a pill, which Akamaru caught then swallowed.

"Oh dear…" Kari said as Kita blinked and tilted her head. Akamaru growled, his fur on end and turning a reddish-brown. Akamaru kicked backwards, destroying the kage bunshin and landing at Kiba's side, continuing to growl.

"Okaasan, is this where…" Kita whispered. Kari placed a finger to her lips to remind her that she couldn't talk and then nodded, affirming Kita's theory.

"What the…? What did you give him?!" Naruto cried in confusion. "His fur became red!"

"That's why his name is _Aka_maru" Kiba said as he ate a pill of his own. He became wild looking, a ferocious smirk on his face. Kari felt something stir in the pit of her stomach and shivered, goose bumps spreading across her skin, hidden by bandages.

"Kari" Kakashi said commandingly. "Calm down."

"Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba snarled as he crouched down, Akamaru jumping on his back. "Gijyuu Ninpou; Jyuujin Bunshin!" Akamaru transformed into Kiba, into a half-beast clone.

"His eyes look dangerous… dattebayou" Naruto said as Kiba snarled. "He used some weird drug! Isn't that considered doping? Is this allowed?!" Naruto cried.

"Hai, food pills are considered a tool." Hayate replied.

"You always say that!" Naruto accused.

"What did he eat?" Shikamaru asked.

"A food pill." Chouji replied. "It's a special medicine that allows the soldier who uses it to fight for three days and three nights straight. It's high in protein and quickly absorbed into the body. It has substances that act as both a stimulant and a tranquillizer. Kiba and Akamaru's chakra have most likely doubled temporarily."

"Now this match will end" Kiba said as he and Akamaru shot towards Naruto. "Shikyaku no jutsu!" Naruto back-flipped away just in time to avoid their technique. The next thing Naruto knew, Kiba's were coming from him everywhere. Kiba and Akamaru were too quick for him. He dodged and dodged until he jumped into the air. "I see a weak spot!" Kiba cried. He and Akamaru began rapidly spinning, hurtling like bullets towards Naruto.

"Gatsuuga!" both Akamaru and Kiba hit directly, sending Naruto flying until he hit the ground landing on his head and falling onto his front coughing up blood. Kakashi caught Kari as she fell back, blood running down her forehead and sticking her bangs to her face. Her eyes were closed and blood was running down her lips.

"That's our difference in skill" Kiba said smugly.

"…going to become a Hokage… I can't lose here…" Naruto whispered.

"You? Hokage?" Kiba said mockingly. "When you're weaker than me?" Kiba laughed. "I'll become Hokage for you!" Kari could feel the hurt blooming in Naruto's chest and opened an eye, Kiba's laughter echoing around the room. _He can be such a teme sometimes…_ "You know inside that you can't become Hokage, so stop acting tough!"

_Don't listen to him Naruto! You and I both know you're going to be the greatest Hokage that ever lived! Don't you __**dare**__ doubt yourself!_

Kari's eyes stung and her heart ached for him. Why did everyone mock him? Why?

"Stand up Naruto!" Sakura cried as he struggled to his feet.

"If you compete with me over the title of Hokage, you're going to become the underdog" Naruto said with a confident smirk. Kari smiled, proud of him.

_You tell him Naruto, Prove it to the world! Shove it in everyone's face that ever doubted you!_

"Geez, you sure are a persistent guy!" Kiba said. "Fine. Then I'll make sure you can never stand up!" Kiba cried. Kari's eyes flashed red, as she quickly extinguished the rage that had just burned in her chest. "Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba cried as they both charged.

"That same thing won't work on me more than once!" Naruto cried. He jumped and avoided the Gatsuuga aimed at him, falling down with a less than graceful belly flop. The next thing Naruto knew, he was shrouded in purple smoke again and another Gatsuuga was heading straight for him. He managed to narrowly dodge most of them and stood up once the smoke cleared.

"You seem to be losing your confidence" Kiba said.

"Heh! I'm as confident as ever!" Naruto shouted. "I can still win if your numbers increase three or four times, dattebayou!"

"You just don't shut up do you? Fine, I'll end it with this next move!" Kiba cried. "Akamaru!" They both charged, smoke bombs in Kiba's clawed hand. Once again, a cloak of purple smoke covered Naruto, hiding him from view. Kari focused her eyes, feeling them burn slightly as the smoke became less dense and she could make out the shapes and chakra of Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru. Kiba and Akamaru were in a Gatsuuga, which Naruto was once again struggling to dodge while trying to devise a counter-attack.

"What are you going to do Naruto?" Sakura asked worriedly. Hinata too looked fearful for him, but Kari seemed perfectly calm, complete faith in her kitsune-nii.

"**GOTCHA!!**" Kiba shouted, but his eyes widened and he skidded to a stop as the smoke cleared.

"I see" Kakashi said. "You've taught him to think Kari" Kakashi said, glancing at his proud student.

"A little" she said simply, a small shrug following as Kita tilted her head, staring at the odd scene before her. Three Kiba's stood in a triangle facing each other.

"Good idea! Nice plan Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried smiling in relief.

"If he transforms into Kiba, the real Kiba won't know which one is Akamaru and which one is Naruto. He won't be able to just attack." Sakura analyzed.

"But Naruto-kun can attack them both!" Lee cried in understanding.

"He created an opening. Very good" Sakura said smirking.

"I see… so you've resorted to this, but… Let me warn you, I underestimated you before and it took a while for me to notice. I should've known you're skill would have improved by being Kari's team-mate. But your transformation won't work on me anymore. Why?" The real Kiba delivered a punch to the Kiba to the left of him. "I can smell it." Kiba said, answering his own question. "Don't underestimate our sense of smell Naruto, it's as good as Kari-chan's, and her senses are amazing."

"He sends chakra to his nose, amplifying his smell. Probably by a thousand or so" Kakashi noted. "But yours is natural Kari, you don't need to flood chakra to enhance your senses." Kari nodded, her hand resting on Kita's back.

"Hmph. It's over" Kiba said confidently. "Nani?!" his eyes widened as the Kiba he had just punched exploded into smoke to reveal Akamaru. Kari smirked and her ears twitched. "Then are _you_ Naruto?!" Kiba cried, turning and punching the Kiba behind him. "Play me like a fool eh?!" That Kiba too poofed into Akamaru. "Nani?!"

"The idea isn't surprising coming from a former prankster" Kakashi said simply.

"That's my Naru-kun" Kari said happily. The first Akamaru poofed into Naruto, who charged towards Kiba, jumping and kicking him in the chin and sending him flying back to Akamaru's side. Kiba sat up, wiping blood from his lips.

"He did it!" Sakura cried.

"Naruto-kun, sugoii!" Hinata cried, blushing with joy.

"Naruto transformed into Kiba, was detected by his scent, and got hit by the real Kiba." Kari explained to Kita, who seemed confused. "But he transformed into Akamaru right away, instead of returning to his normal form. He did it so it would look like Akamaru got hit, and that Akamaru's half-beast transformation was dispelled." Sakura cried while Kari beamed with pride.

"Was Naruto's this smart?" Ino said in surprise.

"Damnit…" Kiba growled.

"HA! Use your techniques carefully after giving some thought to what you're doing, or it'll be used to the opponents advantage dattebayou, baka!" Naruto cried.

"That's my line, word for word…" Kakashi said.

"Must mean Naruto-kun listens to you!" Kari said happily. Kakashi sighed and gave her a grateful pat on the head.

"Not a lot…"

"Kiba's trying to calm down" Kari observed, watching his tense posture and how he was fighting against his temper. Kiba bit into his hand, the pain clearing his mind through discipline. Kiba let go of his hand and grabbed two fistfuls of shuriken from his pouches.

"Your right" Kakashi agreed. "But what will you do now Naruto?"

"Heh, so you're finally serious Kiba?" Naruto asked. "Jaa… I'll finish with a new move I've been saving up, dattebayou!" Kari gave him a sarcastic look. _He made it up in the last five minutes; but it'll be impressive if he pulls it off._

"Nani? New move?" Kiba questioned, his recently controlled rage threatening to bubble up to the surface again.

"When did he'll make a new move?" Sakura cried in confusion.

"He still had a new move hidden up his sleeve? He's good!" Lee cried. Kari simply smirked and shook her head. _Good luck Naruto-kun, you'll need it._

"Keh, new move my ass. You're just bluffing" Kiba scoffed. Kari rolled her eyes as Kiba shifted in her lap.

"We'll see if it's a bluff or not, dattebayou!" Naruto shouted back. "Let's go!"

"I don't know what your new move is, but all I have to do is stop you from executing it!" Kiba shouted as he charged towards Naruto. Kari placed a hand to her aching head and slid it down her face in a gesture of exasperation. _Temper Kiba, temper, temper, temper!_ He flung his shuriken towards Naruto who dodged and jumped in his usual (quite comical) way, shouting whenever one (in this case all) of the shuriken came too close. "Now, Jigyuu ninpou; Shikyaku no Jutsu!" Kiba cried. Naruto's eyes widened as Kiba gained speed using his hands as well as his feet to shoot him forwards. He shoved Naruto backwards, causing Kari to hiss slightly and clutch her ribs, Naruto managed to stay standing. "Don't stop!" Kiba cried as Naruto started to slow and shoved his fist into Naruto's whiskered cheek. Kari held her jaw, the place where Akio had hit her increasing in pain. Until now it had just been a dull thud, but now it was almost as bad as when she first got hit. _That's gonna leave one heck of a bruise…_ Hinata and Sakura both cried out to Naruto, who lay face down and still.

"I guess that's all he could do with his abilities" Kankurou said.

"Stand up Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

"Kuso, I don't have time to mould up chakra like this" Naruto cried in frustration as he struggled to get up.

"Come on, what's the matter Naruto!?" Kiba cried, hurtling towards Naruto again. He shot round Naruto and sent him flying backwards. Kari felt blood slip past her lips and stubbornly wiped it away.

"He's fast" Chouji said in awe.

"It's impossible… Naruto doesn't even have time to form seals" Ino said.

"Naruto!" Kari cried as Kiba shot towards him as he struggled to sit up. Kiba's sharp claws cut across Naruto's arms, ripping the sleeves and drawing blood. Kari's eyes stung as her arms burned with pain. The fell to her lap as she bit her lip in agony.

"You need to be where medical help is" Kakashi whispered, seeing her freshly bandaged arms begin to dot rapidly with red stains. Her ribs weren't visible, so he couldn't tell whether she was bleeding there too. What he did know, was that she was leaning on him a lot heavier than before. Naruto grabbed hold of Kiba's wrist and used the force of hi pounce against him, flinging him over his shoulder.

"I'm going to become Hokage… I can't lose here, dattebayou!" Naruto cried. He glanced at Kari, who nodded at him, but he could see she wasn't as energetic as before, she looked almost as ill as when she had come out of the forest of death.

"Save the dream talk for later, you can't even keep up with my speed!" Kiba cried.

"Kari-chan's way faster than you'll ever be!" Naruto retorted. Kiba ignored his comment and shot towards him again. Kiba jumped up, slicing Naruto across the shoulder, despite Naruto's attempt to dodge. Kari's arms flinched as she tried to grasp her aching shoulder.

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!" Kiba chanted as he hurtled towards Naruto again. His claws slashed across Naruto's back throwing him forwards.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed. Kakashi rubbed Kari's back, feeling the tense muscles. _If this match isn't over soon, it will spell disaster for both Naruto and Kari_ Kakashi thought grimly.

"This is what happens when I get serious" Kiba panted. Kari grit her teeth and closed an eye. She wished she could transfer her speed to Naruto so he could avoid Kiba's blows. "Now you know, that to me, you're just a—" but Kiba was cut off by Naruto standing up once again, refusing to be beaten. His body was shaking, but still he found the power to stand.

"I promised Kari-chan… I won't lose!" Naruto said, smirking with determination. Kari smiled with pride, but couldn't help but notice his bloodied lips, much like her own.

"Naruto is sure trying hard" Chouji said. Ino nodded.

"If I was Kiba I would've had enough" Shikamaru said.

"I don't care who wins, just settle the match." Kankuro said impatiently.

"Naruto, use your new move or something!" Sakura cried.

"Naruto-kun, try hard!" Lee urged. Neji's keen eyes travelled to his apprentice. _She's worsened far more severely than she should have; she wasn't bleeding from the forehead before._ Neji's eyes narrowed. _What in the world is going on with her?_

"That didn't have an affect at all" Naruto said, trying to irritate the short-tempered shinobi.

"Ha! I'll compliment you on your spirit!" Kiba retorted.

"I'll rip out my new move at any time, dattebayou!" Naruto cried confidently.

"I won't let you!" Kiba cried, rushing towards him. Naruto started to build up chakra. "Too slow! Eat this!" Kiba cried. Kiba slid past Naruto to attack from behind, only for a fart to engulf his nose a millisecond before attacking.

"EHH!" Kari cried, thankful for Sasuke's stupidly large colour as she flattened it across her nose and mouth, tears springing to her eyes. Kita's paws closed over her nose as Kiba screeched in disgust, slamming his hands over his sensitive nose.

"Kiba's sense of smell is amplified by a couple thousand times right now, and if Kari is disgusted from up here, Kiba must be in agony…" Kurenai said to herself.

"And he had fish this morning" Kari whined, cursing her senses as the audience looked on with disgust.

"Naruto! Now's your chance!" Sakura cried, pushing away her horrified expression to cheer on her team mate.

"Kuso, I strained too much!" Naruto cried, blaming his vulgarity on his concentration. Kari's watery eyes were twitching with irritation. "But this is the good part of my new move, dattebayo!" Naruto added as he made a hand sign. Once ready he switched hand signs. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Four shadow replications appeared at his side. "Yosh! I'll get you for what you did to me with this move!" Naruto cried as his replications surrounded Kiba.

"Kuso!" Kiba cried, his nose still burning. A clone shot towards him punching him in the jaw.

"U!"

Naruto jumped on that clones back and flipped into the air as the remaining three clones ran towards the falling Kiba, each kicking him simultaneously, sending him up towards Naruto.

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!"

Naruto's foot met the back of Kiba's head, sending him face first into the concrete floor.

"Naruto Rendan!!"

"Yatta! Naruto!" Kari congratulated, her voice muffled by Sasuke's collar which she still held to her nose. She gave Kakashi a look and he nodded, thinking along the same lines.

"He was watching Sasuke's move earlier... And the name is a copy too…" Kakashi sighed as Naruto's clones dispelled, Naruto panting, staring at the unconscious Kiba.

"At least he won" Kari said smiling.

"You can't smell it anymore Kari…" Kakashi added.

"Maybe _you_ can't, but my nose is a different matter" Kari said stubbornly. Hayate checked Kiba, rolling him over. Kiba grimaced in pain, unable to move.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto." Hayate announced. Lee let out a war cry of triumph as Sakua cheered beside him.

"Yosh damnit, YATTA!" Sakura squealed.

"That Naruto beat Kiba!" Shikamaru said in happy surprise.

"No one expected it" Chouji said in shock. Hinata smiled, a pretty blush staining her cheeks.

"Stuff the smell, _**NARUTO-KUNNN**_!" Kari cried, jumping off the railing, Kakashi went to grab her, but instead grabbed Kita, scolding his student as Naruto ran up and caught her falling onto his behind. They flung their arms round each other as Naruto laughed and cheered. "You did it! I knew you could! You gave Kiba that ego-battering he needed!" Kari praised planting a kiss on his whiskered cheek. "I'm so proud of you!!" Kari got off him and ran over to Kiba, ignoring Naruto's whine for her to help him up. She picked up Akamaru and gently laid him on Kiba's chest once he was secure in the stretcher. "You did great Kiba-kun!" Kari congratulated gently. Kiba smirked and nodded as he was lifted up.

"Kari-chan! Come on! Dattebayou!" Naruto whined as she ran over to help him up. Once up, he picked up her legs and set her onto his back, running up the stairs. "Easy! Easy!" He cried as Kari laughed and struggled to stay on. Kari noticed Hinata who was shyly holding a pot of ointment, seeming to be having a mental battle whether to give it to Naruto or not. Kari sent her a thumbs up and a grin and the shy Hyuuga flushed crimson. Naruto walked past her before the shy Hyuuga found her voice.

"Na-Naruto-kun!" she cried shyly.

"Hinata? Did you say something?" Naruto asked as Kurenai sent a teary-eyed Kari an exasperated look.

"A-A-anou…" she said, twiddling her thumbs on the pot before handing it out to Naruto. Now Kurenai smiled as well, but sent Kari an even more exasperated look seeing the wolf-kunoichi's eyes glistening with pride and adoration. Naruto stared at the pot with confusion.

"What is it?" Naruto asked suspiciously. Kari's joy was diminished at Naruto's stupidity. Had he not been holding her up, she would have fallen off.

"An ointment" Kurenai explained, as Kari grinned with embarrassment on behalf of Naruto.

"Why me?" Naruto asked with the same suspicion. Kari's eye twitched as she fought the urge to smack Naruto on the head for his ignorance. Hinata's blush darkened and Kari decided to take it into her own hands.

"Just take it Naruto" Kari said softly, while smiling warmly at Hinata. "Hinata-chan's ointments are very good." Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"Okay. Arigatou! You're a good person Hinata" Naruto said, accepting Hinata's gift, completely forgetting he was supporting Kari. She squeaked and wrapped her arms and legs round him in a vice grip as she started to fall. Of course, the cuteness of the scene before her pushed her irritation at Naruto's stupidity aside and a wide smile stretched across her face. Naruto scratched the back of his head in sheepish embarrassment as Hinata smiled at him. Kari jumped down from Naruto's back and stood beside Neji.

"If you keep on glaring your eyes will fall out" she grumbled her glare fixing on his, which was directed at Hinata.

"Hatred only causes misery, Neji-kun."


	43. Watashino Yuukanna Imouto

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**A/N: **First off a big thank you to Maddy-imouto who did an amazing piece of fanart (link on my homepage) this chapter is dedicated to you for your continuous support! As always, thanks to the amazing reviewers that keep me motivated, I brought this out quickly as I could.

How about we aim for 200 reviews before Christmas? And if we succeed I'll do some Xmas Fanart and an Xmas special? Maybe the first Naruto movie? Let me know! And if you do want a Christmas special, say who you would want in it (e.g just team 7 with/without Kakashi, the whole Rookie 10 etc)

By the way, Hinata Vs Neji fight makes me want to cry and pulverise Neji. Please excuse any bias.

Also, do you want a timeskip to the Finals, or do you want to read about the training (which could be extremely long), let me know in a review (with all the other stuff) or tell me if I should do a poll instead. I value your input!!

**Claimer:** Kari, Kita and Murasaki Akira belong to me.

**Disclaimer:** I have **not** forgiven Masashi Kishimoto yet. So Naruto belongs to Namikaze Minato.

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Watashino Yuukanna Imouto

_**My Brave Hearted Little Sister**_

* * *

_The urge to protect was overwhelming, heartbreaking even,_

_But to see her fighting on her own,_

_Against the odds, to keep getting up blow after blow_

_Through the pain was a strong sense of pride._

* * *

Naruto being Naruto, he thought you had to eat the ointment. Kari took it off him and explained it was medical cream and had to be rubbed into the cut. She said that it had antiseptic to stop the wound getting infected and anaesthetic to numb the pain, but Naruto got confused so Kari gave up.

"This medicine works so well dattebayo!" Naruto cried in delight as the cut on his arm disappeared. "Oi, do you want to use it to Sakura-chan?" Naruto offered, shoving the pot in the kunoichi's face as Kari cleaned the blood off his forehead with a wet towel. Kari sighed, knowing full well it was more the Kyuubi than the ointment, but hey, if he thought highly of Hinata's skills she wasn't going to burst his bubble. "You need some don't you Kari-chan?" Naruto asked, looking round at her as she wiped the blood of his tanned cheeks.

"Nah, I'm mummified, no point taking all these bandages off" Kari replied, pulling his hitai-ate back into place. "That'll do you for now; take a hot shower when you get home to relax your muscles." Kari pushed the towel on his face and walked over to Hinata. "Ne, Hina-imouto he says it works really well" Kari said happily, to her blushing friend.

"A-anou… Do you want to come see K-Kiba-kun with me?" Hinata asked, holding another ointment safe in her hands. Kita bounded over and in one leap landed on Kari's shoulder. "A-and Kita-chan can come see A-Akamaru" Hinata said with a shy smile, as though reading the cubs mind. Though being startled the first few times Kita spoke in the shy girl's presence, Hinata had warmed to Kita and now adored her.

* * *

"A-anou…" Hinata said shyly when the medic-nin turned and looked at her. Kari, who was standing beside her, gave her a soft nudge.

"Kari, are you coming back to hospital?" a medic-nin questioned.

"No" Kari huffed, folding her sore arms over her chest. Kiba sat up so he could see the kunoichi, a scowl on his face.

"Th-this is an ointment…" Hinata said softly. "Please use it on Kiba-kun and Akamaru" she requested.

"Heh, you should be worrying about yourself and not others" Kiba said with a smirk.

"Kiba-kun…" Hinata said in confusion.

"She wouldn't be Hinata if she didn't" Kari said simply.

"And you need to go to the hospital, you stink of blood" Kiba added to Kari. She grimaced. _They want to lock me there and throw away the key!_

"Pfft. I'll go to hospital to visit you if that's what you mean" Kari said as Kita looked at Akamaru with wide, sad eyes. Kiba smirked and shook his head.

"Stubborn ookami" he said fondly. "Hinata, there's only six of you left; you, Chouji, Neji, Lee, an Oto-nin, and that Suna guy." Kari's eyes hardened, knowing what he was saying. "Listen Hinata, if you match up against that guy from Suna give up right away."

"He's right Hina-chan, Gaara won't take any opponent lightly" Kari said seriously.

"Also, do the same if you're matched with Neji" Kiba added. Kari tensed, scenarios running through her head. "Give up right away. He will be very strict against you. You'll get beat badly."

"You're scaring her Kiba…" Kari said, her eyes dark. "Hinata will know what she'll need to do. She's smart." An arm wrapped supportively round Hinata's shoulders. "I won't let you get seriously hurt Hina-chan."

"I will now announce the next match" Hayate said. As the names froze Kari's heart stopped rigidly inside her ribcage.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata

Vs

Hyuuga Neji

* * *

"K-kari-neechan!" Hinata cried in fear, grabbing Kari's hand. Kari's face was stark white, her pupils' dilated. _It's a lie… A trick to scare me… Hinata wouldn't be paired with Neji…_ "Oneechan!" Kari pulled Hinata into her arms holding her as though to hide her, to protect her from that lie. _Because it has to be a lie_. Kari grabbed Hinata's shoulders and stared her fixedly in the eye.

"Hinata, don't let him take it too far. If he tries to, I will step in and end it okay? You can try if you want to, it's your choice just, please, please be careful!" Kari cried frantically, her stress scaring Hinata, but her words giving her confidence.

"H-hai Kari-neechan" Hinata whispered, and made her way to the middle of the floor. Kari ran up the stairs, Neji approaching from the opposite direction. He seemed calm, but Kari could feel the tension in every fibre of his being. As he went to pass her, Kari's fist closed around the front of his shirt.

"Don't you dare hurt her" Kari hissed, her body on edge. Neji stared at her with his intense lavender eyes and loosened her grip.

"She'll give up" Neji said. "She knows she can't win."

"What if she doesn't?! What if she's sick of being trampled on?!" Kari cried.

"I won't use rotation; does that make you feel any better?" Neji asked, his temper strained. Kari released him and walked past him. He looked straight ahead and continued on his way, missing the blazing red eyes of his apprentice following his every move.

* * *

"I didn't think that I would be fighting you…Hinata-sama" Neji said as he faced his opponent.

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata whispered.

"Niisan?!" Sakura cried in confusion.

"Ehh?! Those two are siblings?!" Naruto cried in shock.

"They're cousins" Kari corrected.

"They come from Konoha's oldest noble family the Hyuuga clan." Kakashi explained.

"Bastards." Kari hissed. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but continued.

"But they aren't siblings. I guess they're related in that they come from the Hyuuga's Head family and Branch family."

"Head family and Branch family?" Naruto asked.

"Hai" Lee cried. "Hinata-san is from the Hyuuga head family, or in other words, the founders. And Neji is from the branch family, which carries the same bloodline."

"So it's a fight between relatives?" Sakura asked. "It must be difficult for those two to fight."

"Hai, demo… I believe a lot of things have happened between the head family and the branch family in the past… and they are not really on good terms with each other." Lee said.

"Nande?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"I don't know the details but… In old noble families like Uchiha and Hyuuga, they have special abilities and moves that run only in that clan. To pass those moves down the Hyuuga family has a set of rules. But it seems the rules are favourable to the head family. Because of those rules a lot has happened between the head family and the branch family.

"Must be a fight to settle the quarrels then" Sakura said.

"It's going to start" Kakashi said.

"Please begin the match" Hayate instructed.

"Before we fight, let me warn you about one thing Hinata-sama. Give up. You're not suited to become a ninja" Neji said sternly. The railing squeaked as Kari's grip tightened around the bar. _How dare he?!_ "You are too kind, you seek harmony and avoid trouble, and you just go along and follow someone else's idea. And you have no self-confidence, you always feel inferior. That's why you thought it would be fine to remain a genin, but you cannot register for the Chuunin exams unless there are three people. You couldn't refuse the offers from Kiba and your other team-mate and the truth is you are taking this exam unwillingly. Am I wrong?" Neji challenged.

"You're wrong! You're wrong… Watashi wa… I just… wanted to change myself… so I willingly…" Hinata trailed off, her voice becoming lost.

"Hinata-sama, you truly are a spoiled child from the head family." Neji said. The bar in Kari's grip smashed, the metal splintering into her small palms. Naruto, Sakura and Lee jumped at the sudden noise, Naruto immediately becoming anxious at Kari's stressed expression. Kurenai's red eyes darted to the wolf-kunoichi, knowing how much it hurt her to see Hinata be verbally beaten, when Kari herself had been working so hard to make her more confident. Kari was like an older sister to Hinata. To the Hyuuga heiress, Kari was the loving family she so desperately desired. "People cannot change. A failure is a failure. Your personality and power will not change."

"Kari!" Kakashi cried. In a flash, the kunoichi had a kunai in hand ready to be thrown. Her sensei held her small wrist tightly, but she wouldn't let go of her weapon, and refused to look away from the match. "Calm down, this is their match, not yours."

"But he—!" Kari cried.

"Kakashi" Kurenai said, walking over and placing a hand on Kari's shoulder. The jonin nodded and released his student. "Kari, all she wants is your support. She wants you to believe in her." Kari nodded and put her kunai away. Kakashi put his arm loosely around Kari's neck and shoulders, holding her to his chest in case she felt the urge to attack again.

"You can't fix everything Kari." Kakashi said softly, his arm tightening around her trembling body. _I've never seen her so worked up, she's never really lost her temper, she just gets irritated and impatient… I have a feeling this won't end well…_

"People cannot change, so that's why terms like "_elites_" and "_failures_" exist. Everyone judges you by how good your face, head, abilities and body shape are. There are things that cannot be changed. People suffer due to their limits and live. Just like we can't change the fact that I am from the branch family and you are from the head family. My Byakugan has seen many things. That's why I know, you are just trying to be tough. You are really thinking about how you want to leave this place right now." Neji said coldly.

"You're going to be leaving this place without limbs!" Kari hissed, lurching forward but being held back by Kakashi.

"Th-that's not true!" Hinata cried, ignoring the tears that had begun building up in her eyes. "I really want to…"

"Byakugan?" Sakura asked, looking to Kakashi for answers.

"It is said that if you look at the origin of the Uchiha clan, they come from the Hyuuga clan. Byakugan is one of the Kekkei Genkai that the Hyuuga family has. And is a special eye technique, a doujutsu similar to the Sharingan. But if you look at its ability of insight alone, it exceeds the Sharingan." Kakashi explained.

"Hinata" Kari whispered worriedly, seeing the Hyuuga girl's eyes widen with fear as Neji made a hand sign.

"Byakugan!" Neji cried, veins sprouting around his eyes, blood vessels ran along the iris, connecting to a strange pupil. Unable to hold Neji's fierce Byakugan glare, Hinata turned away trembling, holding her hand to her mouth. "You can't fool my eyes." Hinata looked back at him, terrified. "You moved your eyes to the top left corner after you felt my pressure. This indicates you are recalling a past event; a _harsh _past of yours. After that, your eyes moved to the bottom right. This indicates you are imagining physical and mental pain."

"Kari!" Kakashi said sternly as she tried to break out of his grip again.

"In other words, you imagined your old self and predicted the outcome of this match based on past experiences. A prediction that says you will lose!" Neji continued. "Lastly, you glanced up at the stands, in Kari's direction. You were seeking reassurance, trying to draw strength from your closest friend. And that action, of putting your arm in front of you, shows that you want to put a wall between you and me to create some distance. It's an action that shows you don't want me to look through your true feelings. That is because all I said is correct. Also…! You touching your own lips is a sign to show your mind is disturbed. It's a defensive instinct that tries to lower your nervousness and uneasiness."

"Let me go!" Kari growled, struggling against Kakashi's hold. "He's attacking her mentally using psychological knowledge! This is meant to be combat, not an interrogation!"

"Calm down" Kakashi said, his voice low. "Your putting too much pressure on your body, if you get any more worked up you'll collapse." The jonin hadn't missed how her fur stood on end, she was getting angry… And anger would only lead to a burst of negative chakra; _The AkumaInu's Chakra._

"In other words, you know already… That you cannot change—"

"**YOU CAN**!" Naruto interrupted, catching everyone off guard. Neji looked round irritated while Hinata looked up in surprise, with wide glossy eyes. "**DON'T JUST LABEL PEOPLE LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!! BEAT HIM UP HINATA!!**" Naruto hollered.

"Naruto-kun…" Kari said softly, her anger fading to be replaced by gratitude and pride for her kitsune-nii.

"**HINATA! WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING BACK, DATTEBAYOU?! IT'S MAKING PEOPLE WATCHING GET ANGRY!**" Naruto shouted. Kari's eye twitched and Kakashi just managed to grab the back of her shirt.

"Don't you boss my imouto around, cha!!" Kari cried trying to give Naruto a smack to the head. "He's right though Hinata! **BEAT NEJI UP!**" Kari shouted. Hinata looked down, her trembling ceasing. She looked straight at Neji, not a waver in her gaze.

"So you're not going to give up? Don't blame me later on!" Neji said. Kakashi lifted Kari off the floor before she could charge in and join the fight, her legs moving back and forth in mid-air. Hinata made speedy hand signs and activated her Bloodline Limit.

"Byakugan!" Hinata slid into a fighting stance, ready for Gentle Fist taijutsu. "Neji-niisan, let us fight!" Hinata cried with determination.

"That's my girl" Kari said, a smile spreading across her face.

"Very well" Neji said, as he too slid into stance.

"They're using the same Hyuuga style, her stance is just like Neji's." Lee said.

"Hyuuga style?" Sakura questioned.

"Konoha's strongest taijutsu style" Lee explained. "Remember what I said before? The strongest Genin in Konoha is most likely on my team. That is Hyuuga Neji. He's the one who contributed most into helping Kari reach the level she's at." Kari's eyes narrowed, her muscles tensed for movement at any time.

"Stay strong imouto" Kari urged. Simultaneously, Neji and Hinata shot at each other, dodging the others attacks, though Hinata seemed to be having more difficulty than Neji. Kari's eyes widened as Hinata noticed an opening on Neji and went to strike him with her chakra filled palm, which he narrowly managed to dodge.

"Did it hit?" Sakura cried.

"No it wasn't deep enough, dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"Che" Kari scoffed. She grimaced and her eye twitched. _I sounded way too much like Sasuke then…_

"Iie, it hurts even if it just nicks you. That is why the Hyuuga clan is known as Konoha's noble family" Lee explained.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Hyuuga has a special Taijutsu style that is passed on from generation to generation" Gai said, entering the conversation. Kita was perched on his shoulder, able to see better from a height. The Taijutsu style I and Lee are experts in, tried to break the enemies bones and create external wounds; damage to the surface, so to speak, the offensive-type fighting known as Gouken. On the other hand, Hyuuga attempts to damage the chakra circulatory system inside of the enemy and destroy the internal organs. In other words, internal damage this is known as Jyuuken, and their family uses this style. It does not look flashy, but it will start to hurt later on" Gai explained.

"There's no way to train your internal organs. If you get hit, no matter how tough you are, it'll be fatal. Remember that Kari" Kakashi said, poking Kari in the head as he continued to lightly restrain her.

"Sensei, what about Kari-chan?" Sakura asked. "Which style is she?" Kakashi looked round in interest. He hadn't seen that much of her Taijutsu if he was perfectly honest.

"Ah… That's complicated." Gai said, a smirk coming to his face. "From the beginning, she was extremely good at Gouken, if you ignore her defence. But as of late, she's been applying chakra to her moves, which has been causing light internal damage. She's only in the process of developing her own style and needs to refine it, but once she's completely mastered it, who knows how strong it'll be. Since it has no name, we've named it Meiken, as her high-speed movements are light and graceful and flow without pause, like a dance."

"You flatter me Gai-sensei" Kari said, smirking at her second sensei before turning back to the match, where Hinata and Neji were slowly circling each other, mirroring each others movements. Suddenly they shot at each other again, Hinata having the advantage as Neji was leaving his side open, but he managed to deflect her.

"You're doing great Hinata!!" Naruto cheered.

"Attack the Chakra circulatory system?" Sakura said. "Who are they?"

"Ano sa, ano sa, what's this Chakra circulatory system?" Naruto asked.

"Another question from the baka…" Sakura sighed.

"I will explain" Lee said. "The chakra circulatory system is similar to the blood vessels that circulate the blood. It's like a bundle of pipes that circulate chakra throughout your body."

"So it's like a path for chakra" Naruto said.

"Hai" Lee affirmed. "Also, the chakra system is closely intertwined with the internal organs that mould chakra. So if your chakra circulatory system is attacked, your internal organs will take damage too."

"Oh? You know a lot!" Naruto cried with a goofy grin.

"Hey! Your talking to an upperclassmen!" Sakura scolded before her fist hit Naruto's skull. Lee's hands tightened into fists as he watched his rival in battle. How he wished he could switch places with Hinata. How he wished he could finally prove himself…

"Sensei, how can a person do that?" Sakura asked Kakashi. "You can't see the Chakra circulatory system, so how do you attack it?"

"The eyes of those two guys, the Byakugan, can see them" Kakashi explained. "And a Jyuuken-style attack is different from a normal attack." Hinata was panting, becoming tired, but Neji seemed unaffected as they went into combat again. "You release your chakra from the chakra hole in your hand, shove it into the enemy's body and do direct damage to the Chakra circulatory system." Neji and Hinata both landed hits freezing in place.

"Yosh!!" Naruto cheered. Being so close together, it was difficult to tell who had hit who, but Kari could feel who had been hit, she could feel it in her heart as it beat faster and faster until blood slid out of her mouth.

"So this was the best the head family could do?" Neji asked.

"Why?! Hinata's attack hit him too, dattebayou!" Naruto cried. Hinata pushed Neji's hand aside and went to strike him in the face, but he was too quick, grabbing hold of her arm with one hand and using the other to hit two fingers into her arm. Kari growled. _He was only playing with her she can't fight without chakra…_ Hinata panted, her Byakugan fading slightly. Neji pulled up her sleeve to show angry red marks across her arm.

"Did you…? So you were…?" Hinata cried as her Byakugan faded even more.

"Correct." Neji said. "My eyes can see the Tenketsu."

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"In the Chakra circulatory system there are 361 points known as Chakra holes. Their width is as small as a needle though. They're known as '_Tenketsu_' and in theory if you hit them accurately you can stop or increase the enemy's chakra flow. You're basically able to control it. And let me add this… my Sharingan is unable to see those Tenketsu. Although the Sharingan has the ability of insight, it can't see it that precisely during battle." Kakashi explained. He tightened his grip as Kari tried to rush forward, Neji striking Hinata in the chest and pushing her away.

"Hinata-sama, this is the difference in our unchangeable powers. It's the difference that separates the elites from the dropouts." Hinata looked round at Neji, breathing heavily. "It is an unchangeable reality. You were destined to regret this when you said you didn't want to run away. You should be in despair right now." Neji walked a few more steps forward. "This is your last warning. Give up." Hinata coughed up blood.

"Watashi wa…" Hinata shakily began to stand "not going to… take back… my… words. That's my way of the ninja" she said, turning to face Neji on shaky legs. She looked up at Naruto and then to Kari, a smile spreading across her bloody lips.

"I didn't know that Hinata was so tough…" Naruto said.

"She's very similar to you" Lee said, smiling at Naruto.

"Come to think of it, she's always been watching you" Sakura said.

"Hinata-chan…" Kari said softly. Hinata looked back at Neji, Byakugan re-activating.

"Come" Neji challenged, his own Byakugan reappearing. Hinata clutched her heart coughing up blood. Kakashi tightened his hold on Kari, feeling her body weaken. _Her heartbeats irregular…_

"His eyes are scary… Hinata won't get killed right?" Ino asked.

"His strength… it's unfair" Sakura said. "He's too strong."

"Hinata!! Ganbatte!" Naruto shouted. Hinata charged towards Neji. She was obviously tired, but still managed to block well. She was getting clumsy, weaker. As she went to strike Neji he tripped her and then shoved his palm into her jaw, sending her flying backwards. Though she managed to stay standing, a hacking cough ripped through her as she coughed up blood. Kari held her chest as tears stung her eyes and blood dripped from her mouth. _Hinata…_ She ran towards Neji again, refusing to give up. She went to hit Neji, but the older Hyuuga struck her in the chest. Her Byakuga receded, she through up blood and fell forwards, landing face first and still.

"HINATA!!" Kari shouted. Kakashi pulled her back to stop her trying to enter the match, but didn't realise how weak she was until her legs gave in. He sat her down, unsure how to comfort her as he saw a red tear slide down her face and mingle with the blood from her mouth. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked incredibly sore.

"You are such a stubborn person" Neji said, looking down at her. "Your attacks had no affect on me to begin with." Neji's Byakugan faded. "It's over." He turned and walked away from her.

"That was a finishing move by Neji, he aimed for her heart." Gai said. "I feel sorry for her, but she cannot stand up anymore."

"I am going to assume that she cannot fight anymore…" Hayate said, walking over to Hinata.

"Don't stop the match, dattebayou!!" Naruto shouted.

"Chotto matte Naruto! What are you talking about baka?! She can't fight anymore, she's fainted… Eh?" seeing Naruto's smile she looked down, gasps coming from the audience as Hinata struggled to stand up yet again, she held her left side panting harshly.

"Why did you stand up?" Neji asked. "If you push yourself, you're really going to die. Why?!" Neji cried, his Bakugan activating.

"I can still…" Hinata said as she stumbled forwards a step.

"There's no point acting tough. You're barely able to stand up. I can tell with these eyes that you have carried the destiny known as the Hyuuga family. You cursed your powerlessness and blamed yourself, but people cannot change; this is destiny. There's no need to suffer, let yourself go." Neji said, anger hidden in every word. Hinata shook her head.

"You're wrong Neji-niisan… Because I can see… That you are suffering more than me…" Hinata said.

"Nani?"

"You are the one who is confused and suffering inside the fate of the head and branch families." Hinata said. Neji's Byakugan blazed and he shot towards Hinata. Kari's eyes widened and her heart froze.

_He's going to kill her…_

'_I won't let you get seriously hurt Hina-chan.'_

Tears overflowed from Kari's eyes.

"_**HINATA!!**_"

* * *

Jonin appeared around Neji, holding him back. But they had acted too slowly and Neji's high-powered jyuuken had already struck a heart.

_Not Hinata's heart…_

"O-oneechan" Hinata whispered, her eyes wide. Blood dripped through her lips, staining Neji's bandaged arm. Her eyes were dark and glazed, empty. Her tense muscles fell limp and she began to slide down but Neji caught her staring at her in horror.

"N-nande? Why did you have to interfere?!" Neji shouted, holding her forearms, her head lolling backwards as blood ran down her cheeks. "W-wake up Kari" he whispered, his voice breaking, his face stark white. A silence rang through the audience. Kakashi let go of Neji's arm and placed his arms underneath Kari. "Iie!"

"Let her go Neji" Gai said commandingly. Neji released her and Kakashi lifted her up, she lay limp and still. Balancing her in one arm he placed his hand over her heart. _Weak and rapid, quickly slowing…_ Without a word Kakashi disappeared, rushing towards hospital as her heart went into failure.

"That girl's brave" Anko said quietly. The Hokage nodded beside her.

"A true shinobi, but with a kind heart…" he replied.

"Kari-nee…" Hinata began as tears ran down her face, her heart jolted from the shock and she started coughing up blood. Kurenai rushed to her side.

"Hinata!"

"Hinata-san!"

Naruto, Sakura and Lee, quickly followed by Kita jumped down and rushed over to her.

"Hinata, daijyoubu ka?" Naruto cried bending down to look at her, tears sliding down her face.

"Naruto-kun… Kari-nee…"

"Kari-chan's strong don't worry about her" Naruto choked out as his own eyes stung.

"Do you…" Hinata began, and Naruto had to lean down to try and hear her. "Do you think… I was able to change… a little…?" Her eyes fluttered closed.

"Hey… the dropout there." Naruto looked round at Neji. "Let me warn you about two things. If you're a ninja, stop that unsightly cheering for a stranger. And one more thing, a dropout is a dropout. They cannot change."

"Do you want to try?" Naruto challenged. Neji smirked, mocking him. Angered, Naruto charged at him, but Lee jumped in the way.

"I understand how you are feeling Naruto-kun. But you should fight in a proper match. A dropout will defeat a genius through hard work. The main matches will be exciting." Lee said. "But I may be his opponent, I will hold no grudge if you are to match up against him. Kari-chan either, once she's better of course."

"Kari's not a dropout." Neji interrupted.

"No, but she's not perfect either. She has to work hard to get strong." Lee retorted. Naruto huffed and walked away, struggling to control his temper. Hinata violently coughed up blood again. Kurenai undid her jacket, placing one hand over her heart and the other at her neck to check her pulse. Noticing that Hinata was going through ventricular fibrillation, Kurenai turned and glared at Neji.

"If you have time to glare at me, you should spend that time looking after her" Neji said. Gai glared down at his student. _He's severely shaken by using a lethal attack against Kari. There's an almost impossible chance she'll survive._

"Medical team! What are you doing?! Hurry!" Kurenai shouted.

"Excuse us!" the medic-nins cried rushing in with a stretcher.

"Put her on the stretcher!"

"Hai!"

"Together."

"She won't last ten minutes at this rate!"

"Take her to the emergency treatment room."

"Hurry!"

"Hai!"

They quickly put Hinata on a stretcher and ran out with her.

"Hinata…" Naruto said in shock, remembering how hard she fought, how she wouldn't give up. He bent down, to where Hinata's and Kari's blood was mixing at the edges. He swirled his fingers in the liquid and then stood up, facing Neji. "I promise… I will win!" Naruto blinked and grit his teeth. He turned to Sakura as he felt his eyes become moist.

"Go to her Naruto" Sakura said understanding. "I'll take care of Kita."

* * *

"We need blood and fluids now!"

"Blood pressures dropping!"

"Heart rate's slowing we're loosing her!"

Kakashi sat beside Sasuke's bed, watching the shadows as doctors swarmed the bed next to them, separated by a thin green curtain. Sasuke's head was turned towards the noise, but he still seemed to be asleep.

"She's gone into cardiac arrest!"

_Thud, thud, thud, pause for air, thud thud thud…_

"Charging 360!!"

_Beep-Beep THUD._

"Charging again!"

"_Where's Kari-chan's room?! I need to see her lady you don't understand!!"_

"_I'm sorry but there are no visitors, the doctors are with her now—"_

"_Tell me where the room is!!"_

"Charging!"

Kakashi rose from his seat and walked outside to find Naruto shouting at a nurse.

"Kakashi-sensei! Where is she?!" Naruto begged.

"She's having treatment; shouldn't you be back at the exams?" Kakashi said, his dull, soothing voice doing nothing to calm his frantic student.

"I'm not leaving until I see her!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi grasped his loud student's shoulders and bent down so he was eye level with him.

"The doctors need to concentrate if they're going to make her better Naruto. Kari's very ill" he said quietly as Naruto bit his bottom lip. "You know she'll beat me up if you cry, and she'll need sleep, not violent urges" Kakashi said with a weak smile.

"I need to see her sensei, I'll wait outside for hours until they let me in and if they don't Ill just burst the door down" Naruto choked out. Kakashi sighed and placed a hand on Naruto's head. Silence fell in the room behind them and Kakashi tensed listening carefully.

"_There's no way she could survive…"_

Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he focused on being Naruto's sensei. _I have to get him out before he knows, the extreme emotional shock might bring out Kyuubi._

"Come on Naruto, go back to the exam. I'll come and get you as soon as they're done with her and I'll talk them into letting you see her okay?" Kakashi said a little too quickly.

"No! I'm not leaving her!" Naruto cried adamantly. The door opened behind them and a pale looking doctor came out, sweat gleaming across his brow.

"Hatake Kakashi? You're Kari's sensei correct?" the doctor asked. Kakashi glanced at Naruto but the doctor continued. "I'm afraid Hyuuga Neji's Jyuuken has done severe damage to her heart, causing an irregular heartbeat. Shocking has put it as close to normal as it can be, though a lot weaker and faster than normal forcing the heart to work a lot harder. As well as that, the heart was already damaged and had scar tissue across the left side from previous battle. It seemed the only possible way she could survive would be a heart transplant and looking at the scar tissue also across her lungs, a lung transplant in the future. But…"

"But…" Kakashi said, urging the doctor to continue.

"The Chakra circulatory system doesn't seem to have sustained much damage. She has an irregular chakra that when we tried to use healing jutsu, tried to force our chakra out as though it was a virus. Instead, the chakra started to heal her automatically, and slowly she managed to stabilise herself, without much help from us." The doctor explained. "It was as though someone was healing her from the inside."

"So she's alive?" Kakashi asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"By some miracle, yes." The doctor confirmed. "She's hooked up to a ventilator until she's healed a bit more, so not to put too much pressure on her heart."

"Can we see her now!?" Naruto cried. Kakashi placed a hand over Naruto's mouth; he had almost forgotten Naruto was still there.

"Well, she shouldn't really—"

"It's okay, they're very close" Kakashi said, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. As Kakashi was of a high rank, the doctor chose not to argue and allowed them to have five minutes with her.

"Kari-chan?" Naruto asked shooting to her side. Her eyes were bandaged and a pipe was down her throat to help her breath. The gentle beeping and whirring of machines played as a lullaby while she slept. Naruto picked up her hand, careful not to remove the wire. "Everyone's worried about you, you gave us all a scare" Naruto said quietly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. He sniffed rather thickly. "Don't worry me like that; I can't be Hokage right without my second in command ne?" Kakashi stood at the door, not wanting to invade. For Naruto to be quiet and timid, worried and upset it showed how much he was affected by her being so badly hurt. It was surreal seeing the loud knucklehead being so careful and gentle, and to see him crying… Naruto was either angry, frustrated, irritated or mostly, overly happy.

"Naruto, we've had our five minutes." Kakashi said gently approaching the blonde shinobi. Those five minutes may have been mostly Naruto's but Kakashi knew that the young ninja needed that time far more than he did.

"Already?" Naruto asked. He placed a kiss on Kari's bandaged head. "Get well soon Ookami-neechan. We'll go out for ramen and ice cream as soon as you're out of here ok?" Kakashi steered Naruto towards the door and told him to go back to the exams. Naruto nodded and walked back in the direction he came. With a sigh, Kakashi went back into the room. As quietly as he could, he pulled back the curtain separating Sasuke and Kari.

"Take care of each other" Kakashi said gently. He approached Kari curiously. He applied a small amount of chakra to his fingertips so they glowed blue and slowly lowered his hand towards Kari's body. Just as it was about to make contact with her skin a small blast of burning hot chakra shot out of her body, extinguishing Kakashi's own chakra. _So it's the AkumaInu that refuses foreign chakra to enter your body. It's a good defence mechanism, though means she can't be healed by other people. Its probably the Tenno Kitsune that's healing her._ Kakashi lifted up his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan eye. _I can see the huge disturbance of Chakra, even though the curse mark is sealed. The Akuma-Inu's chakra is trying to destroy it, which is what is making Kari so ill. _He sighed pulling his headband back down. He placed a hand on Kari's head. "Stay strong Kari." And with that, Kakashi left them in peace.

* * *

Rock Lee

Vs

Gaara

* * *

Kita's eyes were covered half the time, but it was obvious what happened. Lee's speed was an advantage against Gaara, and his sand was too slow to defend him. However, Lee's moves took their toll and Gaara's defence managed to protect him for the most part. He used his sand to crush Lee's left arm and leg crushing the bones. Even in unconsciousness, Lee stood up and tried to continue fighting on sheer will power alone, but Gai told him he'd done enough and proved himself to everyone. The medic-nins informed Gai that the damage was so severe that Lee would never fight again.

The last match was;

* * *

Akimichi Chouji

Vs

Kinuta Dosu

* * *

Dosu won by using his sound attack, the vibrations carrying through the water in Chouji's body, practically electrocuting him, knocking him out.

* * *

"To all those who have made it to the main matches of the Chuunin Exam's Third Exam, all but two are here, so congratulations." Hayate said to the genin before him; Six from Konoha (including the absent Kari and Sasuke), three from Suna and two from Oto. Naruto clenched his fists tightly, Kita lying on his head.

"Sensei?" Sakura began.

"Mm?" Kakashi replied.

"May I ask something?"

"About Sasuke and Kari? Well… Sorry but I'm not sure myself. But don't worry about it. Like Naruto told you, Kari was stabilised after that blow to the heart but is in intensive care and Sasuke is in the same room." Kakashi said. "Sakura, I'm going to leave and check up on them, so tell me the details of the main matches later." With that Kakashi disappeared.

"I will now begin the explanation for the main matches. Your main match fights will be shown in front of everyone. We wish for all of you to show off your abilities as your country's representative power. Therefore the main matches will begin in one month." The Hokage explained.

"We're not going to do it right here, right now?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"The one month is a time to conduct appropriate presentations." The Hokage said.

"What do you mean?" Neji asked.

"In other words, we are going to announce to the feudal lords and head ninja of individual countries that the preliminary matches have ended. And time is needed to gather those people for the main matches. This is also preparation time for you candidates." The Hokage said.

"I still don't understand. Explain" Kankurou demanded.

"This time is used so that you can know your enemy and yourself better. It is a time to analyze the information you have gathered during the preliminary matches. The battles we have had were just like real combat situations. It has been done where both parties know nothing of each other. But the main matches will not be like that. There are those who have revealed everything to their rivals. To make things fair, work hard and improve yourselves on your own during the next month" the Hokage said. Naruto nodded.

_For Hinata… and for Kari-chan… I'm going to win!_

"There is something important we must do before the main matches." The Hokage continued.

"What is it already? I have to hurry up and train, dattebayou!" Naruto complained as Kita half dozed on his head.

"Don't get so hasty. Take a piece of paper from the box Anko is holding. For Kari, allow Kita to chose." The Hokage instructed.

"I'll walk, so take it in turns" Anko said. She headed towards Dosu first. "Just take one."

"Okay. Everyone got one?" Ibiki asked. "Now tell me what number you got, starting from the left."

"Ju" Dosu said, holding up the number 10.

"Ichi, dattebayou" Naruto said, holding up a number 1.

Kita held the paper in her mouth so that they could see the number 6.

"Go." The violet haired Oto-nin said, holding up the number 5.

"Kyuu" Temari said, holding up the number 9.

"Nana" Kankurou said, holding up the number 7.

"San" Gaara said, holding up the number 3.

"Juichi" Shikamaru said, holding up the number 11.

"Ni" Neji said, holding up the number 2.

"Hachi" Shino said, holding up the number 8.

"So Sasuke is yon." Ibiki said pulling out the number 4 out of the box.

"We will now tell you the match-ups for the tournament." The Hokage announced.

"EHH?!" Naruto cried.

"That's what we drew for?!" Shikamaru cried.

"Ibiki, show the match ups"

* * *

Fight 1 - 1) Uzumaki Naruto Vs 2) Hyuuga Neji

Fight 2 – 3) Gaara Vs 4) Uchiha Sasuke

Fight 3 – 5) Murasaki Akira Vs 6) Kari

Fight 4 – 7) Kankurou Vs 8) Aburame Shino

Fight 5 – 10) Kinuta Dosu Vs 11) Nara Shikamaru

Fight 6 – 9) Temari Vs (Winner from Fight 5)

Fight 7 – Winner from Fight 1 Vs Winner from Fight 2

Fight 8 – Winner from Fight 4 Vs Winner from Fight 6

Fight 9 – Winner from Fight 3 Vs Winner from Fight 7

Fight 10 – Winner from Fight 8 Vs Winner from Fight 9

* * *

It was a tournament.

"I have a question" Shikamaru said, raising his hand. "If it's a tournament, it means theirs only one winner right? Does that mean only one person can become a Chuunin?"

"No, that's not how it is" the Hokage said. "These main matches will have judges including me, Kazekage as well as feudal lords and head ninja from other countries that may be potential clients. These judges will grade you by watching you in the tournament. And those who are qualified to be a Chuunin, even if they lose the first round, will become a Chuunin."

"So there's a possibility that everyone here can become a Chuunin?" Temari asked.

"Yes, but that also means there is a possible chance that none of you will become a Chuunin. Winning more matches in the tournament means that you are able to show off your skills more. Understand Shikamaru-kun?" the Hokage asked. He paused for a moment.

"That is all, we are adjourned until next month."


	44. Setsumeino Tsukanai Shinri

**A/N;** Gomen, but it's hard to write when you went to punch a wall but caught your arm instead... I got pissed off :D And have a lovely big bruise to show for it... Once again, keep in mind whether you want training included (note relationships may be altered in the month ;) )

Oooh! Review target upped to between 200 and 250. And I want to know your opinions on who should be in the xmas special. I'll do fluff oneshots on your favourite pairings if you like? SasuKari or anything that tickles your fancy.

**Claimer:** Kari, Kita, Kazhana Kitome and Tasukaru (Inu-)Kaizo are my own characters whom I love dearly.

**Disclaimer:** Uzumaki Kushina currently owns Naruto, and would love to accept any challenges to take it off her. Masashi Kishimoto is currently being haunted and will soon be transferred to a psychiatric ward in hospital.

* * *

**Setsumeino Tsukanai Shinri**

_**Unexplainable Truths**_

* * *

_She tilted her head to the side with wide searching eyes._

_Okaasan?_

* * *

The door slid open silently. His footsteps were muffled by the beeping and whirring of machines. He lightly stepped over one of the ANBU bodies and made his way between the beds of the two sleeping patients.

"Being excellent isn't as good as it seems…" Kabuto sighed, looking down at them. "We've stood out too much. Perhaps it was unfortunate that Orochimaru-sama cast his eyes on us." Kabuto pulled out his scalpel, holding it near Sasuke. There was a harsh beeping from the heart monitor to his left, showing sudden distress from Kari, as though knowing Sasuke was in danger. In an instant, the weapon was snatched from his hands.

"Very nice, Kakashi-san" Kabuto commented, as Kari's monitor's beeping slowed, the heartbeat becoming more steady. "You stopped an attack that was in your blind spot. But next time, you should station at least ten people" Kabuto motioned to the three dead ANBU, without turning to face Kakashi.

"You're not a normal Genin are you?" Kakashi said. "You're quite a guy; you noticed my presence and took out that weapon immediately."

"It wasn't that great" Kabuto said simply.

"What do you want with Sasuke and Kari?" Kakashi demanded. "I may have to capture and interrogate you, depending on your answer."

"Can someone as lowly as you be capable of doing that?" Kabuto asked, finally turning to face Kakashi.

"Do you want to try with that lowly person?" Kakashi challenged. Kari's heart monitor gave a harsh beep before settling back into its uneven rhythm. "You were the son of that medical squad leader, correct? Your name is Yakushi Kabuto, isn't it? Are you connected with Orochimaru?"

"If you capture me right now, you might not be able to prove I have any connection to Orochochimaru." Kabuto said.

"Just answer the question."

"And if I say no?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here" Kakashi said. "Just answer it."

"If you let me swim around, you'll find out eventually" Kabuto said with a smirk. "So can you let me go this time?"

"You sure are a selfish kid. Don't screw around with adults you little prick." Kakashi said, pulling out a kunai.

"Please don't act so bossy" Kabuto said, pulling out his own weapon. "I clearly have the upper hand here…" he lowered the blade toward Kari's throat and tightened his grip, ready to strike. Kakashi shot forward, using his leg to knock Kabuto off balance and away from Kari as Kakashi knocked the weapon out of the enemy's hand. As he went to pin Kabuto down, Kari's heart monitor beeped harshly again as one of the dead ANBU got up and ran. Acting fast, Kakashi quickly made a shadow clone to block the door and stop the 'ANBU' from escaping. Two more harsh beeps erupted from the monitor and another seemingly dead ANBU shot through the window, smashing the glass. Kakashi ran to the window and the 'ANBU' removed its mask to show Kabuto's smirking face. Kabuto disappeared into the trees.

"Damnit… He got away" Kakashi cursed. The ANBU fell limp to the ground and Kakashi kage bunshin disappeared. "What a guy…" Kakashi sighed going to check the fake Kabuto's pulse. "Just as I thought… This is the Dead Soul technique; Fushi Tensei, which gets a corpses heart to beat temporarily to control it." Kakashi glanced around at the kunoichi, the chest drain at the side of her bed a quarter filled with blood. "So that's what you were trying to tell me ne?" _Unable to move or speak she used the monitor to try and let me know something was wrong. After all, the Dead Soul technique is one that is likely to have originated from the AkumaInu, so she would have been able to sense it._ "You never cease to amaze me Kari…" Kakashi sighed looking back out the window. "But if someone as good as him is working for Orochimaru, I'm going to have to work harder…" he glanced at Kari, sitting down beside her bed. While Sasuke just seemed to be sleeping she looked fragile and pale. "Much harder…"

* * *

"Aa where's Sasuke's room dattebayou?" Naruto said to the lady at the desk, Kita lying asleep on the top of his head. "And I need to see Kari-chan too what was her room again?"

"Sasuke-sama and Kari-sama are currently not taking any visitors" the receptionist said chirpily as she shuffled her notes and put them to her side.

"**_HA?!_** Ne, nande dattebayou?" Naruto shouted.

"I cannot say" the receptionist said simply.

"Ne, lady, nande?!"

"Naruto, be quiet inside the hospital" Kakashi said walking around the corner.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face. "Is Kari-chan better yet? Ano sa, ano sa, I have a favour to ask!"

"She wouldn't be better in just an hour Naruto. And you don't have to say any more, I knew you would come to me. So I found someone to supervise your training." Kakashi said simply. Naruto's face fell into a childish scowl.

"Nande?! I want you Kakashi-sensei, dattebayou!"

"I have something to do, so I don't have time to look after you." Kakashi said wearily.

"Mmm… **AH!-_AHA!_** You're training _Sasuke_ aren't you?!" Naruto accused, pointing his finger offensively at his sensei.

"Na, don't get mad. Kari-chan needs a lot of work being inexperienced and she'll be weakened for a good while yet. Anyway, I found you a much better teacher then me." Kakashi said with light sarcasm on the last part.

"But I wanna train with Kari-chan!"

"You both don't work seriously enough together, you don't really want to hurt each other when you spar and you have completely different battle strategies and techniques." Kakashi said.

"Who is this teacher then… dattebayou?"

"It is I!" Naruto looked round moodily but his eyes bulged and his jaw dropped as he let out a horrified scream, jolting Kita awake causing Kakashi to rush to catch her.

"You're the… _**closet pervert**_!!"

"How impolite" Ebisu huffed, pushing his sunglasses up his nose as a sign of snooty displeasure.

"Ebisu-sensei is a closet pervert?" Kakashi repeated dumbfounded.

"Nande?! Why is this guy gonna be the one overseeing my training, dattebayou?!" Naruto shrieked. "He's weaker than me to begin with!"

"What?" Kakashi repeated with the same confused expression.

"Because, because! Last time when I used my Harem no jutsu on him—" Ebisu shot forward trapping Naruto in a headlock with his hand tight over his mouth.

"_Harem no jutsu_?" Kakashi repeated.

"No, it's nothing!" Ebisu said a little too happily. He turned and whispered anxiously to Naruto.

"I didn't know you two met before" Kakashi said. "Does Kari know Ebisu-sensei too?"

"We met unwillingly though" Ebisu said with a fake laugh, patting an extremely irritated Naruto on the head. "Unfortunately I haven't yet managed to have the pleasure of meeting this Kari-chan yet, but Konohamaru-kun has had wonderful things to say about her!"

"**_HENTAI!_**" Naruto shrieked trying to tear Ebisu apart while the jonin held him back with one hand. Ebisu's eyebrow twitched despite his big fake grin.

"Why him though?" Naruto mumbled. "I really don't like this…"

"Why would I even _want_ to teach you had Kakashi-kun not _asked_ it of me?!" Ebisu cried.

"Then don't!"

"Now, now, you two, don't be like that." Kakashi said. "Naruto, Ebisu-sensei is a personal teacher who instructs the elite. He is a special-jounin as well. He's better at teaching than me, actually. Naruto, out of the four people and one wolf I taught in our squad, your basics are a mess, even worse than Kari's. Have him teach you those thoroughly" Kakashi said as Kita nodded along with him.

"How am I inferior to Sakura-chan and Sasuke?!" Naruto shouted. "And me and Kari-chan are equals dattebayou!!"

"Naruto…" Kakashi sighed. "It's true that your basics are a mess. The basics are important in everything you do. Though Kari isn't as experienced, she picked up the basics with Gai. If you want to become stronger, just listen to what I have to say. Now then, Ebisu-sensei please take care of Naruto for me. Naruto, I'll send Kari to visit you at some point when she's better to see how you're doing. Have something to impress her with." With that Kakashi walked down a hallway and out of sight.

* * *

"Let's see, Kari needs to have chest drain emptied and fresh fluids and pain relief" the nurse said, checking her clipboard. "And Uchiha Sasuke just needs more fluids" the nurse slid the door open, humming to herself. Her patients were to be unconscious for at least the next few days. She jumped and almost dropped her clipboard when she noticed Sasuke out of bed. The bandages on his eyes had been removed the day before and he was off oxygen. He needed rest and to wait for his temperature to return to normal. But there he was, sitting beside Kari's bed with a far away look in his dark eyes. "Sasuke-kun! What are you doing out of bed?" the nurse scolded.

"What happened to her?" Sasuke asked hoarsely, looking up from Kari's face.

"Ah, well… I suppose it's alright seeing as she's your girlfriend and you must be really worried about her…" the nurse said with a smile.

"Team-mate" Sasuke corrected. The nurse blinked in confusion. _But they reached across and held hands while they were sleeping; we had to push their beds closer so they wouldn't fall._ "How long have we been in here? What about the final exams?"

"Three days, the final exams are about a month away, but your sensei should be in soon to tell you about it" the nurse said simply.

"And her?" Sasuke asked, glancing at the wires and machines connected to her, to the bandages on her eyes and the white linen encasing her small body. She looked so frail, the hospital shirt making her look paler.

"I'm sure you know about patient confidentiality—"

"I'm the closest person she's got" Sasuke said coldly. Well, he knew that wasn't true. Naruto and Kita were the closest you could get to Kari and Kakashi was a little more than a teacher.

"Well, she jumped in the middle of the Hyuuga match when one of them went into a rage and tried to strike the weaker one with a lethal attack. She got hit and her heart went into failure. We managed to stabilize her but she hasn't woken up yet." The nurse said, debating whether to use the _hand on the shoulder for comfort_ trick.

"Then these machines are the only things keeping her alive?" Sasuke asked. He felt tired and cold; having woken up to see Kari in that state had terrified him. He'd been sitting by her side for the last half an hour at least.

"No, she's doing well. The machines are just so her heart isn't overworked too quickly, as it was severely damaged during the attack. We would have said she should retire from being a shinobi, but she's making a good recovery and she should be fine" the nurse said. "Now come on, into bed, you're in no condition to be up. The more you rest, the quicker you can train."

* * *

Kari's eyes shot open, but all she was met with was white. She reached up to her face and felt fabric covering her eyes. Without a moments thought she ripped it off. Her mind was in a thick daze of confusion. Her pounding head fell forward into her hands and she closed her eyes, memories flooding back to her.

_Hinata!!_

Kari's eyes shot open again, sweat gleaming on her brow. She grasped the shirt over her chest. No wonder it hurt to breathe. But Hinata… was she okay? Pressing the button on her ventilator the screen went blank. She pulled the wires out of her arms and pulled the oxygen mask over her head. She paused for a moment to see Sasuke peacefully asleep before hurtling out the room, searching for a scent or aura or even a sound that could be Hinata. Luckily, her legs seemed to know where she was going and she burst through a door on instinct. Sunlight blazed through the window onto the white sheets of the bed. Hinata lay still and quiet the machine beeping beside her, jagged lines in neon colours dancing across the screen to the beat of her heart. Kari collapsed by the side of her friend's bed and looked on with horror. Hinata lay pale as the bed she was tucked tightly into, she looked very sick, like she was plagued by some terrible disease. Kari hand lightly touched Hinata's cheek, brushing the midnight bangs away from her clammy forehead.

"Hina…?" Kari whispered before a choked sob rattled through her body. Her eyes stung and wet warmth spilled down her cheeks. Kari wiped her bloody tears away and bit her lip. Hinata hadn't responded at all and lay as still as when Kari first walked in. A pain so different from the Jyuuken strike filled her heart, and the blonde kunoichi saw nothing but red.

* * *

"With Lee in hospital and TenTen out today, it'll just be us two at training Neji" Gai said, but his booming voice lacked its enthusiasm, like a deflated balloon. His prized student's condition was really bothering him. But he would probably cheer up a little tomorrow when TenTen was back. "So we must work extra hard to make our comrades proud!"

"I feel like training alone sensei" Neji said quietly. "Any news of Kari yet?" it had been the same routine for the last couple of days, they would train half-heartedly in the morning, Neji would ask about Kari, then he would go and train alone. Anyone could see Neji wasn't himself; he was colder and completely shut off.

"She hasn't woken up yet" Gai said. "The doctors said she's making good progress though." Neji made a grunt of acknowledgement and went to leave but Gai grasped his shoulder before he could take the first step. "It's not your fault Neji, she jumped in on her own accord and I'm sure she wouldn't change her mind for an instant if she had the chance to."

"Hai…" Neji said, walking off towards the Hyuuga compound.

* * *

Neji span slower in his rotation, finally coming to a stop. He knew he had to prepare for the final exam but all he could think about was her. How he had _hurt_ her. He'd asked to see her, but she was too ill for visitors. He had asked how she was, but he wasn't a member of her team so they wouldn't tell him. His sensei only heard a little now and then on his daily trips to visit Lee and TenTen but it was tearing Neji up not knowing if she was alright. He sighed sliding into stance and activating his Byakugan when he noticed something strange.

_A large amount of chakra heading this way._

Before Neji could pinpoint it and try and see who it was an explosion of pain hit the side of his head and he was thrown to the side.

"What the—Kari?!" Neji cried, staring in disbelief at the panting kunoichi before him. Chakra was radiating off her body in waves, her eyes a blazing red. Just as he was about to sigh in relief and ask how she was, she came at him again, chakra blazing around her fist. Sensing her rage he narrowly dodged her attack and shut off her chakra points but it didn't seem to have any effect.

"Doushita?" Kari shouted. "Aren't you going to go for my heart again?!"

"What's the matter with you?!" Neji cried grabbing her arms and holding her still.

"You didn't hesitate with Hinata did you?!" Kari shouted, struggling against his grip but the fact she wasn't completely healed was painfully obvious.

"What's all this ruckus out here?"

"Nothing Hiashi-sama!" Neji cried, looking round at the Hyuuga head; though hatred was clear in his eyes.

"And he's just as bad! Belittling Hinata just because she's not perfect!" Kari shouted, turning her blazing eyes on Hiashi.

"Exactly _who _do you think you're talking to _little girl_?" Hiashi said coldly, the veins of his Byakugan appearing beside his eyes. Kari smirked and pushed Neji away hurtling towards the Hyuuga head.

"Kari don't!" Neji cried grasping the back of her hospital gown and pulling her back. Hiashi's eyes narrowed, observing the enormous peculiar chakra that the girl was emitting. His eyes travelled to her ears, which were back as a sign of aggression and her tail that was bristled to the tip, he finally settled on her eyes.

"Just what are you?" Hiashi whispered.

"Otou-sama! Message from the hospital!" Hanabi cried walking out, to find a strange scene; Neji of the branch holding back Kari who was glaring at her father, the Hyuuga head. "Kari-san?" All eyes turned to her. "Hinata is to be discharged this afternoon."

"Yukata!" Kari breathed, a smile coming to her pale face. Her eyes cooled to their usual blue, green, grey mix. Hiashi didn't miss the warning look from Neji and though rather affronted by it, chose to agree with it.

"You're a friend of Hinata's I presume?" Hiashi said, his eyes boring into Kari's, analysing her.

"You have a problem with that?" Kari said, her voice carrying a subtle threat. Hiashi smirked.

"Your strength may be presumed as arrogance little one." With that, Hiashi walked inside without a backwards glance.

"What were you _thinking_ talking to Hiashi-sama like that?! You could have been killed!" Neji hissed. Kari scoffed bitterly.

"Wouldn't be the first time would it?" Neji's eyes widened, shocked and hurt by her sudden cold attitude towards him. She had always been so warm and friendly; loving in fact, and now she acted as though she despised him. She broke out of his lose grip and went to leave. "You'd better hope Naruto-kun beats you in the first round…" and with that she disappeared.

"Neji?" Hanabi asked, confused at the behaviour her usually stoic cousin was showing. She was ignored, and Neji went to continue with his training, deciding Kari probably needed time and space before she would forgive him. And she would forgive him, because she surely must know how painful the guilt was…

* * *

Kari sighed and sat against a tree bark. She'd been wandering around a forest completely lost in a thin hospital gown. True, it was the beginning of July, but she was still uncomfortable in the stupid thing. It felt like paper. She leant back and hit her head lightly against the trunk. Boy she hurt… With a light sigh she was swept out of consciousness, the sun peeking through the clouds at her, warming her bare legs.

* * *

"Uchiha Sasuke-san and Kari-san?" the nurse asked as she led the way through the maze of the hospital. "You have five minutes; I cannot permit more than that. They still need to stay in bed and she's not at all well."

"Hai" Sakura and Ino agreed. Ino clutched a single red rose while Sakura had three daffodils in her hand.

"Sasuke-kun, Kari-chan, you have guests… two cute girls!" the nurse said good naturedly as she opened the door, she walked in smiling but then gasped and dropped her clipboard at the sight of two empty beds. "Sasuke-kun? Kari-chan?" she rushed to the wardrobe and threw the doors open. "Their clothes are gone! This is bad! They shouldn't be walking around outside in their condition! Doctor!**_ Doctor!_**" the nurse cried rushing out the room.

"Sasuke-kun…?" Ino said surprised. Sakura looked at the ground worriedly and tightened her grip on the flowers. _Had they already been captured by Orochimaru?_

* * *

"This rock-climbing training is tougher than the last time…" Kakashi grumbled as he struggled to pull himself higher, one hand tied behind his back. "If I was as supple as Kari I wouldn't be having this problem… Damn, my body has weakened. Maybe I should piggyback her for the first week as my own training… Will I make it to the top in the time limit?" Suddenly the rock underneath his foot crumbled away and he was left clinging on by just three fingers. "Che… week and a half…" he closed his eyes and concentrated, opening the first of the eight inner gates and flipping himself upwards to grab the edge of the top. Kakashi blinked as a shadow blocked the sun.

"Hey. Don't suppose you've seen Kari-baka wandering around?"

"Hm, so you've finally come? What do you mean have I seen Kari? She's having treatment in hospital isn't she?" Kakashi asked, easing himself up and untying his hand.

"Not when I woke up. She was gone and her bed was cold. The machines were off and the bed was wet from the wires she'd ripped out because there was blood on it." Sasuke said. He still looked pale and tired, but seemed well enough. "I brought her clothes, seeing as she'll refuse to go back." Sasuke held up a bag. _He knows her well..._ Kakashi thought with a small hidden smile.

"She's wandering around in a hospital gown?" Kakashi mused. "I would have been contacted if she'd been found; I've probably got a letter waiting at home to tell me she's run off. Have you tried asking Kita?"

"Where the hell would Kita be?" Sasuke asked.

"With Naruto" Kakashi said simply.

"And where would _Naruto_ be?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"With Ebisu."

"_Who?_"

"Wait a minute…" Kakashi made a hand sign and a puff of smoke appeared around his head. The next second, Kita's white fur was mixing with Kakashi's grey mane, light blue eyes wide and confused. "Kita do you know where Kari is?"

"Hai! She got lost and fainted in the forest and a nice lady took us to her house to rest." Kita said at once. Kakashi gave Sasuke a '_well there you go_' look and stood up.

"Lead the way Kita-chan."

* * *

Kari sighed deeply, inhaling the smell of fresh clean air that was coming off the cool plump pillow. A thin blanket was laid over her with the softness of Kita's ears and she felt complete and utter contentment. Until she realised she didn't know where she was. Kari's eyes fluttered open to see a lady sitting at the side of her bead waiting for her to wake. Kari sat up abruptly her cheeks flushing a deep red.

"Ahh! Um…? I! Err…? Hi?" Kari managed to cough out. She took in the woman's appearance and was startled at her beauty and radiating kindness. She was quite dainty, skin the colour of white rose petals with a soft pink brushed across each beautifully sculpted cheekbone. She had a small straight nose and slightly large yet beautifully shaped eyes framed by thick long lashes. Plump lips were lightly coloured red. Her eyes were a deep grey, like dark steel yet soft and warm. Her hair was sleek and shiny ebony that fell down her back like it was woven from the finest silk. She had a long elegant neck that sported a necklace but it was mostly hidden under a simple yet pretty kimono. This woman seemed nothing short of royalty.

"Don't worry dear, your safe" she said gently a warm soothing voice like melted honey. "I just didn't want to leave you sleeping outside and I was sure you were uncomfortable in that hospital gown so I put you in an old kimono if that's alright." As she stood up Kari noticed that she was wearing a hitai-ate much like Sakura's.

"You're a ninja?" Kari said in shock. The woman looked round and laughed, returning to where she was sitting with a glass of water in her hands.

"Hai, I've been in the ANBU for years now. I get to work with my husband on missions so we're together a lot more than we would have been." She said placing the glass in Kari's hands.

"But you're so… you don't seem like a ninja… if you get what I mean" Kari said timidly.

"You're quite right, but you don't seem to be that average either." The woman said warmly. "Kita said she would be back soon."

"Kita was here?" Kari asked, her ears perking. Kari's eyes widened and she quickly put her glass on the windowsill. With a soft gasp she dived under the covers. "Aa! Forget you saw that!" Kari squeaked, completely oblivious to her golden tail poking out from beneath the sheets.

"It's okay dear, I'm not going to throw you out or anything" the woman said with a soft laugh. Peeking through the gap Kari sat up, feeling rather stupid.

"Umm, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" Kari asked sheepishly.

"Not at all, watashiha Kazahana Kitome." The woman said gently.

"Nice to meet you Kazahana-sama, I'm Kari" Kari said, feeling awkward.

"Call me Kitome, I don't want to be treated so highly" Kitome said gently.

"**_KOI! OKAERI!!_**" A voice boomed from outside.

"In here!" Kitome called back in a softer voice. Kari stare in awe as the strangest man strolled in through the door. He was a tall man of a muscled build with slightly tanned skin. He had silver hair of a lighter shade than Kakashi's tied in a pony tail from which it softly spiked in jagged layers until it met his mid-back. He had large piercing silver blue eyes, a lot like Kita's. He had an easy going good natured smile though seemed slightly wild and rough around the edges. His voice was a little rough but was warm and strong. Then there was… Kari gawped at the large silver wolf ears perched on the crown of his head and the thick, fluffy silver tail reaching mid-calf.

"Ahh! Hokage-sama said a job well done and—_Ehh_?" the man paused and stared at Kari with a look of comical confusion. "Kitome there's an odd girl in here? Was she here when I left?"

"No Koi" Kitome said smiling.

"Neee! She's got ookami ears!" the man said with glee, rubbing one of Kari's ears.

"Kaizo, you're making her uncomfortable." Kitome said softly.

"Ahh?! Gomenasai!" Kaizo cried sitting beside Kitome. He then tilted his head to the side.

"She's not got blue or gold eyes." Kaizo analysed.

"Yes Koi."

"So she's not a Tasukaru."

"No Koi."

"But her face is identical to…"

"Yes Koi."

"Well poke Ryuujin-sama in the eye…"

"Umm?" Kari said. "Maybe I should go…"

"You're the reincarnation of the Torai-Kenshi jinchuuriki!" Kaizo cried in shock, his jaw falling lax. "Which means…"

"You're the reincarnation of our daughter that died before she was born" Kitome said gently. Kari blinked and her head thudded, unable to comprehend what she was being told, the world swirled and she fainted onto the soft pillows.

* * *

_Oh Kari-chan found out!_ Kitai's voice said airily. _This saves a lot of explaining!_

_Oh really Kitsune-baka?! _Kumouri snarled, her growl dripping with sarcasm.

_Urusai both of you, she needs to wake up before the others get there_ Kokoro said.

* * *

"Hey, sorry about that" Kaizo said sheepishly as Kari's eyes opened less than two minutes later.

"So you're like my Otosan here?" Kari asked timidly.

"You really think so?" Kaizo asked, eyes' sparkling as his heart was touched.

"Kaizo-kun" Kitome gently reminded.

"Right. Well I come from the Tasukaru clan, one that has a rather wild and vicious reputation due to the fact we raise Ryuu and Ookami as partners in battle. I'm an Ookami Tasukaru. And due to my father's genes I'm not as frightening as I should look" Kaizo explained with a grin, and now Kari looked, he did have large sharp canines. "Kitome-chan is from the Sorano clan, though gets her surname from her father instead. The Sorano clan was nicknamed the clan of Tenshi due to their peaceful nature and their kekkei genkai of large feathery wings, which is due to the fact they mostly use air element techniques. Neither clan originates from Konoha which is why you won't have seen many people that look like us about. The Ookami Tasukaru tend to make their home in Kiri, while the Ryuu Tasukaru make their home in Kumo. What's left of the Sorano clan can be found in Kumo or Yuki."

"So… she's an angel and your like a beast?" Kari asked puzzled.

"Hey that was cold! I'm a puppy at heart I'll have you know! Anyway, so the story goes, that Kumouri, the AkumaInu got out of hand and escaped from the depths of hell to wreak havoc upon Kokoro's domain the Earth. Feeling the disturbance, Kitai, Tenno Kitsune, rushed to Kokoro's aid. My mother and her twin sister started to seal their spiritual energy inside mine and Kitome's baby while it was still inside the womb. The whole Sorano clan save Kitome and a few from Kumo were sacrificed in the sealing. Once sealed, life went on pretty much as normal until we got a mission. We decided it would be one of our last before we both took a break for Kitome's maternity leave. But on that mission she was stabbed and the blade caught the baby through the heart and head, shattering its skull and making it dead in both heart and brain. She gave birth to our dead daughter a week later, three months premature. But she was still beautiful…" Kaizo sniffed and Kitome rubbed his back silently, ignoring the fact that she too was already crying.

"But with Kitai and Kokoro signifying life and Kumouri signifying death, they were able to merge with you and save the world from unbalance and chaos." Kitome said. "So you protect this world."

"But I come from another world…" Kari said weakly, finding it too much to take in, it just made _too much sense_…

"Kitai controls space and time, she can go forwards or backwards but cannot interfere. They entered another dimension and chose you as being the closest match to our daughter or took the foetus of our child from the past and placed it inside your birth mother." Kitome said as Kaizo wiped his eyes stubbornly.

"What was her name? Your daughter I mean..." Kari asked, ignoring her own urge to cry.

"Kareiko" Kaizo said fondly. "What's more, we were carrying twins, but the first miscarried early in the pregnancy. So you could be the twin foetus."

"If Kitai controls dimensions does that mean at some point I'll be able to go home?" Kari asked, a sudden hope sparking inside her. Kitome gently touched her shoulder.

"Your spirit might, but your body would be destroyed or left behind. Many people have experimented with gruesome results. The Second Hokage banned the research." Kitome said softly.

"It's okay, I have a better life hear anyway with Naruto and everyone…" Kari said forcing a smile, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Now I know what you mean saying I'm a bad liar…" Kaizo said with a grin. "Ne? You know Uzumaki Naruto? Ah! We—**_OW!_**" Kitome had thumped him on the head rather hard.

"Kaizo-kun, you're running your mouth off again." Kitome scolded. "Kari-chan you're welcome to ask us anything and we'll be honest as we can with you. It might be able to make you understand any of your skills or personality traits better" Kitome offered kindly. "And you're also welcome here anytime you like, so please come by when you can."

"Skills? Anou… twin katana?" Kari asked.

"My dad, Hotaru Kohaku; Konoha's greatest swordsman seen in a long time. Also my mothers father, who's still in Kumo bossing everyone around the lazy git." Kaizo said.

"Poor defence?"

"Kitome's bad point, but she improved dramatically whilst a Jounin" Kaizo nodded.

"High speed taijutsu and chakra infused strikes?" Kari asked, getting interested.

"Typical Tasukaru fighting style, though you probably have Kitome's dancey style looking at your build" Kaizo said scratching his cheek.

"And tears of blood?" Kari asked.

"That's a sign of the Torai-Kenshi" Kitome said as Kaizo slightly cringed. "It's said that Kumouri turns inner suffering to physical pain."

"Arachnophobia?"

"You get that from Kaizo-kun" Kitome said with a soft laugh as her husband turned pale and his fur stood on end, silvery blue eyes darting across the floor and up the walls.

"Neh, our turn to ask questions!" Kaizo decided. "Are you a shinobi yet? And if you are what rank?"

"Genin taking the Chuunin exams" Kari said smiling. "In the final exam next month!"

"That brings back memories." Kitome said with a soft smile. "Kaizo was on a team with Uchiha Fugaku and I was on a team with Yondaime. Then he got his own team and we went into ANBU and he went on to be Hokage."

"We're so _OLD_…" Kaizo sighed. There was a light knock on the door and Kitome left to answer it. Kaizo scooted closer to the bed. "So… Are you at the stage where I get to go and beat up boys?" Kaizo asked. Instead of being embarrassed, Kari snorted with laughter at his serious expression. "What?! I'm an ANBU! Of course I need to be all… err… _whatchamacallit_!"

"Kaizo-kun, Kari-chan's team has come to see her!" Kitome called. At once Kaizo shot to his feet and dusted himself off.

"I need to make an inspection!" Kaizo cried with a grin. It was odd how close his personality was to Kari's. The kunoichi got out of the bed and trailed after her _sort of_ new father.

"Okaasan!" Kita cried rushing up to Kari. Sasuke looked confused, Kakashi looked even more puzzled. With perfect timing, Kaizo and Kari tilted their heads to the side and let out an annoyed;

_"Whaaaat?"_

"It makes sense now…" Kakashi said to himself. "She's the reincarnation of the daughter you lost before birth."

"You've grown Kakashi-kun, we haven't seen you since Minato passed away" Kitome said, looking up at the Jounin.

"Kitome-hime, you haven't aged a day" Kakashi said, bowing politely.

"Ehh? Are you sure that's not White Fang back from the dead? Okaasama might be pissed with me again" Kaizo said, making little sense to Kari.

"Kaizo-kun, it's Kakashi" Kitome said simply. "And Mikoto's son as well. Don't you remember their youngest, Sasuke?"

"I'm too old for complicated confusing… _things_" Kaizo sighed, flopping down on a cushion as Kita jumped on top his head.

"Is anyone going to explain what's going on?" Sasuke asked impatiently. "How do you know my mother, and how do you know me? Why do you both look like Kari? Who are you people?" Kakashi thrust his fist into Sasuke's head with a painful sounding bang.

"Kazahana Kitome and Tasukaru Inu-Kaizo are the **_elite_** of the **_elite_** in the ANBU. Kari is either the reincarnation of their daughter or their daughter whose foetus was placed in the womb of a different mother from another dimension. They know you because Kaizo was on the same team as your father and Kitome was your mother's best friend." Kakashi hissed.

"Gomen Kitome-sama, Kaizo-sama" Sasuke grumbled. "But it doesn't explain how they're related to Kari when she's from another world."

"Kakashi told you, the Torai-Kenshi transported the foetus to a different dimension—"

"The _what_?"

"Torai-kenshi, the three canine demons of balance; good, neutral and evil."

"_**What**_?"

"Kaizo-kun…" Kitome sighed.

"Its one of those times I've let my mouth run again isn't it…"

"Hai."

* * *

"Well Kari, you have some pretty impressive parents here" Kakashi said kindly. "There incredibly strong and well known shinobi. Kitome's the Sannin Tsunade's niece and was on the same team as the Yondaime."

"Yeah…" Kari agreed, Kita on top of her head. After having the Torai-kenshi vaguely explained to Sasuke (leaving out as much as possible) the Uchiha had gone into a stony silence. "They're nice people. So I guess my other parents aren't my parents then?"

"I don't know Kari" Kakashi said gently, noticing it was a sensitive topic. After finding out so much truth after so much uncertainty, her minds bound to be reeling. But she seemed to be taking it well. Kakashi had talked with Kaizo about Kari's team and her current level and such then they had left. Kitome had given Kari something, though Kakashi wasn't quite sure what. Right now they were walking through a rocky sort of desert and finally came to a stop. "I had better explain your training then…" Sasuke looked up to show he was listening.

"You're both going to be staying out here until the Chuunin finals as survival training. You'll be working together in constant teamwork so you learn to trust each other and focus, not thinking about how stupid or embarrassing something might be. As well as me training you, you will be training each other. I will provide food as you both need a healthier diet and we will train for a maximum of twelve hours a day. You will be left alone to sleep and I'll take Kita so you've got nothing but yourselves. You're going to have a chakra chain attached to you, so you can't go more than a metre from each other apart from training. You will have toilet breaks when you need them and as Kari's a lady I'll allow you both to use a bathroom and not the natural surroundings. Training will be slow to begin with so not to push yourselves, especially as you should both still be in hospital. No complaints about anything I ask you to do." Kakashi finished.

"Hai…" they both agreed. Kari glanced at Sasuke, but he looked away, purposely ignoring her. Kari sighed, her ears lowering slightly, hurt from Sasuke's obvious pissed attitude and folded her arms over her yukata.

* * *

_This is going to be a **long** month…_

* * *

But are you wanting to read about that month? Review please?? :)


	45. Seijixyuuku Kunren

**A/N:** Long wait for this, sorry! Christmas and New Year what can I say? I decided against an Xmas special just yet, seeing as Sasuke's with Orochimaru at that time. But I will write the first movie after the Chuunin exams okay? And once i find my camera cable I'll put some late Xmas fanart up hmm? By popular demand, I'll write up a couple chapters on their training, though personally I don't like this chapter :\ but I **do **like my _new icon_! Anyway, I'd like to say a big thanks to Yaruhi for her constant support and critical eye! And as always thanks to Maddy-imouto :). Thank you also to everyone else who reviews, you make me smile!

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is back, therefore Masashi has redeemed himself slightly. But he's still in a VERY deep hole and has just taken a little step back towards forgiveness. If Masashi-sama dies in that hole, I would be happy to take custody of Naruto :) Sadly, it's unlikely to happen...

**Claimer:** Kari, Kita, Torai-Kenshi, Kitome and Kaizo are mine. I also take full resposibility for Kari's bipolar attitude this chapter. Depresion isn't good for her :S

* * *

**Seijixyuuku Kunren**

_**Mature Training**_

_She felt awkward, noticing he was on edge._

_It was as though a wedge had been placed between them._

* * *

It was already sunset after they had left Kitome and Kaizo's house, so Kakashi said that they should rest to be ready for training tomorrow. As promised he had taken Kita and disappeared somewhere. The dusk sky cast alarming shadows across the nearby rocks and the temperature had dropped alarmingly for July. They were in the edge of a forest, the light becoming dimmer and dimmer. There was nothing but a suffocating silence, Sasuke refusing to speak, Kari feeling slightly intimidated and hurt by his cold aura.

"Sasuke?"

"What." he grumbled back, clearly not wanting to speak to her.

"Doushita?" Kari asked timidly, wrapping her arms around her knees uncomfortably.

"I don't know, maybe the fact you _lied_ to me" Sasuke said with bitter sarcasm.

"What did you expect? Would you have preferred I came out and told you I had three raging monsters hidden inside me?" Kari said defensively.

"I would have preferred not to be lied to!" Sasuke hissed, turning away from her. "I suppose Naruto already knows does he?" Kari remained silent. Sasuke didn't know about Kyuubi yet, and he wasn't about to find out. "Great. And Sakura too? Did everyone know except me?"

"Hardly anyone knows! Only Naruto, the Hokage, Kakashi, Kita, Kitome and Kaizo and now you!" Kari said. "I knew you'd react like this so I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to treat me differently."

"You _are_ different baka!" Sasuke snapped, unknowingly hurting her deeply with those words. "You've got three demonic beasts inside of you!" Kari fell silent, facing away from him and curling up into a ball.

_So this is what you've had all your life Kitsune-nii. I wish I was as strong as you and could just wave it aside. But it hurts… It __**really hurts**__…_

* * *

"Rise and shine!" Kakashi cried, appearing in a puff of smoke with a dozing Kita flopped over his shoulder. Sasuke grumbled and opened his eyes. To his surprise, Kari wasn't curled up close to him clutching his shirt like she usually was. He glanced to his side to see her in the same position before he had fallen asleep, lying with her back to him arms wrapped around herself and knees bent. Yesterdays events returned to him, leaving a bitter aftertaste and a foul mood. Kakashi smiled under his mask, seeing Kari hadn't moved and walked over to her. "Come on Kari, time to get—" he had reached out to touch her but she had slouched away from him, staring fixedly into space. Dark rings surrounded her blank eyes and her complexion was pasty. "What's wrong?" Kakashi kneeled down so he was beside her, and then looked to Sasuke, a hidden scowl on his face. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing" Sasuke grumbled, turning his back on them and leaning on a tree.

"Then why is she so depressed? Is she ill?" Kakashi questioned. Sasuke shrugged and remained silent. "What happened? Did you argue?" the Jonin asked, knowing Sasuke would usually be far more worried at the state Kari was in.

"I thought we were going to train?" Sasuke said, ignoring his sensei's questions.

"We'll train when I say we're going to train." Kakashi said, snapping slightly. Kita was looking at him with sorrowful confusion. She was clearly upset at her mother's behaviour. "Come on sleepyhead, before he gets too impatient." Kari sluggishly got to her feet. Kakashi instantly stood beside her and put a supportive arm around her shoulders. Usually, she'd be quite pleased with his brotherly affection, but she tried to shrug him off, and looked away from him. Kakashi turned his gaze back to Sasuke, and decided the situation was taking a more serious turn. He should start the training; he had seen that it was a way that Sasuke expressed himself.

"Ne, Kakashi-kun needs to buy groceries!" Kita suddenly said, pawing at Kakashi's cheek.

"I know, well done Kita-chan for reminding me" Kakashi praised. "Training today is to see how you have advanced through the Chunin exam. You will both fight each other and then me on Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. No fatal attacks to be used unless you purposely miss. When I say stop, you stop, got it?" Sasuke huffed and Kari remained silent. "Then warm yourselves up and get ready for a Taijutsu only spar."

Sasuke immediately began to stretch, aware of Kari's incredible speed and flexibility. Remembering her strikes fused with chakra, he decided to avoid her blows as much as possible, even if she was light and dainty, he'd been smacked on the head enough to know she was pretty strong even without her chakra. Similarly, Kari also began to stretch, but more like a gymnast. Kakashi slightly grimaced as her bones clicked into place. Without direction from him, they stood opposite each other, a few metres apart. Kari's earlier depression seemed to have faded slightly into blank concentration. Even as she got into stance she oozed elegance.

"Remember, you stop when I say." Kakashi reminded as Kita shifted to a sitting position on his shoulder. He decided to leave his book for now, remembering Kari's entrancing fight from the preliminaries.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, while Kari remained silent.

"Then begin."

At once, in a trance where music guided her movements, Kari shot forward like a bullet, causing both Kakashi's and Sasuke's eyes to widen. Sasuke quickly ran to the side but was too slow and felt Kari's shin slam into his gut. He was knocked back, winded and began to sit up in time to se her backflip back to her starting position, body poised for movement at any given time.

Sasuke was slightly stunned, hand grasping his shirt over where a bruise was most likely forming. She was better than he thought, hadn't hesitated and apart from the fact no chakra had been used in that kick, didn't seem to be going easy on him. If she was that good than she would be a very good sparring partner, but the Uchiha wasn't particularly fond of the idea of her being better than him. She allowed him to get his breath back, watching with senses alert. He was tempted to use a fire jutsu, but remembered that this was Taijutsu only. He was better than average at Taijutsu but Kari was something else…

Tired of waiting she shot forward again, going to throw a punch, Sasuke swiftly ducked and seeing his chance threw all his weight into punching her in the stomach. She crashed backwards, landing hard and coughing up blood. As she slid, she pushed her self up halfway through a somersault, landing lightly on her feet. She wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth as Kakashi called out in an almost scolding manor.

"Sasuke! Her torso is the most severely injured part of her!" Kakashi cried overprotectively, he really was turning into Kari's older brother figure. Sasuke scoffed and charged again, not giving her the same courtesy and allowing her to recover. The moment he went to strike her it was plainly clear. _Her defence is terrible..._ Sasuke felt a twinge of guilt as she flew backwards into a tree, but his guilt was soon diminished when she flew at him and her fist connected with his jaw, her foot swiftly followed, hitting him in the exact same place, then without missing a beat, her knee rammed into his abdomen, causing him to cough violently as he fell onto his back. He got up, only to find her rushing towards him again, she went to his side kicking him in the back of the knees and then spinning and ducking and kicking him in the ankles causing him to fall on his front. He felt a slight pressure on his back and he looked round to see her sitting on him, trying to pin him with her weight, pinning one on the ground in front of him and one behind his back.

"Get off" Sasuke grumbled as he glared at her. He could easily throw her off as she was very light, but he ached and was still recovering. She just looked down at the Uchiha symbol on his back, ignoring him.

"Alright, spar over. You can let him up Kari" Kakashi said, beginning to walk over, she sprung off him immediately, landing a couple feet away and looking into the trees. Sasuke got up and faced the other way, a heavy scowl set on his face. "That was good from both of you, you got a taster of the others style but I don't want you to overexert yourself, after all you only got out of hospital yesterday."

"Ninjutsu's next right?" Sasuke mumbled.

"No, I don't want you to do too much today." Kakashi said. All of a sudden, the scenery changed before Sasuke's eyes.

* * *

_It was dark… __**He**__ was there. Sasuke could feel him, his presence suffocating. The Uchiha panted, his heart hammering in his chest. No it must be a Genjutsu! I was training with Kakashi and Kari!_

"_So we meet again otouto."_

_No, no, NO! It's not happening!_

"_Do you remember that night? Or has it begun to fade from your memory?"_

_As if he could ever forget **that**; forget what __**he**__ had done!_

"_I think I should remind you"_

_No! Not again!! This is a Genjutsu! Koi!!_

* * *

Sasuke blinked, harsh pants heaving from his lungs. He was back in the clearing. He turned to face Kakashi with a vicious snarl

"**How**_** dare**_—!!" but he was cut off by the Jounin's shocked expression. Following his gaze he saw Kari trying to fight the effects of her own Genjutsu. Her face was stark white, her hands clutching fistfuls of long golden hair, tugging on it tightly. Blood dripped from her gasping mouth and trails of crimson tears streaked from wide terrified eyes. She fell to her side and began to shake, whimpering in pain. "_**What the fuck did you do?!!**_" Sasuke cried rushing to her side.

"It was just a Genjutsu…" Kakashi whispered as he watched her thrash in Sasuke's grip, staring to sob. Sasuke hurriedly released the illusion cast in her mind and she lay still for a moment, eyes wide in confusion and shock. Her eyes darted around the area and settled on Sasuke. She made a choked cry and then bolted, running like a frightened deer. Kakashi managed to grab her and pulled her down into his lap, holding her tightly to him and whispering hushed reassurances and apologies. Kita whined in distress standing anxiously at their side.

Sasuke involuntarily shuddered. Her eyes were blood shot, obviously sore, and she was trembling visibly against Kakashi's vest. The jounin handed her over to Sasuke and went off to fetch something. She was rigid, refusing to relax, her light sobs had reduced to sniffles and hiccoughs and she refused point black look at him.

_Who knew a Genjutsu could do so much damage…_

"Come on baka, this isn't like you" Sasuke said quietly, trying to console her. _Uchiha Sasuke you are seriously lacking in social skills…_ She made a shaky sigh and then choked on it, tears swelling in her eyes again. "Hey, hey, don't cry! You hate crying!" he said desperately, though only seeming to make it worse as fresh crimson tears streaked across the old ones. Sasuke's tense shoulders slumped in defeat as a feeling of absolute uselessness spread inside his chest. "Come on Kari… I don't like seeing you like this" he whispered tightening his hold. "I'm here, I'll protect you—" he was cut off when she suddenly span and threw her arms round his neck; she buried her face in the crook of his neck as her body shook with sobs.

"Promise? Promise you'll never leave me?" she pleaded, clutching his shirt in a death grip.

"Sure…?" he said confused, puzzled by the sudden desperation in her voice. He rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. She held him so tightly, as though he was her child that was going to be taken away from her.

"Don't ever leave Sasuke… Don't leave me…" she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I promise" Sasuke said softly. "And you can't leave me either okay?"

Kakashi returned, a little confused at the scene but chose to ignore it. Even if he was a Jonin, if push came to shove, he would have his arse kicked if he made a hormonal Kari angry.

"Kari I need to bandage your eyes" Kakashi said crouching beside them while holding a roll of soft linen.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Well as you now know, Kari isn't exactly normal. According to legend, the AkumaInu causes mental pain to rise to the surface as physical pain. So when she cries, the blood vessels in her eyes burst and the tissue is torn. Though it hasn't seemed to affect her sight thus far, it's still probably very painful" Kakashi said as he wrapped the bandage carefully around her closed eyes. At once, small red stains began to blossom. He sighed, Kita jumping on his head.

"Kakashi-ojisan?" Kita asked. Due to the amount of time she spent with him, she had started to call him 'Uncle Kakashi' now and again.

"I'd gotten some books on Kari's clans and the ToraiKenshi so she could start to understand them better." Kakashi said, dropping a bag beside him. Sasuke's eyes were fixed on them with interest. "But she should probably rest her eyes for a while."

"I'll read to her" Sasuke offered, keen to know himself. Kari tried to rub her eyes, the soft bandage bothering her.

"Stop rubbing it, you'll make them worse" Kakashi said, pulling her hand away from her covered eyes.

"But it burns" she whined, trying to use her other hand which Sasuke pulled away. But the minute they let go, she tried to rub her eyes again. Feeling their scolding stares Kari grumbled and then sat on her hands.

"What do you want to know about first?" Sasuke asked, looking through the titles of the books. She mumbled that she didn't care before trying to wipe her eyes and tug at the bandage. Kakashi pulled her hands away and tied them together with a spare piece of bandage.

"It still burns though!" she complained in irritation, trying to rub her eyes on her arm instead. In the end she gave in and flopped against Sasuke in defeat. "Can we spar?"

"While you're practically blind?" Sasuke said raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I can still hear you and smell you" Kari said sniffing him. He pushed her away in disgust causing her to giggle.

"Don't do that" he grumbled, rubbing away the goosebumps that had sprouted across his skin. She grinned, tail wagging. She tried to get up and swayed, her balance off. But she just span around like a little kid laughing as she broke apart the cloth binding her wrists with a small tug.

"San, ni, ichi! Off we go!" she said running directly for him. He dodged and she fell over still laughing.

"What are you laughing at baka?" Sasuke asked nonplussed.

"It feels like your swaying!" Kari said as she got up, holding her arms out to steady her. Sasuke rolled his eyes at her childish antics and charged. Her ears twitched towards him and she crouched down so that her hands were touching the ground. Just as he was about to get her she ducked, lying flat on the floor and he tripped straight over her. She rubbed her shoulder where he had tripped over and smiled.

Sasuke glared at her deciding that he really couldn't be bothered anymore. But at least she was back to her idiotic happy self. Depression really didn't suit her, but she got over it quickly enough. Knowing she would be on alert should he attack, he took lazy slow steps towards her as she lay there, head tilted towards him curiously. He stopped and turned round then with a graceful flop he sat on her back causing her to start laughing again.

"Get off!" she said through laughs. "You're squishing me get off!"

"I'm not that heavy. Besides shinobi are meant to be strong" he said with a smirk and a sharp poke to the back of her head. She tried to poke him back but he was able to avoid her.

"Yeah but I'm only little!" she reminded him.

"I know _Chiisai_-Kari-chan" he retorted dodging an irritated smack directed towards his skull. She rolled over but he didn't get off, and now Sasuke was sitting on her stomach as she tried to reach up and hit him. He knew she hated being called that, and her irritation amused him.

Kakashi watched with amusement as Sasuke seemed more like a child for once, a side that only appears around Kari as he would tease her. How this friendship blossomed the Copy-nin would never understand, but with Kari laughter and Sasuke's smirk as they messed about, he felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

* * *

Kakashi gently unravelled the bandage after another hour of Kari's stubborn attempts to rub her eyes. She blinked in the bright light, her eyes no longer bloodshot, but lined in pink. She went off to wash her face, the dried blood itchy against her skin. She returned looking vaguely refreshed and sat back down as Kita wandered off.

Unbeknownst to Sasuke and Kakashi however, Kita was actually returning to look after Naruto on Kari's orders. Even Kita just being away for twenty hours or so the Ookami-nin worried about him, Kari felt better when Kita was with him so she could see his training. She made a mental note to visit him soon.

"Sasuke, there's actually something very important I need to talk to you about. I need to speak to Naruto about this too actually…" Kakashi began with his usual lazy expression. Sasuke observed him with full attention. "Anyway Sasuke, because of what happened to your clan, your parents never got a chance to explain in detail about certain things."

"Just spit it out already" Sasuke snapped as Kari stared at Kakashi with wide eyes.

"Do you know where babies come from Sasuke?" Kari suddenly burst into hysterical laughter as Sasuke stared at Kakashi as though he was stupid.

"When a man and woman love each other a baby appears in the woman's stomach" Sasuke said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Eh… not exactly" Kakashi said as Kari cooed about Sasuke's 'innocence' between hiccoughs and mad giggles. "Do you know what sex is?"

"Whether you're male or female."

"Not as in that, do you know what making love is?"

Kari, by this point, was in hysterics and had failed to use Sasuke to keep her up; she was now lying on the floor beside him, trying to contain herself.

"When you're in love. What's the whole point of this?" Sasuke grumbled, sending an irritated glare Kari's way as she continued to giggle insanely.

"Sasuke you do know what a penis is right?" Kakashi asked, his visible eyebrow raised. A red tint struck Sasuke's face as he looked at his sensei appalled.

"Of course I do, what are you getting at?!" Sasuke cried in embarrassment as Kari cackled like a drugged hyena. Kakashi sighed deeply, though knew it was important for Sasuke to know.

"Do you get any _desires_ towards girls Sasuke?"

"No I find them disgusting and repulsive."

"Towards boys then?"

"No."

"Kari are you alright?" Kakashi asked his hysterical student as she tried and failed to sit up and started laughing again.

"No I-it hurts!" she gasped, holding her aching stomach. "You're giving Uchiha Sasuke the sex talk!" With that she dissolved into fits of giggles again.

"Well Sasuke, you have something inside you called sperm. I assume you've had a wet dream before?" Kari's giggles paused as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"With an innocent little girl in his room?!" Kari cried causing Kakashi to cough awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked as Kari dissolved into laughter again. Frustrated, he sat on her, trying and failing to shut her up.

"Have you… wet the bed in the last couple years?" Sasuke gave him an offended look.

"I'm not an infant Kakashi."

"No, not like that. It would be sperm, not urine. After a… indecent dream" Kakashi said, struggling to explain.

"Like your ones over Sakura!" Kari piped up.

"I don't dream about Sakura."

"Then why do you moan her name in your sleep hmm?" Kari said with a mischievous grin.

"I don't. _You_ on the other hand keep saying things in your sleep."

"You know when you get erections…?" Kakashi said, trying to tackle the problem from a different angle.

"Yeah…" Sasuke said suspiciously as Kari looked at him in horror.

"You better not be prodding me with it!" she cried as Kakashi coughed again.

"You stick it in a woman."

"That's a nice way to put it" Kari said rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean 'stick it in a woman'" Sasuke questioned as Kari snorted with laughter. Kakashi paused and hesitated.

"Well, girls don't have a penis between their legs Sasuke." Kakashi began as Sasuke gave him a 'well that's obvious' look. "Instead they have a vagina, which is sort of like a hole. You stick your penis up it."

"They do?"

"You move around a bit. You release sperm into her. It fertilises the egg in her womb, you make a baby. But only when you're over sixteen so you're mature" Kakashi explained while Sasuke gave Kari an odd look.

"I'm not going to show you anything!" she said, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

"There are also certain parts of the body you're not allowed to touch on a girl unless you're in a relationship with her" Kakashi continued. "They are between the legs, the breasts, the backside, and in most cases the waist and thighs."

"Breasts?" Sasuke said puzzled. Kari laughed uncontrollably as Kakashi motioned to the chest area.

"Girls are different to boys remember Sasuke. Women grow breasts in order to feed their babies until the infant can digest solid food." Kakashi explained as Kari gave him an embarrassed glare.

"Those things?" Sasuke questioned, looking sceptically at Kari.

"Kari's still very young, so she's not fully developed yet. She's probably not the best example." Kakashi said as Kari took offence and self consciously hugged herself she rolled onto her front, hiding her lady lumps from prying eyes. Sasuke coolly remained sitting on her.

"When in a relationship with a girl—" Kakashi went to continue but Sasuke stopped him.

"_Why_ exactly do I need to know this?" Sasuke asked.

"You know little things from your classmates and what you see in public, but don't know enough because you weren't told about it and also you were probably uninterested so didn't pay attention. Besides you live with a female, and are coming to the stage in life where girls are going to be interested in you and you in them, you're going to start having relationships and frankly Sasuke even if you're considered handsome, with the attitude you have things aren't going to go well" Kakashi said grimly. "Plus, when you do get in a relationship, you won't have the first clue what you're doing." Kari sniggered evilly.

"Why do I care?"

"You want to revive your clan don't you? The only way to reproduce is through sex" Kakashi stated. Sasuke sighed and looked at him with a dull, reluctant attention.

"Well firstly, you have to like her and she'll have to return your feelings. It'll be different than a friendship, it will be much deeper. You'll want to be close to her all the time and you'll miss her when she's not there. It'll start with simple things like holding hands and hugging, then will grow to a kiss on the cheek, to a kiss on the lips, to kissing with tongues" –Kari interrupted by laughing at Kakashi's monotone voice- "touching each other in more intimate places and then finally to sex and possibly marriage and family building after that."

"And if you want to have sex without making babies you use condoms!" Kari added.

"What's a condom?" Sasuke asked, not liking the sound of it and getting extremely annoyed when Kari kept laughing at him.

"It's like a finger of a plastic glove that goes over your penis and stops the sperm entering the woman's body" Kakashi explained. Sasuke frowned, not liking the idea.

"How do they know it'll fit?" Sasuke said as he glanced down.

"It's… You'll see when you're older." Kakashi said simply.

"What's the point of having sex if it's not for making babies?" Sasuke asked.

"For _pleasure_!" Kari cried before giggling hysterically.

"Kari you're too young to know about such things" Kakashi scolded, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I was fifteen before I was transported here and turned into a twelve year old!" she said earning a puzzled look.

"So how old are you then?" Sasuke asked.

"Well my body is twelve, but my mind is fifteen, wait scratch that, I've been _alive_ for fifteen years. But here I'm twelve, so I'll just say I'm twelve." Kari said simply.

"Anyway, you should eat and then rest for the rest of the day. We'll do more training tomorrow." Kakashi said, pulling off his bag and rummaging through it. Kari rolled out from underneath Sasuke and sat up beside him. Kakashi handed a bento to both his students who looked at it with curiosity. Kari opened it and scrunched her nose at the vegetables. Without hesitation she dumped them into Sasuke's bento. "Kari you were meant to eat those!" Kakashi said, his lazy voice carrying a scolding tone.

"Sasuke's a growing boy. He needs his vegetables." Kari said happily, shoving some plain rice in her mouth. They wasted the rest of the day continuing the talk on relationships (with Kari getting cramps from laughing too much), reading up on Kari's clan history and myths and legends around the Torai-Kenshi. Sasuke seemed to have forgiven her, and read with interest.

When night fell, they both fell asleep quickly; Kari back huddled into his chest for warmth while he had his arm loosely draped around her, subconsciously alert for any change in breathing. Back to normal; and just a little wiser.

* * *

"Up you get" Kakashi said, nudging Sasuke in the side with a branch he'd picked up. Sasuke opened his eyes lazily and glared at the Copy-nin. He was surprised he had slept in so late, and with the slow and steady rate of Kari's breathing she had slept all night too. Kakashi looked down at her thoughtfully.

"What time is it?" Sasuke asked.

"About ten am, for someone so loud and energetic she sleeps extremely quietly. You can't hear her breathing; you have to look for it." Kakashi mused. "Wake her up will you?"

"Why can't you?" he grumbled as he sat up, Kari curling up tighter, sensing the lack of warmth. "Baka, oi, get up" Sasuke said, shaking her shoulder. As usual, she ignored him. He hated mornings, hated that he had to spend ages to persuade her to get up. Kakashi had said girls didn't like being touched in certain places… Maybe that can get her up. He shook his head discarding the thought. _No, I'd be kicked around the forest and drowned in the lake._

He sighed and layed so he was closely opposite her and blew gently in her face. She scrunched her face up before blinking and looking at him tiredly. She groaned and got up, sauntering over to Kakashi in search of sugar. Kari needed a sugar boost to get her going, when she didn't have any she was in a thunderous bad mood until something sweet touched her tongue.

Luckily, Kakashi expected this and allowed her something sweet and a smile lit up on her face. With that finished, they set down to training.

"Right, Kari, I need to check what element is dominant, with the Shizenno GenzoOokami you have the potential to excel in them all, but there's bound to be some that you struggle with. This paper will react to your stronger elements with even the slightest chakra" Kakashi said handing Kari a piece of paper. Immediately it tore in half, becoming soft and wet and then bursting into flame and scrunching up before turning to ash.

"Oh?" Kari said in surprise, looking at the ashy remains.

"You're strongest in wind nature techniques, followed by water, fire and then lightning. You're very weak in earth nature though." Kakashi said. He handed another to Sasuke and after a moment it burst into flame. "Of course, being an Uchiha, Sasuke is a fire nature."

"Hn."

"Its good that you're good with water Kari, because you're going to be using chakra to walk on water to improve your chakra control" Kakashi said as Kari gave him a puzzled look.

"Walk on water…?" she repeated. Kakashi made a hand sign and focused chakra to his feet. He walked swiftly towards the nearby lake and continued walking across the surface. Kari watched in amazement while Sasuke shrugged unimpressed. "That's so cool!!" Kari squealed in delight as Sasuke's eye twitched.

"In the tree climbing exercise we did before, you only had to continually create the same amount of chakra and gather it to the necessary place. The tree is solid underneath you and all you have to do is stick to it. In order to walk on water you must expel the necessary amount of chakra into the water form. This chakra control is much more difficult than to simply create the same amount of chakra and is meant to be used for control training where you learn to create a set amount of chakra needed to expel for a jutsu." Kakashi explained as he walked back towards them at a leisurely pace, ripples spreading beneath his feet. "Oh and just so you know, even for the beginning of July… the water is freezing cold."

"Sounds good" Kari said with a grin. She brought two fingers to her mouth and a loud whistle passed through her lips. In a light gust of wind, Kita plopped down in front of her. "That was good Kita-ko, you just need to aim closer to the ground." Kari said, praising her wolf for her transportation jutsu. Kita's first jutsu was a success!

Kari placed Kita in her lap and explained about the training. She decided it would be beneficial, Kita was already a strong swimmer, though was only little and couldn't swim very fast. Running however, Kita was excelling at.

"When you're ready." Kakashi said pulling out his book and glancing over the top.

"I'll go first then" Kari offered and approached the edge of the lake. She concentrated her chakra towards her feet and heard the familiar rush and hum as her skin tingled.

"This shouldn't be too hard for you Kari, even if you don't realise, you use chakra in Taijutsu and running as it is" Kakashi said, watching as she dipped her foot into the water and squeaked about it being cold. She then lightly placed her foot on the water and ripples spread in a slow rhythm around her feet.

Sasuke watched with a raised eyebrow waiting for the splash and shriek. With a leap of faith, Kari shifted her weight and put her other foot lightly on the waters surface.

"Impressive…" Kakashi said as Kari straightened out looking at the water. "I thought you'd fall in at least once."

"It feels weird… Like you're walking on jelly" Kari said as she took slow yet steady steps. She had her arms out to balance her and wobbled occasionally.

"Hn. This will be easy" Sasuke scoffed walking over to the waters edge and summoning chakra to his feet. Without a moments hesitation he went to stride out on the waters surface and—

**SPLASH!**

"Oh?" Kakashi said in surprise as Sasuke disappeared in a huge wave of water. Amusement was clear in his eye and he coughed to cover his laugh.

"Kuso that's cold!!" Sasuke hissed climbing quickly onto the bank as Kari grabbed hold of a nearby rock to stop herself falling in. She couldn't concentrate when she was laughing so hard.

Once she regained her composure she tried taking lighter quicker steps in a slow jog. She tumbled a couple of times but kept on top of the water. _Good thing my balance is pretty good…_

Sasuke scowled at her, dripping wet and sulking. _How the hell could she do that?_ He took off his shirt and rung it out, leaving a small puddle, he then hung it on a branch to dry. His arm warmers soon joined his shirt and he stared menacingly at the stupid water.

**SPLASH!**

He would not be defeated by some overgrown puddle!

**SPLASH!**

If Kari could do it he should be able to do it!

**SPLASH!**

How can he defeat his brother if he was losing a battle against a pond?!

**SPLASH!**

Meanwhile, Kari was trying to show Kita how to walk on water. Kari was _sitting_ on the water, holding Kita steady and lifting her up when she began to sink.

**SPLASH!**

Kita was doing better than him! He was losing to a puppy the size of a cat!

**SPLASH!**

"Sugoii!!" Kari cheered as Kita stood on the surface. She took a couple careful steps, starting to get the hang of it.

**SPLASH!**

"Kari" Kakashi called as a frustrated Sasuke made his way onto the bank cursing. "Help Sasuke out will you?"

"Hn. I don't need anyone's help—"

**SPLASH!**

As Kita started taking small leaps across the water, Sasuke admitted in his mind that maybe he could use a little help. He wasn't going to say it however. Kari stood in front of him and folded her arms waiting for him to step out.

**SPLASH!**

…And he completely soaked her.

"You're applying too much chakra, you can't stand on the water if your chakra's throwing it everywhere" she said, pulling at the now soggy bandages on her arm.

"Hn." Sasuke huffed climbing onto the bank. So he applied less chakra.

**SPLASH!**

…And Kari got even more wet.

"You can't use that little. Try and think back to the tree exercise and use as much as you did then." Kari said as she debated whether to rip the bandages off. She didn't miss Kakashi's scolding stare and decided to leave them alone.

"Hn." He climbed onto the bank and tried again and began to fall straight in.

"No! I'm not getting any wetter!" Kari cried grabbing hold of his arms. Sadly, a wet Sasuke is a heavy Sasuke, and a Kari that is supposed to be in hospital isn't particularly strong.

**SPLASH!!!**

Sasuke climbed onto the bank as Kari climbed onto the waters surface. She huffed and walked over to the tree, unravelling the bandages sticking to her arms and removing her gloves. She then took off her ninja sandals and unravelled the bandages to support her leg muscles. She left the bandages on her torso alone so Kakashi wouldn't complain. She twisted the bottom of her shirt, trying to wring out the water then returned to the lake.

"Hold on to me and test the water first" she said holding out her hand. Sasuke glanced at her arms, seeing only a thin red line where gaping wounds were a couple of days ago.

"You heal fast" he said quietly looking away. He was glad, but didn't want to show it.

"Kashi-niisan's creams and gauze worked after all ne?" she said, looking at the thin cut. "If I'm lucky it might not scar, it'd be pretty big and nasty if it did" she said simply. "And all those ninja boys would find it unattractive and poor Kari-chan will be doomed to become an old lady surrounded by cats…"

"Right…" Sasuke said, choosing not to attempt to understand the female mind. "Don't drop me."

"Would I?" she replied as he grabbed her hands. He gave her a sarcastic glare as he placed his first foot on the water, quickly followed. He stood on the surface and Kari was bout to cheer when he started to sink. "Iie! I am not getting cold and wet again!" Kari hissed grabbing hold of his waist as his weight slowly pulled her downwards.

"Oh crap."

**SPLASH!!**

"Why couldn't we do this training in a hot spring instead?" Kari asked as she shivered.

"In July?" Kakashi asked sceptically. "You'd come out as red as a lobster." Kari glanced at Sasuke and sniggered at the thought of him being a lobster. She was repaid with a tap to the back of the head.

"Come on Sasuke, you were closer that time, just a little bit more and you've got it!" Kari said cheerfully as Sasuke glared at her enthusiasm.

"Hn."

"Good. Glad you agree. Let's go!"

* * *

"**MORE CHAKRA!!**" Kari shouted as Sasuke threatened to sink. Finally he had gotten it and could walk on the water, until he got distracted by a rabbit darting out a bush and started to sink. Kita had mastered the technique and bounced and skipped about with ease.

With Sasuke steady, Kari decided to try her hand at a light sprint and shot off towards the other side; spraying Sasuke with a wave of water and sending him almost back into the water again.

"Baka!" Sasuke shouted in frustration, struggling to rebalance. They continued like this, Kari practicing jumps and flips, and even walked on her hands across the water. Sasuke grumbled about her showing off and a water fight ensued. Kari won.

As Sasuke became comfortable with the water beneath his feet, Kakashi deemed the training done for the day and called them out to dry off and told Kari to change her bandages and wear Kitome's yukata until her clothes dried.

"Ryoukai Kashi!" she said with a lazy salute, strolling off into the plant life.

"You know Sasuke" Kakashi said offhandedly. "If you want to peek I won't stop you."

"**WHAT WAS THAT?!**" Kari shouted behind some thick bushes.

"E-eh but I'll break your arms and legs!" Kakashi said quickly as Sasuke huffed and looked away.

"Not interested." Sasuke said simply.

"I swear you're gay…" Kakashi mumbled.

"I heard that."

* * *

As they soaked up the last of the suns warmth and set a fire, Kakashi gave them their second meal of the day. Like the day before, Kari's vegetables were dumped on Sasuke and she stuck with her plain rice.

"Oi Kashi-nii, can you bring me icecream tomorrow?" Kari asked sweetly.

"We're starting the main technique I'm going to teach you tomorrow, if you do well, I'll get you icecream" Kakashi relented.

"Really?!"

"Hai."

"Aishiteru Kaka-nii!" Kari squealed, jumping on him and securing her arms round his waist. Kakashi sighed and patted her on the head; he supposed it was because Kita had disappeared again. Seems Kari was now pouring her affection on the Jonin instead, not that he really minded.

"You're welcome."

"Can I go see Naruto-kun soon? Its been ages since I last saw him" Kari asked, peering up at him with those big innocent eyes.

"Less than a week. But yes you can, once you've finished the preparation work. This jutsu's no joke; no normal genin would stand a _chance_ at this technique." Kakashi said.

"You're just dragging it out and not telling us what the jutsu is on purpose aren't you?" Kari said suspiciously.

"…Maybe. Anyway, bed, both of you. Its going to be an early start tomorrow" Kakashi said, as he lightly pushed Kari off his lap and stood up.

"You don't do early Kashi."

"For once I have to agree with the baka." Sasuke piped in.

"Your words cut me deep…" Kakashi said in bored sarcasm. "Ja." And he was gone.


	46. Uchiha Yuurei

**A/N:** Glad you liked the last chapter! I felt like adding a little comedy. This chapter is a little more serious, but I quite like it :) Thanks again to the amazing reviewers, you are my motivation.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto-san owns Naruto and all to do with the anime.

Claimer: Kari is mine, Torai-Kenshi is mine, Kita is mine, Kaizo & Kitome is mine.

* * *

**Uchiha Yuurei**

_**Uchiha Ghosts**_

_Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as she felt eyes on her,_

_But they were alone, who could possibly be watching them?_

_

* * *

"Ohayo!"_

"Unhh" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes opening slightly. Kakashi stood in front of them, barely visible by the dim light. It was just before dawn.

"I can't get up early hmm?" Kakashi said folding his arms over his chest.

"Go away" Sasuke grumbled, flopping back onto the ground as Kari shifted closer to him in her sleep.

"Too bad. I brought ice-cream."

Like magic, Kari sat up and looked at her sensei expectantly. Sasuke groaned, and turned, no longer comfortable. Knowing full well he wouldn't go back to sleep, he sat up, Kari looking at him curiously with a spoon in her mouth.

"You want some?" she asked, scooping some up and holding it out to him.

"No." Sasuke said bluntly.

"Good" she replied shoving the spoon back into her mouth. Once finished, she climbed into Kakashi's lap and fell asleep in seconds.

"That baka…" Sasuke sighed as Kari's ear twitched, listening to Kakashi's beating heart. She found the sound soothing, which is why she always slept with her head on Sasuke's chest. He wasn't particularly fond of it, but learnt to get used to it.

"She's just affectionate Sasuke" Kakashi replied, also used to her loving behaviour. She really had a way of growing on you. Sasuke didn't reply having already fallen asleep.

* * *

Sasuke awoke when he felt a sharp prod to his side. He glared at Kari, who was now awake and had nudged him with her foot. She silently motioned to Kakashi, who was lightly snoring. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was getting at. She mimed his mask and Sasuke rolled his eyes, but watched as she shifted and placed her hands lightly on the sides of Kakashi's face.

_Is she really going to pull down the mask?!_

"Can I help you?"

Kari stiffened and Sasuke mentally sighed with disappointment. She grinned sheepishly and blurted out a random excuse.

"Gomen, you looked sexy."

"When you're older, tell me that again ne?" Kakashi said with a light chuckle as he pushed her off him.

"I wanted to see if you let your guard down that's all!" Kari said as Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. _Hey that was a good excuse!_ "And what was that supposed to mean before hentaiii?"

"Take it as a compliment Kari" Kakashi said giving her a pat on the head.

"Baka you find _Kakashi_ attractive?" Sasuke said looking at her oddly as they went to follow their sensei.

"Pshh, I can't judge if I haven't seen his face can I? But the hair and voice are ok so far!" Kari said with a laugh.

"I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not… But he's too old for you" Sasuke said simply.

"Nice to know you care."

"I don't."

"Oh my poor bleeding heart…" Kari said clutching her shirt with pretend sorrow. "The almighty Uchiha Sasuke doesn't care…"

"Baka."

"Usuratonkashi."

"Onnako."

"What kind of insult is '_woman_'?" Kari said in confusion. "Sexist pig."

"Enough of the lovers tiff you two, time for training" Kakashi said, having lead them out into the rocky desert.

* * *

"To motivate you, I'm going to tell you about the technique. After all, you two are very impatient" Kakashi said as Kari tried to push Sasuke off the rock again. They were both sitting on the same rock, yet she was the one who had less room.

"You should be paying attention Kari."

"Right, gomen" Kari said simply.

"I'm going to teach you my own technique, my Raikiri" Kakashi said. Kari's eyes widened and her jaw dropped while Sasuke looked confused.

"What's Raikiri?" Sasuke questioned interested.

"**That blue lightening you almost **_**killed**_** me with?!**" Kari cried, hugging herself in alarm. She grabbed the back of Sasuke's shirt prepared to use him as a shield if Kakashi performed the jutsu.

"You mean that attack that left a hole through Kari's chest?" Sasuke asked, anxious to know more about Kakashi's technique.

"Hai" Kakashi replied, seemingly becoming depressed. "You're the only one that's ever survived that jutsu."

"For good reason! That took forever to heal and it hurt like hell!" Kari said, reminiscing about the painful experience. "Oro? Kashi I didn't mean to make you feel bad! Gomenasai! Gomenasai!" Kari cried, noticing the Jonin seemed upset and ran over to him, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck in an apologetic embrace.

"Ack! Apology accepted!" Kakashi cried, hoisting her onto his hip like a child to stop her strangling him.

"Baka."

"Tori-atama!"

"Bird-head? What kind of insult is that?" Kakashi asked as Sasuke was momentarily stunned by her odd retort.

"An offensive one!" Kari said simply.

"Right… As I was saying, I'll be teaching you your own version of Raikiri. But first, we need to work on your Taijutsu. Both of your chakra control is very good, so that shouldn't be too much of a worry" Kakashi said as Kari put her elbow on his shoulder, leaning on her hand.

"Raikiri is a Ninjutsu, why is Taijutsu important?" Kari asked.

"Speed. If you'll think back to Nami, I came at you pretty fast didn't I? Raikiri takes a lot of chakra, and can't be sustained for too long, you also need distance and a short amount of time to perform the jutsu, so naturally, you'll have to close that distance to attack." Kakashi explained.

"Mmm…" Kari agreed.

"I'm going to demonstrate anyway, so you'll need to give me a little room" he said, placing her down on the ground. Kari walked back over to Sasuke, who had been listening intently, curious about the jutsu. He could remember how injured Kari had been, the technique must be dangerous.

"Calm down baka, Kakashi wouldn't intentionally hurt you" Sasuke said, noticing she was on edge, muscles tense.

Blue lightning began to form in Kakashi's palm, a ring of lightning around him. Kari's ears shot back and Sasuke felt her grab the back of his shirt. Kakashi turned and raced towards a rock to his right, thrusting his right hand towards it.

'_**HAKU!!!**'_

Kari flinched at the memory and closed her eyes, seeing Haku's lifeless face, blood streaming from his lips, eyes wide with shock and pain as they dulled, becoming blank. She could feel her throat becoming tight, clogged with thick liquid as a horrible warm wet feeling spread across her body. She could feel the cold bitter air stinging at her insides, the darkness spreading across her eyes as Haku slowly disappeared, Sakura's horrified scream ringing in her ears.

"His chakra… it was visible" Sasuke said in awe, staring at the hole left by the blast. The rock had cracks running along it. "That sound… it's like…"

"Tori… hundreds of tori…" Kari whispered, the chirping ringing in her ears. Kari was startled by her tight throat and hoarse voice. She wiped her mouth, smears of red spreading across her fingertips.

"Exactly, a thousand birds—Kari?" Sasuke was distracted by her horrified face. "Doushita?" She tried to answer, but a mouthful of blood flooded out of her mouth as she trembled, trying to catch it in her hands.

"Kakashi!" Sasuke cried in alarm as Kari slammed her hands over her mouth, drops of blood sliding through her fingers and down her chin.

"It's because she was afraid" Kakashi said quietly, moving her hair out the way of her blood. "Remember what you read about the AkumaInu?"

"_The devil dog causes mental pain to become physical pain when the person shows weakness. It turns tears to blood in punishment_" Sasuke recited while Kakashi rubbed her back, trying to ease her shaking.

"Exactly, it's my guess that seeing Raikiri triggered her memory to when that Haku boy was killed, she felt the fear and it automatically showed on her face. The memory probably was so vivid that she felt every ounce of pain again, and sensing that, the AkumaInu punished her weakness and drew her blood" Kakashi said, while Kari rubbed the blood away from her mouth, her breathing returning to normal as she started to calm down.

"Kuso…" Sasuke whispered. Kari's face was sickly pale, her pupils fully dilated.

"Looks like we're going to have to work on Raikiri, you're slightly phobic about it" Kakashi sighed, placing a hand on her head in comfort.

"I'll get over it" Kari mumbled, sighing away her tension while Sasuke watched her warily. The colour started to return to her face as she pulled herself together, the nausea fading. "So we need to work on speed?"

"You don't want a rest first?" Kakashi questioned, Kari shook her head. "Well, Sasuke copied some of Lee's movements with his Sharingan. Using his eyes he's going to watch you and try and copy your movements."

"I'm not running like a girl" Sasuke said scowling. Kari tried to contain her giggles as a mental image of Sasuke prancing around like a fairy princess swam into her mind. Seeing the colour had returned to her cheeks and her eyes were alert, Kakashi told Kari to run across in front of them while Sasuke had his Sharingan activated.

"Ryoukai" Kari said with a lazy salute walking a couple metres away to the right. Sasuke's irises bled red, two tomoe spinning in each eye.

"Go."

Sasuke watched in amazement as she shot forward. His Sharingan had to really slow down her movements to be able to process it, his heartbeat seeming heavy and slow. He watched as she would land lightly on the ball of her foot, her ankle and knee bending slightly as her knee descended a little towards the ground, as though she was going to fall, however, she would spring forwards, almost leaping as her other leg would swing forwards until the ball of her foot met the ground. She was leaning forwards, so her back was in a diagonal straight line, her arms carried behind her, making her more streamlined so she could move faster.

He had to admit, it was beautiful to watch.

To think that baka could be described as _beautiful _and _elegant_. Tch. Sakura will turn out to be a guy next…

He was surprised to see her breathing was quite steady. Though she was breathing extremely quickly in order to get the oxygen to her muscles, she didn't seem tired by it. It was quite amazing actually.

"You're still wearing weights I see" Kakashi mused as she came to a stop, kicking up dust and sand at the sudden movement. Kari shrugged and said they were light ones. Kakashi's own Sharingan was slowly spinning. "You're very light-footed, and also a quiet runner."

"She still runs like a girl" Sasuke said, folding his arms. Graceful wasn't his style.

"She's a lot faster than you are."

"Stop talking about me as though I can't hear you" Kari mumbled, sitting down on the ground and trying to wipe away the blood on her hands.

"Besides Sasuke" Kakashi continued "you're not as light as she is, and you can't shift your weight that quickly. You're going to just have to build your stamina and speed by working with what you've got."

"Tch" Sasuke scoffed as Kari stood up and lightly jumped onto a rock. She looked around, scanning her surroundings, ears twitching, listening carefully.

"Seen something of interest?" Kakashi asked, looking in the direction Kari's eyes were fixed on. There was a shrill cry and an eagle appeared, swooping down and landing on her shoulder.

"I thought it was wild, but I could smell ink" Kari said, jumping down smoothly, the bird remaining fixedly on her shoulder.

"Mm? It's for me" Kakashi said walking over to her. Kari stretched out her arm and the eagle fluttered down to her wrist, allowing Kakashi to get the scroll tied to its leg.

"What does it say?" Sasuke asked while Kari smiled at her new feathery friend.

"We are writing to inform you that your students Uchiha Sasuke and Kari are missing from the hospital. We request that you bring them back to the hospital, as they still need medical attention and failure to do so may result in their health rapidly deteriorating" Kakashi read. He sighed and then wrote a quick reply that Kari read as;

'_They seem perfectly healthy, both refuse to return. If they collapse or become extremely ill, then they will be brought to hospital. At the moment, no medical attention is required. Have a nice day._'

Kakashi tied the scroll to the eagle's leg and the bird stayed attached to Kari's arm, staring at Kakashi.

"Kari, the eagle has to deliver the reply" Kakashi said as Kari looked at him oddly. She gave him a saddened look, making him feel guilty.

"Ja Taka-chan" Kari said, throwing the bird into the air, it spread its wings and took off in the direction it came.

"Come on Kari, if I see improvement in Sasuke you can go see Naruto this week" Kakashi offered.

"Really?" Kari asked, her eyes lighting up as a smile of pure excitement spread across her face. Kakashi smiled behind his mask and placed a hand on Kari's head.

"Hai. Don't use chakra when you run, try and move without it like you did when you demonstrated. Work him hard" Kakashi said, looking for a good point to supervise them. Kari nodded, determination sparking in her eyes and she shot towards Sasuke.

"Dodge it!!" she cried a second before her fist connected with his jaw.

"I was caught off guard!" Sasuke said defensively, charging full pelt back towards her. Instead of attempting to avoid his attack, she ran away from him, easily outrunning him. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, clearly remembering her movements. He went to charge after her but slipped and fell.

"I told you that you move in a different way to her, remember Lee's movements instead." Kakashi said, looking up from his book.

"Then why did I have to watch her run?" Sasuke snapped, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"So you would be able to see her technique and would stand a chance. Kari outmatches you in speed by a fair bit, she's not tired or in very much pain, so she isn't using chakra as she runs." Kakashi explained as he rushed after her again and again, not being able to come close. "So to give you a boost, until your leg muscles are used to the speed you'll need to be moving at, use your chakra."

"Hn."

"Come on Uchiha!" Kari called, a challenging smirk on her face. Kakashi had noticed that she had a love for fighting, despite her soft heart. But then again, she has Tasukaru blood, and they are wild vicious shinobi that love to fight.

"Go easy on him Kari, it's new for him" Kakashi reminded. They both were trying to wind Sasuke up, so that he'd get frustrated and motivated.

"I'll put on extra weights to help you out" Kari said, her arms and legs glowing blue and dust rising at her feet. Sasuke glared at her, Sharingan spinning as he pooled chakra into his legs. It felt odd, a tingling down his thighs then spreading across his shins and calves, becoming more concentrated around his ankles and feet.

With a sudden burst of speed he shot towards her. He was quite fast as it was, but seeing her shoot away from him with ease irritated him and made him feel weak.

_He __**hated**__ feeling weak._

But no matter how mad he got, or how hard he tried to outsmart her, she was always out of his reach. No matter how much chakra he shoved into his legs, her slender, chakra-less legs moved faster.

It was _**infuriating**_.

Sasuke panted in exhaustion, his legs like jelly. His Sharingan had deactivated from lack of chakra and sweat was sliding across his skin. He was sore and tired, with nothing but his bruised pride keeping him up.

_Baka-onnako. Baka, baka, baka._

He went to fall forward, but landed on something reasonably soft. Kari had tried to catch him, but being tired from hours of so much chakra-less running she felt like passing out herself. She wasn't quite the sweating exhausted mess Sasuke was at least.

He couldn't even move to get off her, and he was quite heavy. She could feel him panting, his heart hammering in his ribs. The heat from him spread across her skin, and with an irritated jolt, she realised he had fallen asleep on her, right there and then.

With a scoff and a smirk, Kari soon followed him to dreamland, resisting the urge to shove the Uchiha-blanket off.

* * *

"Kuso I ache…" Sasuke mumbled as his eyes fluttered open.

"You stink too…" Kari mumbled, before falling from her half asleep state, back into a light sleep. Sasuke realised he was laying on her, but his muscles were tight and painful and he couldn't even attempt to move.

Besides, she was quite comfortable. Not that she needed to know that of course.

"I'm guessing you're pretty sore" Kakashi said, appearing beside them. "I tried to wake you up, but you were dead to the world. I'm guessing you're pretty hungry."

Sasuke grunted in indifference, but his stomach answered for him. _Loudly._

"Ughh don't do that, it feels like you've got snakes wriggling around inside you" Kari said grimacing.

"Oh and you aren't hungry?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Nope. I ran on ice-cream" she reminded him.

"That was about thirty hours ago…"

"…it was good stuff" she said with a happy smile.

"Here's your bento's" Kakashi said as Sasuke forced himself up. As always, Kari dumped her vegetables on top of Sasuke's. Kakashi didn't know why he bothered giving them to her anymore.

"I get the shower first ne?" Kari said, swallowing her mouthful of rice and glancing at Sasuke. He grunted, not really caring.

"Can't you just bathe in the lake?" Kakashi asked simply. Kari looked at him in horror, while Sasuke's face expressed disgust.

"No _way_ am I taking my clothes off in front of _**him/her**_!" they cried in unison pointing at each other.

"You live together, surely you've seen it all before" Kakashi said simply, trying not to laugh at them both. They were fun to tease.

"**IIE**!" they shouted.

"Well, you're team-mates. What if you were injured and needed to remove clothing to treat your wounds hmm?"

"That's completely different _**hentai!**_" their voices perfectly synchronised.

"I didn't say you had to _look_ at each other did I? No touching either" Kakashi said while Kari's complexioned darkened to a deep ruby red.

"If you try and make me wash with him I'll leave and train with another sensei!" Kari threatened causing Kakashi to stiffen. "I'll go see Naruto-kun! He's more fun anyway!"

"Iie" Kakashi said sternly. "You're here to work with Sasuke."

"You're the sensei."

"She has a point. You should be teaching me."

"No shower." Kakashi said folding his arms.

"I'll go see Gai-sensei then!" Kari said standing up.

"…Don't be too long in the shower ne Kari-imouto?" Kakashi said sweetly as his eyebrow twitched.

"Hai Kashi-nii! Ja!" and she disappeared in a gust of wind.

* * *

"Come on Sasuke! I'm not even tired!" Kari taunted as the Uchiha tried to catch up to her. He was improving frighteningly fast; his hand had brushed the tip of her tail an hour ago. A week had passed and Sasuke's speed was exceptional. Kakashi had felt a little bad for him, having noticed Kari's own speed improving even more.

With a jolt of chakra, the Uchiha leapt and grabbed hold of her, arms locking around her waist in a deathlike grip. She yelped at the sudden weight pressed into the back of her, pushing her off balance and causing them to crash to the ground.

"You finally caught her hmm?" Kakashi said smiling behind his mask. "Your speed has more than doubled in just a week Sasuke, you should be pleased."

"_**Get… off… you… fat… oompa… loompa…**_!" Kari wheezed, having being completely winded. She had landed on uneven rocky ground and could feel the bruises slowly spreading across her chest and ribs.

"Sore loser" Sasuke said through pants, unable to stop his victorious smirk.

"Actually Sasuke… I doubt her broken ribs are fully healed yet. That fall must have hurt" Kakashi said, slightly concerned.

"She'll survive" Sasuke said, ignoring Kari's curses.

"_**Not… with… your… fat arse… crushing… my lungs… I won't**_!"

"His fans will skin you alive if they hear that Kari. Besides, Sasuke isn't at all obese, in fact he's probably underweight" Kakashi said simply.

"**_Don't… care_**!" she hissed trying to crawl out from underneath him unsuccessfully.

"Well, at least you can go see Naruto tomorrow ne?" Kakashi said, trying to cheer her up. She gave up on her futile attempts to escape and smiled contentedly.

"Finally. I missed him Kaka-nii" Kari sighed happily.

"Hn…" Sasuke scoffed, shifting slightly.

_**Crack.**_

"**KUSO**!" Sasuke shouted jumping off her in alarm. "Daijoubu?!"

"**_That… was… my… back… you… complete… teme_**!" Kari hissed, standing up and stretching, multiple loud clicking and cracking noises emitting from her joints. She rubbed her back grimacing.

"I need a hot bath and a massage" she mumbled sourly. Kakashi walked passed her and examined where she fell.

"Could you have chosen a more uneven rocky piece of ground to fall on?" he asked, running his hand along the jagged ground.

"I didn't exactly _choose_ to fall Kashi…" Kari mumbled, glaring at Sasuke who ignored her.

"Get Sasuke to give you a massage so he can redeem himself" Kakashi said simply, flicking his book open.

"AA!? I'm not taking my shirt off in front of him! And he won't know what to do; he'll probably just break the bottom of my spine or something!" Kari cried, immediately discarding the idea.

"Nice to know you believe in me…" Sasuke scoffed. "I don't want to do it anyway."

"Tough, you're going to. If her muscles become stiff she won't be able to help you anymore with your speed" Kakashi said as Kari glared at him.

"Can't you do it?" Sasuke asked, also glaring at his sensei.

"She thinks I'm a hentai" Kakashi said smiling behind his mask. "So she would be tense and wouldn't relax."

"Oh and he's _not_ a hentai?" Kari said, pointing at Sasuke.

"No. Don't you remember our conversation on adults about a week ago?" Kakashi said, referring to Sasuke's ignorance. Kari was unable to stop her giggles. _Oh that was a classic…_

"Can I have a towel at least?" Kari asked, finally coming round to the idea.

"Of course" Kakashi said while Sasuke glared at them both.

"I'm guessing I don't get a say in this?"

"Nope."

* * *

Kari sighed in utter contentment as she let the hot water rise above her collarbone as she let her shoulders submerge below the surface.

"We should get one of these for your apartment" Kari said as she felt her muscles relax in the warmth. Kakashi had given them the rest of the day off to rest (Sasuke had wanted to train so had a slight sulk). He sent them to the hot spring so they wouldn't get muscle cramp.

"It wouldn't fit baka" Sasuke scoffed. They had changed into swimwear, so were more at ease at being in the water at the same time. They were on opposite sides of the spring to keep as far away as possible. The spring wasn't very big, but it was big enough to stretch their legs without touching each other.

"Well, when you get a big house then" Kari said with a slight shrug.

"Then I'd never get rid of you" Sasuke sighed. He blinked and then blushed. "Baka! Don't do that look!!" he cried. Her puppy eyes were shining and glossy, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted in pained shock. "I want you to live with me for the rest of my life ok? Just… stop looking at me like that!"

"Hai!" Kari said, her heart wrenching sorrow disappearing to be replaced by a simple smile. Sasuke sighed; embarrassed that he had fallen for that stupid trick. "Oi Sasu?"

"Don't call me that. What?" Sasuke replied, looking up at her.

"Does your hair go flat when it's wet?" Kari asked curiously. Sasuke gave her an odd look.

"Why?"

"I just can't imagine it, and I didn't think to look when we were learning to walk on water, and I don't look at you when you come out of the shower" Kari said thoughtfully. "Go underwater and come back up."

"No."

"Don't make me come over there and dunk you!" Kari threatened.

"You wouldn't dare…" Sasuke said glaring at her. A sudden push was his answer and he tumbled over, falling in the water with a splash. He shot up, spitting out the water. He glared at her, Sharingan gleaming.

"Oh dear… EE!!" Kari shrieked as Sasuke jumped on her, shoving her under the water. They had a splashing fight and kept jumping on each other trying to drown one another.

Eventually, they gave up and sat side by side and soaking wet.

"Well it doesn't go completely flat, but it goes flatter nonetheless" Kari evaluated. She shuddered and shook her head finding her soggy ears revolting.

"Hn" Sasuke replied, his bangs dripping water into his eyes and sticking to his flushed face. "So you're going to see the other baka tomorrow?"

"Don't insult Naru-kun! And yes I am" Kari replied, trying in vain to get her bangs out of her eyes. "Are you gonna come too?"

"Tch why would I want to do that?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Because we're your best friends. Sakura won't be there though, is that why you don't want to go?" Kari asked with a sly smirk.

"I told you before. I don't like Sakura."

"_Sure_ you don't" Kari teased. Sasuke glared at her, a blush coming to his face. Now that he knew the true meaning behind guys and girls and what his fan girls were most likely after, he couldn't think of girls in the same way anymore. They weren't just annoying, they were disturbing. He knew what flirting was, but never realised the true extent of it.

"What about you? You probably went through that phase when you were back wherever you came from" Sasuke said glancing at her. She closed her eyes looking thoughtful.

"Probably, but I honestly can't remember" she replied opening her eyes again. "I can't remember much of anything that happened there anymore."

"Not even your birth parents?" Sasuke asked.

"Everyone's faces are hazy, their voices thick and slow" Kari said as she tried to remember. "Nothing I can do though ne? I just hope they're not worrying about me or thinking I'm dead and mourning over me."

"You want them to forget about you?" Sasuke asked, unsure to what she was trying to say.

"Hai, that would be best for everyone" Kari replied, sinking down so that only her eyes were above water.

"You miss them don't you" Sasuke said, looking down at her. She didn't reply, but he knew she did.

"I'm dead to them now. I just need to accept that I'll never see them again" Kari replied, rising up slightly so she could speak.

"You've still got me" Sasuke said, trying to cheer her up. He mentally punched himself for being so soft.

"Thanks Sasu" Kari said smiling at him.

"Don't call me that _Chiisai_-Kari-chan"

"Oi!" she said glaring at him. "Keep it up and I'll call you Saucy-chan!"

Sasuke glared at her before giving her a hard shove making her fall underwater with a splash. He waited for her to come up and started get anxious when she didn't. He almost screamed when he felt something grab hold of his foot and drag him under. He grabbed hold of her wrist before she could swim away and she grinned sheepishly at him.

Everything looked different underwater, unearthly almost. Kari's skin looked paler, slightly tinged green. Her hair fanned out around her, almost as if it had a life of its own.

Sasuke was knocked out of his daze by Kari's hand waving in front of his face. She looked puzzled, her face flushed from the heat of the spring. They surfaced and sighed, the hot water making them feel light-headed.

They got out and flopped down on the grass, Kari grabbing her towel on the way and wrapping it around her.

"Don't suppose your actually going to give me a massage hmm?" Kari asked hopefully.

"No."

"Didn't think so" Kari sighed.

"But you can come visit the Uchiha compound with me if you want, and my parents graves" Sasuke offered.

"Uchiha compound? That haunted place away from central Konoha?" Kari asked, remembering when Sakura showed the gate to her.

"Hai. I used to live there before my clan was wiped out. When I restore my clan, I'll move back in and make the compound filled with life again" Sasuke said lost inhis thoughts.

"…So are you actually going to put a hot spring in there somewhere?" Kari asked.

"No. But there's a lake if that makes it any better" Sasuke said looking round at her.

"But isn't it personal to you? Why would you want me to go?" Kari asked softly.

"My Okaasan always asked me to bring friends home when I was younger. I never really had friends so she never got to properly meet my classmates. She worried that I was lonely" Sasuke said.

"So you admit we're friend hmm?" Kari said smiling.

"I guess" Sasuke said simply. It was odd really, having been alone for so long and then realising that you had a friend. Naruto was his friend and rival, but he was definitely not going into the Uchiha compound. He'd break something or disturb the spirits.

"I'd be honoured to go with you" Kari said causing Sasuke to smirk. "But I'm getting dressed before I do."

"Don't take too long" Sasuke said before a towel was thrown at his head.

* * *

"Here we are" Sasuke said, standing outside the gate after a transportation jutsu. Hardly anyone comes by here anymore. All the rumours of curses and ghosts were thankfully keeping them away. He looked at Kari and noticed she seemed apprehensive, ears back and eyes hesitant. Her senses were probably on overdrive.

"Do you see their spirits?" Kari asked.

"Sometimes" Sasuke said, taking hold of her hand and leading her through the gate. The minute she stepped inside, she felt as though many pairs of eyes were watching her from the shadows. She felt cold and shuddered, moving closer to Sasuke. Her ears could pick up the sounds of shuffling.

She stopped suddenly and looked around. Sasuke turned and watched her. She didn't look frightened, just alert. He let go of her hand and kept walking. Kari looked at the broken window, hearing a slight shuffling from inside. She jumped out of her skin when she felt something cold touch her back and spun round.

"Sasuke…?" Kari asked, seeing nothing behind her.

"_Sasuke?_" a voice repeated beside her. Kari stiffened and glanced to the right to see a pair of red eyes staring back at her. Her eyes widened and she remained perfectly still. "_Sasuke's home?_"

"Hai" Kari squeaked.

"_Must tell… worried… home safe…_" the strange ghost mumbled before disappearing. It was then Kari realised that Sasuke had just left her there.

"Sasuke! You know I get lost!" Kari hissed, walking forwards, looking for a sign of life.

"_Lost?_" a different voice whispered in her ear making her jump. This time Kari found a pair of black eyes looking at her, black eyes with a hint of grey, _identical _to Sasuke's. Kari's eyes widened as she got a better look.

"You… you… you must be…" Kari said in shock. Same eyes, same shaped face, same skin tone, same hair colour, just a different gender. "…Sasuke's Okaasan."

"_Sasuke? …Sasuke's home?_" the woman asked a smile spreading across her pale, semi-transparent lips. She was very beautiful and had a kind look about her.

"Hai… Uchiha-san" Kari replied.

"_Koto… Mikoto… Okaasan… Sasuke's Okaasan…_" the ghost mumbled before taking silent footsteps forward. She looked back and reached out to touch Kari's arm. There was no sensation of touch, just a cold breeze across her skin.

"Anou…?"

"_No manners… just like his father… come on Kitome's child… Sasuke's not too far_" the spirit requested, half walking, half floating forwards. Kari followed warily, confused and the littlest bit scared.

* * *

"I shouldn't have left her… she's probably lost" Sasuke sighed sitting on the familiar porch. It was dull and dusty, no one have taken the care to clean it. Sasuke would never let a cleaner touch his family's things.

"Sasuke?" He looked up to see a very pale Kari staring at him. "Are you real?"

"Well that's a stupid question" Sasuke said giving her a confused look.

"_Rude… Got that from his father…_" Mikoto's ghost said, frowning at her son. Kari glanced from the ghost to her live son, and came to the conclusion Sasuke couldn't see her.

"Are you alright baka? You look like you've seen a ghost" Sasuke said walking up to her and tapping her lightly on her cheek.

"_No manners… But at least he brought… home… Asking him… do that… years… never did_" Mikoto murmured looking disapprovingly at her son.

"I have" Kari said weakly, glancing at Sasuke's mother.

"That's just paranoia. Come on, I want to see their graves before it gets dark" Sasuke said, grabbing hold of her hand and dragging her along.

"_Poor Kari… Sasuke will never get a girlfriend… Poor Sasuke_" Mikoto said sadly, floating along after them.

* * *

"These are my parents' graves" Sasuke said, pointing them out. They were placed together and plants had started to grow across the stone. Mikoto's ghost sat on her tombstone and unfortunately for Kari, what seemed to be Sasuke's father appeared. He had Sasuke's scowl.

"_Brought home a stranger… should know better…_" the man said grumpily, his voice echoing slightly.

"_Very nice girl Fugaku… Be polite…_" Mikoto asked.

"_Has ears like Kaizo… Kaizo's daughter died…_" Fugaku said, giving her an Uchiha stare-glare.

"_Reincarnation… Torai-Kenshi… Can see us…_" Mikoto murmured. Sasuke was looking at his parents graves lost in thought. He was still grasping her hand, and seemed unaware that she was squeezing it to death.

Fugaku approached her and looked down at her, seemingly surprised that she kept eye contact.

"_Sasuke's… girlfriend?_" he asked, his voice fading in the middle. Kari glanced at Sasuke before shaking her head slightly. "_Then why…?_"

_Anou… Can I do telepathy with a ghost?_ Kari wondered while glancing at Sasuke who was giving her an odd look. She wished he could see his father looking her up and down, then walking around her.

"_Odd Uchiha restoration… Uchiha with tails… Embarassing…" _Fugaku murmured causing Kari to blush and shake her head rapidly.

"Kari doushita?" Sasuke asked, starting to become concerned with her odd behaviour.

"_Don't tell… Sasuke will get upset… angry about Itachi_" Mikoto softly wailed.

"Anou… AkumaInu, the feel of death is making me see things" Kari muttered embarrassed that Fugaku was still staring at her with disapproval.

"_Large chakra capacity, pretty enough… have to watch… see how she develops… into adult_" Fugaku murmured, still uncertain.

"_Very nice girl Fugaku… Didn't scream… Looking after Sasuke… He looks happy, see…?_" Mikoto gestured to her son.

"I always feel close to my parents when I come here…" Sasuke said quietly. "It reminds me of what I have to do, that I am an avenger."

"_No, no… My sons will kill each other… They're alone…_" Mikoto cried in misery.

"_He's a traitor!_" Fugaku hissed. _"He has to die!_"

"_My oldest son! My poor boy, corrupted and confused!_" Mikoto cried, trying to defend him. Kari supposed it was a mother's love, that it would continue even in the harshest betrayal.

"I'm glad you came with me" Sasuke said quietly, looking up at Kari. The bickering stopped and Sasuke's parents looked at him stunned. Kari smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso. "That wasn't an invitation baka" Sasuke said with a smirk as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"_Isn't it wonderful Fugaku!"_ Mikoto cried in delight, clasping her transparent hands together silently.

"_Hn. He gets that softness from you_" Fugaku said a small smirk coming to his face. "_He hasn't been happy… in a long time._"

"_Take care of him Kari-chan! …Continue… Making him happy!_" Mikoto cried.

"I'll show you around my parents' house and then we'll go okay?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai, Kashi will be wondering where we are" she said simply.

"How can you be so cold in July?" Sasuke asked, his fathers scowl on his lips.

"You know I'm naturally cold" Kari said simply. _That and I've seen three ghosts, two of which are your parents and one of which examined me and talked about the shame of Uchiha's with tails!_

"Hn." Sasuke said, walking towards his parents' house with his arm still around her trying to keep her warm.

"_He's so thin! … First not sleeping… Still not eating well…_" Mikoto fussed as she looked over Sasuke worriedly.

"Kashi's right you know you are underweight, you're really thin. You'll end up all gangly and lanky" Kari said, getting Mikoto's concerns across to him.

"Hypocrite, you're a lot thinner and lighter than I am" Sasuke scoffed.

"Yeah but I'm a girl, and I rely on speed. You need to have strength behind those blows!" Kari said stubbornly.

"All right point taken" Sasuke said simply. They entered the house and Kari looked around warily for any more spirits that might be lurking about. Mikoto followed them inside making odd comments as Sasuke gave Kari a brief tour. He allowed her into his old room and she looked about, smacking the bed and making a cloud of dust raise up causing her to sneeze.

"_Its horrible seeing everything covered in dust… perfectly clean when I was alive…_" Mikoto said, shaking her head in shame. Sasuke picked up a frame and brushed the dust off the glass. Kari tried to crawl across the bed to see it, but just raised more dust, making her eyes sore as she sneezed. She finally made it over and looked down at the family picture;

Mikoto and Fugaku, with Sasuke and Itachi. They both looked so young and innocent.

"You were so kawaii" Kari breathed. "You'll make pretty babies one day." Sasuke gave her an odd look then turned back to the picture, his expression hardening.

"I was eight years old, this was taken about a month or two before…" he trailed off, not wanting to continue. He allowed her to take the picture from him so she could get a better look.

"You look like your Okaasan, she's very beautiful" Kari said gently.

"_Arigatou Kari-chan_" Mikoto said happily.

"…You just called me beautiful. Don't say you're going fan girl on me" Sasuke said at a weak attempt of sarcasm.

"You looked happy back then, I know you can't be now, but I wish you could" Kari said sadly.

"So do I…" Sasuke sighed as she handed the picture back to him. "Let's go" he said taking her hand and pulling her up, she sneezed at the dust that floated around her.

"We should come back and clean this place you know. If you're going to live here again you don't want it falling into ruin" Kari said while Mikoto nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… We will do. And you can come live in one of the houses when I move back here" Sasuke said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders again. Kari understood his sign of gratitude and wrapped her arm around his back.

"You're welcome Sasuke…"

"_Come back and visit soon! Make sure he brings you with him Kari-chan!_" Mikoto called as they approached the gate. A couple more ghosts appeared beside her, watching as they left. In a gust of wind they disappeared.

"_She's a good one Mikoto."_

"_Hai, she'll take care of him."_

"_I know she will" _Mikoto whispered. _"I just hope he takes good care of her. Be safe… both of you. And Sasuke... **don't let her go**._"


	47. Anata Ha Watashino Niidesu

A/N: Yatta! I am not dead! But I do have mock exams in three days T3T so I am not happy. But I am happy that I got all my anger and stress out :) This is a bit of a random chapter, but I wrote the usual 7000 words so I wasn't lazy :) As always, thank you for your amazing reviews, they make me very happy :D

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me, but if something bad happens to Naruto in the manga I'll have Masashi's head on my shelf.

Claimer: The Tasukaru's, Kitome, the ToraiKenshi, Kari & Kita are mine, and anyone who says otherwise will feel my extreme, horrendous wrath.

Translations at the bottom, enjoy :)

* * *

**Anata Ha Watashino Niidesu**

**_What's Mine is Yours Brother_**

_Their faces lit up at the sight of each other,_

_A sheer joy, and a look of pure, young, adoration._

* * *

Sasuke awoke quite early, and lay in the early morning silence and watched Kari sleep. She always seemed so peaceful and vulnerable lost in her dreams. Whenever he would shift in the slightest she would frown slightly, sensing his movement and would snuggle closer to him thinking he might leave.

After he had been watching her an hour or so, her eyes lazily fluttered open and she seemed confused to why he was staring at her.

"Kakashi isn't here yet, you can go back to sleep" Sasuke said. She blinked before pressing her forehead into his chest and falling asleep. She had told him that the sound of a familiar heartbeat was the only thing that helped with her insomnia. She didn't know that _she_ was the only thing keeping _his_ nightmares at bay.

"Yo" Kakashi greeted, appearing in his usual puff of smoke. Sasuke sighed slightly, knowing she should wake up and go off to visit Naruto, leaving him alone with Kakashi for the day. He knew one-on-one training with his sensei would be highly beneficial, but knew he would miss her interruptions and playful motivation.

But he would only miss her a_ tiny_ bit.

"Naruto should be out training by now Kari" Kakashi said, bending down and nudging her shoulder. Her eyes lazily opened and Kakashi dangled a pocky stick in front of her face. Her eyes fixed on it, she smiled and took it.

"What will you be doing today without me?" Kari asked, offering Sasuke a piece of pocky, which he refused.

"Just improving his speed some more, we'll start the training for Chidori itself tomorrow" Kakashi said. Kari frowned, not looking forward to coughing up her lungs.

"Hai, ja!" Kari called, disappearing in a gust of wind.

* * *

"Ero-senniiiiiin! Stop spying on girls and train me!" Naruto squawked angrily as Kita trotted about on the surface of the river.

"I've told you what to do; it's your own fault if you're hopeless!" the man retorted, before gluing his eyeball back to the telescope and giggling mischievously. But, to his dismay, the pretty girls were leaving and soon disappeared off into the unknown.

"Oi Uzumaki!" a voice hollered nearby. Both Naruto and the man looked up in surprise. Kita froze, her ears twitched and her tail began to wag.

"A rival of yours?" the man questioned quirking an eyebrow. The girl was quite pretty, with long golden hair and a slender body. She was showing signs of developing into a woman with her narrow waist and her growing breasts. Her complexion was a pale peach, with a rosy glow to her cheeks. Her large, doe like eyes were alive with blues, greens and greys, locked in a wild dance for dominance. A sweet smile curved her full rose lips, defining beautiful cheekbones hidden beneath the childish full cheeks.

_Way out of this idiot's league. She probably came to pick on him._

What the man was not expecting however, was Naruto to break into a high pitched squeal of delight, shattering his eardrum and leaving the broken pieces bleeding inside his ear. Naruto shot towards the small cliff the girl was standing on at full speed shrieking at her in sheer joy.

"_**KARI-CHAN!!!**_" he shouted as she jumped down into his waiting arms as he span her round in excitement, whiskered cheeks rosy red, stretched by his large goofy smile and eyes shining with childish love.

"Naruto-kun! Watashiha anata nogashita!!" Kari cried, holding him tightly as he placed her down, still holding tightly to her.

"Watashi mo Kari-chan!!"

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san!" Kita cried running over and jumping into Kari's arms.

"And who might your friend be?" the man questioned.

Kari took in his tall, bulky appearance, his long spiky white hair and masculine face. He had cheeky dark eyes and wide immature smile.

"Shirigomisuru! Back off Ero-sennin, dattebayou! Kari-chan is not to be used for your damn book!" Naruto shouted protectively.

'_Ah would you look at that? It's little Jiraiya!_' Kitai chirped, surprising Kari. They'd been rather quiet since she woke up in hospital.

"Ero…sennin?" Kari repeated, staring at him confused.

"Stop calling me that gaki!! I, young lady, am the great sage Jiraiya!!" the man cried boastfully.

"…Ohayou?" Kari said, staring at the strange man.

"He's meant to be teaching me how to summon toads but he just sits on his butt spying on girls" Naruto said frowning at his sensei.

"Gama? Sugoii! Can I see?" Kari asked excitedly. Naruto puffed out his chest and nodded importantly. He bit his thumb and quickly made hand signs.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Naruto cried slamming his hand on the ground. Kari prepared herself for a large, fearsome, warrior toad to appear but the smoke cleared to reveal a little orange tadpole with green spots on its back. "AA?! Not again!" Naruto cried.

"_Another_ tadpole?!" Jiraiya cried in dismay.

"Iie, iie! This one's bigger see!" Naruto cried, pointing at it frantically.

"It's still a freaking _**tadpole**_!!"

"Ee! Kawaii!" Kari cooed, putting Kita down and scooping up the little amphibian in her hands as it flopped about. She carried it over to the river and placed it gently in the cool water. It swam around her hands nibbling at her fingers. "Your name is Awa-chan!" Kari announced happily. She pouted when Awa poofed into smoke.

"Well if you were training me instead of peeping I would have mastered this jutsu by now dattebayou!!" Naruto shouted accusingly.

"It's great Naru-kun! I'd love to have an animal to summon" Kari said happily, her tail wagging in delight. Kita leapt on top of her head and lay comfortably between Kari's ears. Jiraiya paused and stared at her dumbly.

"AA?! She has ookami ears!! And a tail?! Demo…? Nani…?! Oro?!" Jiraiya cried, pointing at her in amazement. His face crumpled with concentration as he searched through his thoughts.

"Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked in confusion. While Kari fidgeted in embarrassment.

"The only Tasukaru in Konoha is Kaizo, but his daughter died before she was born… She doesn't have silver hair or completely blue eyes and she doesn't have that harsh wild look about her. But then… where could the wolf characteristics come from…?"

"Oh! Naruto-kun! You have to come and meet my parents!" Kari cried, grabbing Naruto's hands excitedly. Naruto blinked and looked at her confused, then smiled.

"Sure, are you coming Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked. The man snapped out of his thoughts and his mouth curled into a devilish smile thinking what Kari's mother could possibly look like.

* * *

"I hope they're home…" Kari said knocking on the door. Jiraiya couldn't help but find the house familiar, but he couldn't place where. There was shuffling inside and the door opened to show Kaizo, who had been woken up. His silver hair spiked everywhere from its pony tail in typical bed hair and his eyes were half open and droopy. He wore a faded grey t-shirt and some boxers.

"Mmm…? Oro?!" Kaizo cried, realising who was at the door and quickly slamming it shut. There was a muffled shout from inside of "'_TOME! Why didn't you tell me Kari-chan was coming to visit!_?" After a couple of minutes, the door opened to reveal Kitome, beautiful as ever.

"Gomen Kari-chan, Kaizo fell asleep after he got back from the meeting today. How can I help?" Kitome asked, ushering them in.

"I brought your yukata back" Kari said, handing Kitome the folded cloth.

"You didn't have to dear, anything of ours is yours, and you're more than welcome to it" Kitome said kindly. "This must be the Naruto I've heard so much about" Naruto blushed and grinned. "But what are you doing here sensei? Weren't you out chasing girls?"

"Little Kitome-chan has grown into a woman" Jiraiya said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "It seems like yesterday you were a tiny genin, and now you're the most beautiful woman in ANBU!" Jiraiya said fondly.

"Oi, oi Ero-Ojii! She married me remember!" Kaizo cried popping his head into the room, his hair somewhat tidier.

"Kaizo? I've been away too long…" Jiraiya said as Kaizo appeared next to him, grinning widely seeing they were around the same height. "You've been taking care of my favourite student hmm?"

"Hai" Kaizo said happily wrapping an arm around Kitome's petite shoulders and embracing her tightly.

"Kari-chan… who are these people?" Naruto asked, looking utterly puzzled.

"I agree, how do you know each other?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Well…" Kari began nervously but was cut off when a loud _**BOOM**_ sounded and a blast of fire and a gust of icy wind exploded out of nowhere in the middle of the room.

After a moment, two similar looking women stood where the fire and wind had raged seconds before. They were tall women, pale with high cheekbones and large eyes. Their lips were slightly thin, and their figures were visibly slim, even with long kimono's covering their bodies. Their hair was in wild, soft spikes, both tied up in high pony tails and cascading down their backs to their knees.

One had an element of utmost calmness; she had a cold looking exterior with her silver hair and piercing ice blue eyes, and had large wolf ears and a long tail. She had a striking resemblance to Kaizo, but with a harsher, wilder look.

The other woman had a clear short temper, her mouth set into a frown. Her hair was a fiery red and her eyes a bright gold. She lacked the other woman's wolf characteristics, but looked just as, if not even more wild.

"Where did those old ladies come from?" Naruto asked wide eyed. Jiraiya made a high pitched squeak and pulled the blonde boy into a headlock as the women's eyes turned on him, the redhead's eye twitching dangerously as her scowl deepened.

"_FURUI KA_?" she questioned dangerously, her pupils narrowing as fangs made an appearance. The other woman slapped the redhead on the back of her head, her intense calmness never wavering.

"We got your letter about the child" the wolf woman said in a smooth voice, her eyes sliding onto Kari, who felt unnerved by the woman's stare.

"Ha! Golden hair, clearly a _ryuu_ Tasukaru" the redhead said smugly to the other woman.

"Have you missed the ookami characteristics Ryuuka?" the wolf woman said simply, her hand gesturing towards Kari's ears. Kari was alarmed to see sharp claws where nails should be.

"Pshh" the redhead Kari assumed was called Ryuuka scoffed. "Her eyes are more green than blue too, she's just got Kaizo's genes is all."

"Who are these people?" Naruto piped up in confusion.

"The Tasukaru twins in the same room, I never thought I'd see the day…" Jiraiya said in surprise. "Naruto, these two are Tasukaru Keihisa and Tasukaru Ryuuka, the famous twins of the Tasukaru clan."

"I'll explain Naruto-kun" Kitome said kindly, ushering him and Jiraiya over to some chairs, where she proceeded to briefly explain the important details of Kari's situation.

"Ryuuka and Keihisa?" Kari asked, looking to Kaizo for answers, Kita still on top of her head.

"Keihisa is my Okaasan, and an Ookami Tasukaru. Ryuuka is her twin sister and a Ryuu Tasukaru. Twins aren't unheard of in our clan but are always either Ryuu or Ookami, not one of each. Keihisa takes after my grandmother while Ryuuka takes after my grandfather. They became famous as an elite force. They weren't trained as shinobi, but were used in war, which is where they became known. Their were legends of the Tasukaru clan being fierce bloodthirsty monsters that just wanted to slaughter people, but through Okaasan and Obasan, it was shown that they could control themselves and were fairly civilised when they want to be" Kaizo explained.

"So they're famous for clearing your clan's name?" Kari asked, as the twins seemed to be lightly bickering.

"Mm, they're better known in Kiri and Kumo where they live. Also, they have their own packs instead of sticking with the clan groups. My mother in particular wanders around alone with only her wolves for company. She says that it is her greatest joy and sense of peace. Ryuuka stays close to the main dragon flock in the mountains of Kumo, but live a little way away and trains young dragons and those to be used for summonings." Kaizo said simply.

"You can summon dragons? Sugoii!" Kari said in awe.

"See, a true dragon user" Ryuuka said stubbornly.

"And what of the wolf cub on her head? I don't see a dragon by her side" Keihisa said.

"Watashiha Kita-chan Obaa-chan!" Kita piped up, not wanting to be referred to as 'the wolf cub'.

"And she can even speak at such a young age, she must have been made by Torai-Kenshi chakra" Keihisa concluded.

"These two are the ones that sealed the Torai-Kenshi inside you before you were born" Kaizo said with a smile. "Pretty impressive huh?"

"Well, I'm teaching her to be a ryuu user!" Ryuuka snapped irritably.

"And I shall teach her to use wolves, then she will be strong" Keihisa said to her irritated sister.

"It's a shame that they always argue though. They love each other, but can't agree on anything at all" Kaizo said scratching the back of his head.

"Got that kiddo?! I'm going to teach you to fight with dragons! You'll be unbeatable!" Ryuuka cried, clenching her fist in determination, ignorant to her claws puncturing her palm.

"It's been a long time since these two were here, we should have a family photo ne?" Kaizo said with a childish grin. Kari giggled, at complete ease with her ANBU parents. They may not have raised her, but she felt so undoubtedly connected to them that she knew that they were her soul's parents. It just saddened her that she would never see her birth parents again.

"I'll take it!" Jiraiya offered, overhearing Kaizo's declaration. They gathered in a small group outside; Kaizo and Kitome in the middle, Keihisa next to Kitome and Ryuuka next to Kaizo, both looking away from each other in a huff.

"I'm glad you found your family Kari-chan, we'll have to find mine next" Naruto said happily, but Kari could sense that little sadness and lost feeling in his eyes and smiled taking his hand and dragging him in front of Kitome and Kaizo.

"Make sure you smile hmm?" Kari said happily.

"But Kari-chan this is a family photo" Naruto said awkwardly. Kari smiled and shook her head.

"Don't be silly, you're just as much my family as anyone is _Kitsune-niisan_" Kari said gently. Naruto blushed and smiled. "What's mine is yours brother, and that includes this family. They've accepted you, and if they didn't I'd leave them to be with you" She laughed lightly. "My happiness comes from your joy Naruto-kun, our hearts are intertwined and always will be… Gah! See your sad face made me go mushy" she said embarrassed, a blush coating her cheeks as she took Kita off of her head and held her in his arms.

"Arigatou Kari-chan" Naruto said warmly, truly touched by her loyalty. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around his back, Kita comfortably resting on their arms.

"Emi!!" Jiraiya said with a cheesy grin. Kari and Naruto smiled, Kaizo grinned, Kitome smiled, and the twins looked around in surprise. Keihisa was calmly confused while Ryuuka's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"Ara?!"

"When I get this done it's going on the wall!" Kaizo announced, taking his camera back from Jiraiya and thanking him. "And a picture of the lover's ne?" Kaizo said teasingly to Kari and Naruto, they just laughed as Kaizo pulled a concentrating face.

"When can I start training her? Ryuu aren't easy you know!" Ryuuka whined impatiently.

"And this on will be framed too!" Kaizo said happily. "Right Kitome?!"

"Of course Koishii" Kitome replied, taking his precious camera from him.

"Aa, we should get back to training too" Jiraiya said looking at Naruto. Naruto bit his lip and he pouted sadly.

"Don't worry Naru, I'll see you at the Chuunin exams" Kari said wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Is Sasuke getting strong?" Naruto asked.

"I'm teaching him, what do you think?" Kari said smirking.

"Then I'd better train extra hard then" Naruto said with a competitive grin. "I'll keep my promise, I'll win Kari-chan, I'll win it for you dattebayou." She smiled and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"I don't doubt it, and I'll win for you" Kari said happily. "I'll send Kita to you after a couple hours okay? Train hard, ganbatte Kitsune-nii."

"You too Ookami-nee. I'll be waiting to see you fight!" Naruto said as Jiraiya got bored of their tender goodbye and started dragging Naruto by the back of his collar. "**JA NE KARI-CHAAAN!!**"

* * *

"Right kiddo, you see this scroll?" Ryuuka said as she pulled a large scroll of her back. _How did I not notice that before?_ Kari wondered. She saw that Keihisa had one too. "My scroll is a contract between dragons and summoners, you sign your name in blood and if the dragon elder accepts you, you can begin to learn. If you're rejected your blood will simply disappear." Ryuuka opened the scroll to reveal some names signed in vertical lines, the last being _Tasukaru Ryuuko_. "Ryuuko is Kaizo's cousin and my daughter. She's nineteen and giving me a run for my money. Sign next to her name."

Kari pierced her thumb with her sharp canine, the warm metallic taste hitting her tongue and alerting her senses. Unsure of which last name she should be known by she simply wrote her name.

カ

ー

リ

_Kari._

The blood glowed an alarming bright red before fading to black. Ryuuka gave a satisfied smirk to her twin sister.

"They accept you."

"Really?" Kari said happily. Keihisa smirked and unravelled her own scroll and motioned for Kari to repeat her actions on to the wolf scroll. Her blood glowed blue before turning black.

"Accepted by both, impressive" Keihisa said smiling. "Are you ready for some hard training?"

"I'll do whatever it takes" Kari cried and Kita yipped in agreement. Keihisa picked up the pup and looked her over carefully, before nodding impressed and settling the wolf into her arms.

"Our summons are different to most as they are very strong willed and wild, like the rest of clan. The summoning isn't the hard part, it's the relationships" Ryuuka explained.

"In battle, they will only assist those they are loyal too. If a stranger was to summon them, they would simply leave them for dead" Keihisa continued. "Our partners in battle have known us since birth and love us."

"As a Tasukaru, you'll find summoning Ryuu and Ookami relatively easy, but it will take work to gain their respect" Ryuuka said.

"As an Ookami trainer, I can teach Kita how to fight, and with the demonic blood she has from the Torai-Kenshi she'll find it useful" Keihisa made a hand sign with one hand and a large silver wolf appeared at her side. "This is Shiruba, she's very patient and will be a good teacher for Kita."

"Okaasan!" Kita cried in amazement jumping down and looking up at the large wolf. "Okaasan! Okaasan! Look! Is she like me? Is she a Kita too?" Kita cried excitedly.

"Kita is Kita-ko's name; a wolf is Kita-chan's species. Like Okaasan is called Kari, but she is a human, sort of" Kari said trying to explain.

"So I'm the only Kita?" Kita asked.

"You're my only Kita" Kari said with a smile. Kita wagged her tail and looked up at the six foot tall silver wolf that was looking down at her.

"What a strange little ko" Shiruba commented with a motherly voice.

"I'm not a pup, I'm a Kita, who is also a wolf, a wolf Kita, but I'm the only wolf Kita, because I am Okaasan's Kita!" Kita explained excitedly.

"She's a sweet little thing, am I taking her under my wing?" Shiruba asked Keihisa who nodded.

"Mm, you're going to be assisting in teaching her the very basics as she's still young" the Ookami-sennin said.

"Please take care of Kita-chan Shiruba-sama, she'll be a good girl and work hard for you" Kari said bowing, her long golden hair spilling over her shoulders.

"She's very nice for the Torai-Kenshi jinchuuriki" Shiruba said to Keihisa. "Our pack will definitely like her and also the other wolves, don't you think?"

"Hai." Keihisa agreed as Kita stared in awe at the large wolf.

"I look forward to assisting you in battle Kari-sama, as I am sure my pack will" the wolf said, bowing her large head respectfully.

"Ah, arigatou" Kari said blushing shyly.

"Not all of the others are as accepting as you Shiruba. She has a lot of work to do, especially for those that are best in battle to accept her." Keihisa reminded.

"They'll come round; they accepted Kaizo-kun eventually."

"Not easily."

"Oi, are we starting or what?" Ryuuka grumbled, annoyed at being ignored for so long.

"Of course, you can begin Ryuuka." Keihisa said calmly.

"Right, listen up kiddo; you're in for a bumpy ride…"

* * *

"Shouldn't she be back by now, its dark out" Sasuke grumbled. He'd been in a bad mood all day. Kakashi himself had missed Kari, but not enough to have a mental tantrum about it.

"She's a big girl Sasuke, she can take care of herself" Kakashi said calmly.

"Konnichiwa minna!" Kari cried as she jumped into the clearing, a wide happy smile on her face. She was covered in dirt and scratches, but looked as though she couldn't be happier.

"Ah, did you have a good day?" Kakashi said looking up from his book.

"Hai! Arigatou for letting me go Kaka-nii!" Kari said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and giving him alight peck on the cheek.

"Douitashimashite Kari" Kakashi said simply as she happily skipped over to Sasuke and enveloped him in a hug.

"Why are you so happy" Sasuke grumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm being trained how to summon by the Tasukaru twins!" Kari cried in delight. Kakashi dropped his book in shock while Sasuke just gave her an odd look.

"Dare ka?"

"The Tasukaru twins?!" Kakashi gasped.

"Hai! I even made friends with a little dragon!" Kari cried joyously.

"Baka dragons don't exist" Sasuke scoffed. Kari made quick and fluid hand signs, finally finishing on the sign of the dragon.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu; Ryuu; Kigai!" Kari cried and in a puff of smoke a small baby dragon landed on her head. "This is Kigai-chan, she may look small, but she's fierce!" Kari said happily.

"It's…" Sasuke stared and its smooth black, scaly body to its amethyst eyes, to its small thin wings. "A lizard…" Kari smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't insult dragons! They're almost as great as Kita!" the dragon on the top of her head sneezed, blowing a ring of smoke. "Kigai-chan is tired, so she should go home to her Okaasan ne?" Kari cooed, lifting the reptile off her head. The dragon blinked at her then made a strange gargle before disappearing.

"Are you going to be trained by them again?" Kakashi said, getting over the shock of seeing a baby dragon and picking up his book.

"Mm, when I have spare time. Kaizo-tousan said he'd teach me Ojiisans katana skills." Kari said happily. "But we've got Chidori to conquer first ne Sasuke?" Kari said, smiling up at the Uchiha.

"Hn, whatever" Sasuke said.

"Cheer up Uchiha, this'll be fun" Kari said happily. "After I've had a nap of course…" Kari said with a yawn. She always looked so childish when she did that, it was funny really. She layed her head on Sasuke's thigh and curled up, closing her eyes.

"Hmm, she must be tired" Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. "She's very comfortable around you, and you seem more relaxed than usual."

"Hn" Sasuke grunted, pulling out her hair out of her face, the gold strands splayed out behind her. Her ear twitched sensing his touch, but she didn't move otherwise.

"You care about her don't you" Kakashi said. _He flipping well hoped so, he'd been trying to play matchmaker and kept giving up and teasing them instead._ He reasoned that if Sasuke had feelings for Kari, then he would be less likely to leave Konoha, because she would definitely want to stay and he wouldn't want to leave her.

"I suppose I consider her my friend" Sasuke admitted, his fingers twisting in her long golden locks, strong and soft even through Kari's constant abuse of tugging on it when she was annoyed and playing with it when she was bored. Sasuke had amazingly beautiful hair, but didn't really care because he was a guy.

"Sasuke, you know your hair's getting pretty long" Kari said opening an eye and smirking up at him. Sasuke scowled and looked away, his bangs tickling his neck. She was right; it had grown a little, but not really that much.

"Go to sleep baka" Sasuke said irritated.

"You should get chubby, and then you'd be more comfortable, ne Kakashi?" Kari said causing her sensei to snort and chuckle at the idea of a fat Sasuke. Kari was really ruining his reputation as a cool lazy guy when she kept making him laugh.

"Then go sleep on someone else" Sasuke said simply. She ignored him and sat on his lap, laying her head on his chest, the sound of her heart easily lulling her to sleep.

"She needed to hear your heart ne?" Kakashi asked, smiling behind his mask. He figured it was because the sound reassured her that Sasuke was okay. "It's your birthday soon isn't it? Do you want to see the other genin?" Kakashi asked.

"No." Sasuke said sternly. "I need to train."

"Suit yourself" Kakashi said simply.

**

* * *

**

"Now you create Chidori when you have gathered enough speed and have absolute focus without a shadow of doubt. The chakra in your arm will become visible and if you are compatible, will spark with electricity, and turn your arm into a indestructible sword" Kakashi explained the next day. Kari was on edge, not wanting to throw up blood again while Sasuke was impatient to get started.

"So how do we start?" Sasuke questioned while Kari cursed to herself.

"First, try and gather chakra in your hand" Kakashi instructed, Sasuke's hand glowed blue while Kari's set alight with a blue flame like chakra startling her and making her lose concentration, which made her chakra disappear.

"Pins and needles!" Kari hissed shaking her tingling hand.

"Right you're going to have a game of tag to warm yourselves up and to get ready for the intense speed you'll need. Kari, you're it first" Kakashi said.

"Tag!" Kari shrieked smacking Sasuke on the shoulder before shooting away from him. Sasuke ran after her, but slower as he was not able to pick up speed as quickly as her. As he started to warm up he swerved and cut her off, tapping her on the side before shooting off. She squeaked (she was ticklish down her sides) and sped after him, pushing her legs faster than their comfortable speed (her run felt like a jog). She tapped Sasuke on the back before twisting and sending a whirl of dust before running off again.

"Hm, this is better than last time" Kakashi mused, noticing Sasuke was able to keep up with Kari's average speed, but he couldn't avoid her when she actually worked her legs and sped up. In a month Kakashi was alarmed at her speed and knew even he would be left in her dust.

"Gotcha!" Sasuke cried, cutting in front of her.

"Don't you—!" she cried but his palm had already made contact.

"Oh?" Kakashi said in surprise. When Sasuke cut in front of her he hadn't hesitated and just went to tag her… and accidentally slammed his hand right on her breast. He watched amused for their reactions.

Kari blushed a deep red, her eye twitching while Sasuke looked confused at her reaction and why she had suddenly stopped. Then he realised his hand was closed around her breast, _an area Kakashi had warned him not to touch unless in a relationship._ Sasuke blushed slightly at the softness and warmth and by simple male instinct he _squeezed_.

"_**ARA?! HANDS OFF HENTAI!!**_" Kari shrieked a fist smacking into the Uchiha's jaw sending him flying backward.

"What was that for?!" Sasuke shouted as he sat up rubbing his jaw while the words _warm, soft and_ _squishy_ swam around his brain.

"He's still a little naïve Kari" Kakashi chuckled landing beside the red-faced kunoichi. "I'm surprised he actually groped you though" Kakashi sniggered and hid his face behind his book. Kari scowled and folded her arms in front of her chest, her tail bristled angrily.

"Can we just get to the jutsu now" Sasuke said scowling, his jaw aching and his cheeks dusted pink. _Squishy… squishy… squishy…_

"Of course, you have to apply the speed and focus and I want you to aim it towards those rocks. Then you will take a break and for the second half of the day you'll work on your Taijutsu. Kari needs a lot of help with her defence" Kakashi said simply. "Do you have a battle plan Kari?"

"Hai, I'm using my katana" Kari said with a confident smirk.

"You rarely use them" Sasuke said, looking at her as if she was insane. Kari pulled one out of its sheath with her right hand, she span it above her head then at her side, stopping at a forty five degree angle away from her leg. She was so relaxed when using it as though she had fought a million times before.

"That's what you think, I only bring them out when I need them" Kari said, twisting her wrist so it swung upwards and the flat side fell on her palm. The blade shone, not a speck of dust or a tiny scratch saying it had ever been used. "Kaizo's gonna teach me whenever I want to learn" she smirked and with a light flick it spun upwards, barely missing her face before lightly sliding into its sheath with a gentle '_ching'_ sound.

"Well, I've told you what to do. I'll supervise you, but it's up to you now. Remember, focus is key. Try and clear your mind of everything but your goal." Kakashi said.

Sasuke scowled as the word _squishy_ swam through his mind again.

"Go."

* * *

"Ohayou Kari-chan and Sasuke!" Kakashi said happily as he loomed over their sleeping forms a week or so later. They opened their eyes before closing them again and ignoring their sensei. "You have the day off, you should be happy!"

"Nande ka?" Sasuke grumbled, opening his eyes to look at Kakashi while Kari buried her head in his shirt, trying to go back to sleep.

"Because it's your birthday" Kakashi replied simply.

"_NANI_?!" Kari cried sitting up. "Dou iu koto da?!"

"It's the 23rd of July, Sasuke's birthday" Kakashi said simply

"**_AA?!_** Why didn't I know about this?!" Kari cried looking from one to the other.

"Does it really matter?" Sasuke scoffed. He looked back to see Kari with her forehead against a tree trunk, ears down and a huge cloud of depression surrounding her. "Oi baka, doushita?"

"I didn't know… I didn't get him anything… Kari-chan is a bad girl…" Kari whined banging her head on the tree.

"I don't care, so I don't see why you should" Sasuke said folding his arms.

"Because it's important! Sasuke-chan is ju-san, _13_! He's a teenager! He's expected to be rude and kinky all the time!" Kari wailed. "I'm going to get a present, but what to get a miserable teenager that hates everything? If I get Sakura I'll have a whole day of listening to them smooching… ughh… I can't throw a party because of our surprise entrance! And cake? What about cake?! **KAKASHI! GO GET A CAKE!!**"

"Hai!" Kakashi said poofing away before an upset Kari unleashed her wrath on him.

"Think, think! I need to get a good present! But I'm terrible at getting presents! Etoo…" Kari scowled trying to concentrate. "Sasuke likes weapons! But then he can hurt poor innocent little Kari-chans… never mind it's the only thing I can think of. Chotto matte! Kari-chan has no moneeeeyyy!!"

"Stop worrying will you" Sasuke sighed, though amused at how frantically worried she was.

'_Oh! How about a katana like you have? Then it will remind him of you!_' Kitai said happily.

'_Then he can kill people. Lots and lots of people!_' Kumouri said deviously.

'_And we can transport a special one to you so you don't have to buy it_' Kokoro added.

"Yosh! Problem solved!" Kari cried happily. Sasuke rose an eyebrow, wondering what evil plan she had come up with. She closed her eyes and focused chakra to her palms, which she faced upwards as though she was holding something.

"What are you—?" but Sasuke stopped when he saw her chakra was changing shape into something long and thin. Her chakra faded leaving a katana in it's place.

"Otanjou-bi omedetou!!**"** Kari cried, holding it out to him. He took it from her and looked it over with interest, unsheathing it carefully.

_"Otanjōbi omedetō_

_Otanjōbi omedetō_

_Otanjōbi dia Saaasuke_

_Otanjōbi omedetō!"_

She clapped at the end for extra effect. Sasuke rose an eyebrow, noticing her singing wasn't as shrill or harsh as Sakura's attempt to sing.

"Arigatou Kari" Sasuke said with a smirk. Kari sighed glad he accepted it, when a though popped into her mind.

"Will your fan girls leave you presents?"

"Probably" Sasuke said scowling. "I never open them, I just throw them away."

"That's a waste" Kari said sadly.

"You can have them, its probably just a load of sweet stuff" Sasuke said boredly.

"Really?" Kari asked excitedly.

"No. If you eat all that you'll get fat" Sasuke said smirking when she took offence.

"I have a high metabolism thank you very much!" Kari scoffed.

"You'll still get fat" Sasuke said folding his arms, smirk still in place. "You'll take up all the bed."

"I'm not that big!"

"No, but if you eat all that you will be" Sasuke said with a smirk as Kari looked at him angrily.

"Will not!" she cried.

"Will too!" She jumped on him knocking him over and sat on his chest.

"Then I'll be able to squish you flat baakaaa!" she scoffed folding her arms. Sasuke smirked and flipped, trapping her underneath him. As he expected, a blush blossomed across her cheeks and her eyes darted away from him.

While sparring, Sasuke had learnt that though Kari could show as much confidence as she needed, when her personal space was invaded, or she was pinned down, she became shy and awkward. He enjoyed teasing her. He found it entertaining.

He rested his forehead on hers, feeling the heat radiating off her cheeks, her bangs brushing against the plate of his hitai-ate. She met his eyes for a moment before her face darkened and she squirmed slightly, trying to get him off. Without warning, he pinched her sides causing her to squirm even more.

"Sasuke! What have I told y-you about tickling me?!" Kari cried, squeaking in the middle because her sensitive sides were poked again.

"It's my birthday, you were the one who made a big deal out of it" Sasuke said, turning the unnecessary event to his advantage.

"Just b-because – Ee! – It's your birthday – stop it! – and you can do anything you want, it doesn't mean – (_giggle_) – that I have to suffer!" she said squirming under him as she tried to escape the torture.

"But you just said I could do whatever I want" Sasuke said as she grabbed his hands to stop his next attack.

"Well yeah, it's special, you're a year older" Kari said as she lightly panted, blush still in place.

"So I can do anything I want?"

"Within reason" Kari said as he looked thoughtful.

"Will you help me with something?" Sasuke said, he still hated asking for help but with Kari it was more of a favour in which would usually earn her a piggyback or pocky or something.

"Depends what it is" Kari said smartly.

"Before, when Kakashi told us about relationships and stuff, will you teach me about it? If I'm going to restore my clan and find a girl suitable, I'll need to be able to win her over because my wife will not be a fan girl and so might need persuasion" Sasuke said slightly awkwardly. Kari raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "I want to know what I'm doing when I'm _kissing_ and such; I don't want to make a fool out of myself."

Kari ignored the fact it probably took an immense amount of effort and pride bruising to say that and started giggling madly. She then paused and gave him a hard stare.

"You're not saying you want me to be a whore are you?" she said sternly.

"That about sums it up" Sasuke said awkwardly.

"**NANI?! IIE**!" Kari cried in horror.

"It wouldn't change anything and it's not like I'm interested in you so it won't mean anything" Sasuke said scowling in embarrassment. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't need to, and you're the only one who can help me."

"Ask Sakura!"

"I don't trust her and it would give her false hope. You said you'd do anything on my birthday didn't you?"

"Aa?—Demo?—Nande? You learn together with your partner!" Kari said her cheeks ruby toned.

"I'm not going to make a fool of myself" Sasuke said stubbornly. "Besides I'm sure you had experience before you came here and it's not like you haven't done it before!"

"_You_ kissed _me_ and it was a dare!" Kari cried indignantly.

"And if I dared you now?" Sasuke asked with an eyebrow raised. She stared at him in embarrassment. He smirked knowing he had her stuck, she had a competitive spirit and hated the though of being a coward. She sighed and glanced up at him. She then sat up and planted a swift kiss on his cheek. Somehow it was a lot more natural with Naruto.

"That wasn't a kiss" Sasuke said accusingly. He didn't really want this did he? He was only doing it to save himself from further embarrassment.

"You didn't say where I had to kiss you!" Kari said smirking.

"Some help you are. What about when you use your tongues, how the hell do you do that?" Kari 'eep'ed and shot out from under him and hid behind a tree, her head poking out to glare at him.

"Iie."

"Tch, Kari-chan's shy" Sasuke mocked. It didn't work; she just glared at him harder.

"If you were older, hotter and _not Sasuke_, maybe I'd consider it" she mumbled, still shooting dirty looks at him. "See, that's what I meant by kinky! Cold bath for you Uchiha-san!"

Before Sasuke could comprehend what was happening, he was physically lifted up and after speeding forwards he was thrown into the lake. _The freezing cold lake._

"Baka!" Sasuke shouted, grabbing hold of her before she could escape and dragging her in. She fell onto him with a splash and came up cackling like a hyena. She pulled herself up onto the surface of the lake and with a firm hold on his hand she skipped in a circle around him, trying to make him dance with her. "W-what the hell are you doing?"

"You need to learn to have fun!"

"No I don't. I need to dry off and warm up before I catch a cold" Sasuke scoffed pulling her towards the bank while she stood still, waves lapping at her toes.

* * *

"Oi Sasu, are we ready for the exams do you think?" Kari asked, looking up at the setting Sun. It was remarkable how fast a day could go after being asked to be a whore, throwing Sasuke in the lake, having a spar (to keep the birthday boy happy) and a brief trip to the Uchiha compound (and a delighted Mikoto ghost).

"Hn. That guy from Suna won't know what's hit him. You're a good sensei. Though I'll never use those gymnastics you taught me" Sasuke replied, lying beside her.

"It was for your balance! But you'll be careful against Gaara ne? He isn't a pushover Sasuke" Kari said worriedly.

"Neither is your opponent, but I have full faith in you" Sasuke said, looking round at her. "Don't let him get a hold on you like the last one did" the Uchiha said seriously, his memory sparking back to Kari's face turning pale as she choked on the blood flooding from her mouth.

"Hai, I'll try" Kari said simply looking up at the fierce orange tones in the sky. "And you stay away from Gaara's sand; I don't want you with crush bones like Lee-kun."

"I know, where's our baka sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Reading porn" Kari said simply. "Have you had a good birthday, ne?"

"I guess so" Sasuke said with a light smirk. He had to say that he rather enjoyed spending the day with her, more than he's willing to admit. It's the first birthday since the loss of his mother that he actually felt meant something. "Arigatou Kari."

She smiled at him, and then planted a light kiss on his lips, stunning him slightly.

"Douitashimashite" Kari said with a warm smile. "You earned your birthday kiss, but that's all you're getting."

"Hn, whatever" Sasuke said with a light blush. Kari smiled and shook her head.

_Teenage boys…_

* * *

Translations: 

Watashiha anata nogashita - I missed you

Watashi mo - Me too

Shirigomisuru! - Back off!

Gama - Toad

Sugoii - Wow, great, amazing

Awa - Bubble

Ero-ojii - Perverted old man

Furui_ -_ Old

Emi - Smile

Ara/Are - Oh/huh?

Koi(shii) - Sweetheart, beloved etc

Douitashimashite - You're welcome

Dou iu koto da? - What do you mean/what are you talking about?

Chotto matte - Wait a minute

Otanjōbi omedetō - Happy Birthday


	48. Anata Gai Nakute Shabisiidesu

**A/N:** The Mocks are over! No more nights with two hours sleep and hours of revision! And no more falling asleep in freezing cold exam halls! Ookami Tsubasawa is happy :D and you now what else? I might be going to a Nightwish concert with two of my best friends!! I shower my hapiness on those kind reviewers that are my inspiration and motivation :D

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto again because of how amazingly awesome Naruto's skills have become!

**Claimer:** All things associated with Kari and Kita belong to me.

I need to put up 200 review fanart :O! I'm so flipping late!! GOMENASAI MINNA!

Note: Nigero = '_run_'. Nan de = _'what the?'_ Nande = '_why_?' Ashite = '_Tomorrow_'. Atsui = '_Hot_'.

* * *

**Anata Gai Nakute Shabisiidesu**

_**I miss you**_

* * *

_And after being without her, he realised how much she really meant to him,_

_and how much he truely needed her._

* * *

Shikamaru strategically moved the Shogi piece before pausing and looking back at the sleeping shinobi. The nice guy he was, he came to visit Chouji, but when he found Naruto was in hospital too decided to come see him as well.

"This guy sleeps a lot" Shikamaru said "Maybe he's dead." The lazy ninja heaved a sigh and turned back to his game._ How troublesome…_ Kita sat opposite him, watching curiously as he played against himself. She had been watching over Naruto while he slept.

She looked round and jumped on the bed walking across it and jumping down again, she lifted herself onto her hind legs and pawed at the table. Shikamaru looked around and was surprised to see that the green sand in his hourglass timer had stopped flowing. "What's this? Damn it's stuck. How troublesome." There was a groan from Naruto as a blue eye cracked open.

"Yo! Finally awake?" Shikamaru greeted.

"Doko ka?" Naruto mumbled, looking around sleepily.

"The hospital" Shikamaru replied. "I heard you were asleep for three days straight."

"Three days?" Naruto repeated. Then it sunk in. "_**THREE DAYS?!**_" He jumped into a standing position on his bed, while Kita stared at him in surprise.

"N-nani?" Shikamaru asked.

"Shikamaru! When are the final matches?!" Naruto shrieked.

"Ashita" Shikamaru said confused.

"_**EEEHHH?!**_" Naruto screamed grabbing the front of Shikamaru's shirt. "_**WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER DATTEBAYOU?!!**_" He pulled Shikamaru closer to him showering the lazy ninja in spit. "I don't have time to be lying around here sleeping! Where is Ero-sennin?! _**WHERE IS HE**_?! I need him to supervise my training!!"

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru choked out. "I have no clue what you're talking about!"

"My clothes are gone!" Naruto shrieked, diving back on the bed and throwing his pillows in the air. "DOKO?! DOKO?! DOKO?!"

"Geez… he's sleeping one minute and causing a ruckus the next…" Shikamaru sighed. "Calm down!" Naruto froze. "There's no point in panicking the day before, resting can be considered a part of your training." Naruto slumped silently. "Oi Naruto? Doushita?" Shikamaru said worriedly. A loud growl was his reply and Naruto looked round with tears down his face.

"I'm hungry…" Kita giggled and jumped onto the bed again. Naruto picked her up and set her in his lap.

"Come on… don't scare me like that…" Shikamaru sighed. "Oh yeah" Shikamaru bent down to pick something up by the side of the bed. After a moment he placed a basket of fruit in front of Naruto.

"This is troublesome, but I brought these fruits for Chouji" Shikamaru explained. "The doctor said he can't eat them so let's eat them together."

"Chouji? He's hurt that badly?" Naruto asked.

"Don't get the wrong idea" Shikamaru said smirking. "He ate too much barbeque and his stomach isn't feeling well." Naruto burst into laughter, startling Kita who walked off his lap and sat opposite Shikamaru instead.

"That sounds like Chouji alright dattebayou!"

"Girls don't come to visit guys like you…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Oi! Kita-chan is a girl! If Kari-chan knew I was here she'd be by my side in an instant" Naruto said confidently. "In fact she's watching through Kita so in a way she is here. She's just really busy training."

"So you've seen her since she ran away from hospital?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hai! She's fine, just a little pale." Naruto said grinning. Suddenly he remembered the last time he saw her.

* * *

_He could remember falling, screaming at the top of his lungs as he fell faster and faster the wind rushing in his ears. His heart was pounding, trying to escape through his mouth and his eyes stung from the cold air. He felt his falling slow slightly; at least, he thought he did. And his eyes closed for a split second._

_He was in a place made of stone that was bathed in an eerie gold light. It was silent apart from the sound of dripping water. There was a rustling and snarling sound and Naruto looked around confused. He felt something brush his hand and squeaked in alarm._

"_Shh it's me" Kari said softly, lacing her fingers with his. "Stay close to me okay?" Before he could answer she gently led him down a corridor, before turning left down another corridor. This corridor was a lot darker and their footsteps disturbed the shallow water coating the floor._

_That feeling… the red chakra…_

_Naruto gripped Kari's hand tighter, feeling a little apprehensive. She looked back and smiled encouragingly. She was there; there was nothing to be afraid of. The noise was getting louder and the light brightened, blinding Naruto's eyes for a moment._

_He gasped realising they were in front of a gate._

"_What's this?" Naruto asked looking at the seal holding the gate closed. Red eyes and a set of sharp teeth came into view, bathed in a fierce red chakra._

_A frightening snarl erupted down a corridor to their right as well as a thunderous din of banging and crashing of metal. Naruto shuddered slightly and moved closer to Kari who squeezed his hand in reassurance._

"_They won't hurt you Naruto. Those are my demons" Kari whispered to him._

"_Come closer…" the red chakra growled at him. Naruto obeyed, slowly walking closer. Kari stayed where she was, letting his hand go. Naruto shouted in alarm when claws grinded against the gate and rushed back to Kari's side. A blast of white chakra forced his claws back inside his cage. "I want to devour you, but this gate will not open. It is a detestable seal."_

"_You're…" Naruto whispered in shock._

"_Kyuubi" Kari finished, regarding the large beast with interest._

"_You… You are the Torai-Kenshi jinchuuriki…" the Kyuubi said. _

"_The red chakra was his" Naruto said finally understanding._

"_You came to me this time" the Kyuubi said in surprise. "Why did you come here?" Naruto faltered slightly but laced his hand with Kari's and immediately his fear was thrown aside._

"_Oi you dumb kitsune!" Naruto said angrily. "Since you're staying in my body, give me your chakra as rent!" The Kyuubi chuckled evilly._

"_So you're saying that if you die I die as well? You have guts blackmailing me like that" red chakra began to pool out through the bars of the gate. "As an ally of the holder of my mate I suppose I cannot refuse. As a reward of coming all the way here I'll give it to you!" the red chakra was almost at Naruto's feet now. Roars erupted from the right and Kari's hand slipped through his._

"_I'm proud of you Naruto, but I have to go now" Kari whispered. She placed a kiss on his cheek before disappearing down the dark corridor as chakra swirled around his body. As the golden tips of her hair melted into shadow his eyes were shrouded in darkness._

* * *

Of course, only seconds had passed but he was full of the red chakra and managed to summon Gamabunta the chief toad. He struggled to win the toads respect by holding on all day but as the sun began to set he supposed he fainted. But he remembered a warm feeling around his middle and the soft sound of beating wings…

He was brought out of his thoughts when Shikamaru handed him an apple. Kita was chomping on an apple (she loved fruit even though she was a wolf) liking the juice of her nose and muzzle with her long pink tongue. Naruto was about to take a bite out of his apple when he gasped his eyes widening.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked, noticing Naruto's pause.

"Let's eat these in front of Chouji!" Naruto said, chuckling mischievously.

"Naughty Naruto-kun!" Kita scolded as she threw her apple core in the air and with careful precision and a swift move of her paw, got the core in the bin. Shiruba-chan, Obaasama and Okaasan were very good teachers!

"What a troublesome guy…" Shikamaru said shaking his head with a lopsided smile.

* * *

As they walked out the door to visit Chouji, Kita yipped in alarm and took off down the hall. Dropping the basket, Shikamaru and Naruto chased after her and burst into Lee's room only to see Lee covered in sand with Gaara hovering beside him. Shikamaru immediately grabbed his shadow and Naruto ran over and punched the redhead in the face.

"Temee! What the hell are you doing here?!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"Oi Naruto" Shikamaru said. "When I'm using the Kage Mane technique I'm moving along with him. Got it?"

"Eh…Gomen Shikamaru" Naruto apologised sheepishly while Kita shook her head from her position on Lee's stomach. There was a ring of sand around her and she was prepared to jump if it so much as twitched. "Temee what are you trying to do **gejimayu**?!"

"I tried to kill him" Gaara said, his face and voice devoid of emotion.

"Why do you need to do that? You won the match. Do you have some sort of personal grudge against him?" Shikamaru demanded.

"No. I'm going to kill him because I want him dead" Gaara stated.

"That's the most selfish thing I've ever heard!" Naruto shouted.

"You grew up in a bad environment didn't you? You're really ego-centric." Shikamaru said, trying to keep calm.

"If you bother me I will kill you too, regardless if you are important to her." Gaara said.

"What?! Just try it then!" Naruto threatened energetically.

"Hey! Cut it out Naruto!" Shikamaru hissed. "We know that you're strong because we saw your match with him. But this guy here and I are pretty strong. We didn't show our strongest moves at the preliminaries."

"And Kari-chan's strong too!" Naruto threatened ignoring Shikamaru irritated glare. He knew Kari was extremely important to Naruto, but she didn't need to be brought into this. What if that guy went after her next?

"And it's two versus one too" Shikamaru continued. "You're at a disadvantage. If you listen to us we'll let you go."

"I'm only going to say this once more. If you bother me I will kill you!" Gaara seemed to be getting angry.

"You can't kill me!" Naruto shrieked pointing an accusing finger at Gaara.

"Naruto-kun!" Kita scolded.

"I told you to stop doing that!" Shikamaru cried. "He's strong as a monster, you know that right?"

"I and Kari-chan have real monsters inside us!" Naruto said smirking. That horrifying roar echoed in his thoughts again and he shuddered slightly. _Kari-chan…_ "I won't lose to you!" Shikamaru elbowed him.

"Don't piss him off ahou!" Shikamaru hissed.

"Bakemono ka?" Gaara asked, closing his black rimmed eyes. "Then I am the same. As you said I did not grow up in a nice environment. I took the life of the woman who was my mother when I was born. To become the ultimate ninja, my father used a technique to bind an incarnate of sand to me." His eyes opened as he remembered telling the same story not too long ago to her. _The one that holds the devil_. "I was a monster at birth." The leaf nin's eyes widened. "It is called Shukaku and was sealed within a teakettle. It is the living soul of an elder priest from the village of sand."

"Must be one of the soul binding techniques to bind a soul before birth" Shikamaru said. "To think that you guys would resort to such a thing… you guys are crazy."

_She said it was horrible, that they were the monsters to have hurt me before I was even born._

"That's not what a parent should do, what a twisted way to show love" Shikamaru said.

"Love?" Gaara repeated. "Don't measure me by your values. Family? Let me tell you what kind of link I have with them. They are just lumps of meet linked by hatred and murderous intent. I stole my mother's life and was created to be the village's masterpiece. And as Kazekage's son, my father taught me the secrets of ninja techniques. I grew up after being overprotected, spoiled and then left alone. I thought that was love. Until that incident happened…"

"That incident?" Shikamaru repeated.

"What happened, dattebayou?" Naruto asked. When he got no answer, Naruto shouted a bit louder. "What happened, dattebayou?!" Gaara smirked maniacally his eyes opening wide.

"In these past six years starting from when I was six, my father tried to assassinate me numerous times!" Gaara replied.

_That look on her face… shock, sympathy and anger… anger at my father for even attempting to hurt me. Yet I can't understand her feelings. Why would she feel resentment towards them?_

"But you said that he spoiled you" Shikamaru said. "So what do you mean?"

"A being that is too strong eventually becomes an embodiment of fear" Gaara said simply.

_He remembered how she was quiet for a moment before smiling sadly and turning back to him. He could remember her words so clearly, and that lost look in her eyes, that fear and sorrow that was eating at her "And that's what awaits me. It's only a matter of time."_

"Since I was born from the usage of a technique my mind was unstable. The idiots in my village finally realised that my emotions were unpredictable. To Kazekage, my father, I was the village's trump card."

He paused remembering that red glint that sparked her eyes at that point. "_That man is simply the one that fertilised your mother's egg, he was cruel to you in your childhood, and he caused you pain, he shouldn't be considered your father."_ He still couldn't understand how she could hate his father just from what he told her. It was… odd. She was odd.

"But at the same time I was a threat. After I turned six, it seems that they classified me as a dangerous being. I was the village's dangerous tool, but still handled with care. I am only a relic of the past that they want to get rid of. So why do I exist and live? I asked myself that question and could not find an answer. But I need those reasons while I am still alive. Or it would be the same as being dead." Gaara said, his eyes narrowing.

"What is he talking about?" Shikamaru whispered in shock. Kita abandoned Lee's side and jumped into Naruto's trembling arms. His eyes were wide with understanding.

"And this is what I concluded. I exist to kill everyone other than me. I finally found relief in the fear of being assassinated at any time. By killing the assassins I was able to recognise my reason to live. I fight only for myself and love only myself. As long as I think that other people exist to make me feel that, the world is wonderful. As long as there are people to kill in this world, to make me experience the joy of living, my existence will remain." Gaara said.

"_I can see how you would think that, and you had every right to kill those who those who tried to kill you" she said softly. He was surprised that she agreed, but remained blank. She was simply someone to listen to his story, nothing more. "But… I hope someday you'll be able to find a new conclusion, because that path seems very sad and lonely, with no one ever being able to understand you." She paused and looked round at him, her eyes genuine and true. _

_No one had ever looked at him like that. _

_That's why she's still alive. She's different. Interesting… "I hope someday, that you can find someone to love, and someone to love you. Even if it's only one person so that you're not alone anymore." He disagreed with her opinion but listened to her anyway. "Solitude will never bring happiness. If anyone deserves to be happy it's you." He found that rather idiotic, a murderous demon deserves to be happy? "You've suffered too long Gaara."_

Naruto's eyes were fixed on Gaara, his brain forgetting to tell his body to breathe. He held Kita tightly. His thoughts whirled around his head;

_He's the same as me. I didn't know the reason for my existence and suffered, but Iruka-sensei acknowledged my existence, so I was finally able to feel like I was alive. Until Kari-chan came and breathed life and joy like I had never known into me and relied on me and needed me as much as I needed her. She… She's my everything._

_But this guy… he had no one. He has always been alone and felt alive… by killing others? Such a guy exists? Our worlds are completely different! There's no way I can beat a guy like him!_

Naruto took a step back, shaking in fear. Kari wasn't with him now. _But she was always there when he needed her. He needed her now! Where was she?!_

"Naruto-kun doushita?" Shikamaru cried.

_She's unconscious… He could feel it. And she was in pain, she wasn't well. He could feel her spirit yearning and screaming to come to him, but she wasn't able to. She'd been exhausted after being in that chamber with Kyuubi. _

There was the sound of rushing sand and Kita yelped in alarm. Sand rushed around Gaara who was once again emotionless.

"Naruto! Naruto oi! Wake up!" Shikamaru cried as a rush of sand raised up in front of Naruto.

_She isn't here… She's my source of strength and she can't come to me…! Kari-chan! Kari-chan!!_

The sand was rushing towards them so fast. And Naruto couldn't move, he was frozen.

"Let me feel…" Gaara whispered excitedly. Naruto's eyes widened with fear but gasped when the sand was thrown away from him and Shikamaru in a blast of white chakra. He felt a dull thud of pain in his chest and realised that Kari had defended him whilst she'd been lying unconscious.

_Even when she can't wake up she forces herself to protect me. And I doubted her. She's always there when I need her even when she's not physically here she watches through Kita. How could I have doubted her?!_

Naruto was distracted from his crushing guilt when someone entered the room.

"Stop right there! The main matches are tomorrow. There is no need to get hasty" Gai said in his booming voice. "Or do you want to get hospitalised today?" Gaara's eyes widened and he clutched his head. The sand retracted from around Lee and rushed back into the gourd. Gaara walked out of the room with one hand still holding his head.

"I will kill you guys for sure" Gaara said coldly. "You just wait."

Naruto was still shaken and stroked Kita to calm her. He hoped he'd see Kari soon. He doubted he'd calm down until he did. That overwhelming fear had shown him how much he needed her. Even though he wasn't a coward, he needed her reassurance if he was ever uncertain.

_Gomenasai Kari-chan. Never will I doubt you again._

* * *

Naruto stood outside of the empty arena, looking up at the sign. '_Chuunin exam main match stage'._ The moon cast shadows across his tan face and darkened the colour of his vibrant sky blue eyes. Kita looked up and whined softly, Naruto stroked her head. It was soothing, and at the same time reassuring. Kita was a part of Kari, in a way; he was holding Kari in his arms too.

"Ashita eh?" he whispered glancing at Kita.

Tomorrow… Tomorrow he would fulfil his promise and win his match for Kari-chan. He'd beat Neji for hurting Kari and Hinata. Then he'd go on to win it all for his Ookami-nee.

He went to Ichiraku and ordered a glass of water, wishing Kari could be there to eat with him. Celebrate their possibly last day as genin. Ayame giggled happily as she fed Kita a small bowl of ramen, Kita wagging her tail in delight whenever the chopsticks came close to her.

"What's wrong? I haven't seen you in a while" Teuchi said, preparing a fresh batch of ramen.

"I was in the hospital" Naruto chuckled.

"Hospital?" Ayame asked.

"But I'm fine now; I'm as good as new!" Naruto reassured.

"Sou ka" Teuchi said. "Ayame!" he said handing a bowl to his daughter. She handed the bowl to Naruto smiling widely at him.

"Ojiichan?" Naruto asked.

"Just eat up" Teuchi said waving his hand. "The main matches are tomorrow right?"

"Then… Ittadakimasu!" Naruto cried gratefully as Kita wagged her tail, her mouth full of noodles.

* * *

Naruto walked through the crowd of the people enjoying the festival before the main exam. He brought Kita some sweet dumplings on a stick and was feeding her as they walked towards his apartment. He would have loved to join in some of the games if his friends were about, but didn't really feel in the mood.

"Kari-chan has never been to a festival has she?" Naruto asked Kita, remembering Kari telling him that on the way back from Nami. "I'll throw one just for her when I become Hokage, what do you think Kita-chan?" Naruto asked grinning at the cub who was chomping on the last of the dumplings.

"Hai!" Kita cried in delight.

* * *

At 2:40am Naruto was still awake and restless. Kita was fast asleep, her soft breaths the only thing distracting him from the ticking clock. He was tired, but couldn't sleep.

"Kari-chan… are you still awake?" Naruto murmured thoughtfully. He glanced at his calendar.

11th August – Main matches.

He hadn't seen Kari since mid July. He missed her.

"Ashita... I'll see her tomorrow" Naruto whispered closing his eyes.

* * *

"You don't even have a scratch on you!" TenTen said in awe as she panted in exhaustion. "You're good to go Neji!"

"I guess I will stop the light exercises here and get going" Neji said. TenTen bit her lip. He still wasn't the same. They hadn't seen Kari in a month and had heard from the hospital she had run away. She was sure that Kari had been to see Neji before she ran off again. He was too keen to train, too desperate to prove himself. If he hadn't seen her he'd still be in depression.

"Kari-chan should be there shouldn't she? I hope she's okay" TenTen said knowing she was treading on thin ice. Neji gave her a hard stare that unnerved her slightly. "Her wounds should be healed now."

"She'll be fine. She always is" Neji said turning away.

"Neji!" TenTen cried. He stopped but didn't look back. "Don't be too hard on her. Something happened in that forest… I've never seen her like that before" TenTen paused as Neji closed his eyes trying to drive out those images of her covered in blood, her eyes… horrified, terrified. The way she _begged_ him not to leave her.

Was that it? Because he left her when she needed him most?

No, she was fine in the hall, greeted him cheerfully enough. _It was when he lost his temper and went to kill Hinata_. She didn't trust him, was anxious and tense before the fight. She told him not to hurt her. If he hadn't lost his temper… She'd have been training with them this last month. She wouldn't despise him. He wouldn't have almost killed her.

"Neji just… don't expect too much of her okay?" TenTen said timidly. "She just needs some time."

* * *

Naruto sat up tiredly as his alarm went off. Dark shadows were under his eyes and he looked pale.

"I couldn't sleep because I was so nervous…" he mumbled. "First I have to fight Neji in the first round.

"_Even my Sharingan cannot see those Tenketsu"_

"_The most strongest genin in Konoha is probably on my team. He is Hyuuga Neji."_

_Neji…_

_Neji…_

_Neji…_

* * *

The gates of Konoha opened to allow the feudal lords to enter. There were crowds on either side to welcome them.

"You should be sitting in one of those you know" Kaizo said to his wife with a grin. Kitome smiled at him and shrugged.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Kari-chan's fight" she said softly.

"She'll make us proud" Kaizo said his grin widening with pride. "She's our daughter after all."

"And Naruto-kun's fight is first. We'll have to cheer for him too" Kitome said happily as they began to walk to the arena.

"Definitely. That kids a future legend I tell you. I'm just glad we aren't on ANBU duty today" Kaizo said happily.

"Ah sumimasen are you going to the arena?"

"Of course, please follow us" Kitome said kindly to the foreign shinobi.

* * *

Naruto walked slowly towards the arena feeling tired and queasy. Kita was laying on his shoulder looking amazed at all the people.

"The first fight features Hyuuga Neji right?"

"Aa he was last years number one rookie ne? I can't miss the matches now!"

Naruto sighed sadly feeling depressed.

"Ne, Naruto-kun they're right! To see Hyuuga Neji beaten by the future Hokage will be a sight to see!" Kita whispered to him. He smiled at the wolf cub before continuing to walk, feeling a little better.

"Hyuuga Neji… I'm able to summon a frog now so I should be fine dattebayou! And I have Kita-chan and Kari-chan's support!" Naruto grit his teeth remembering the cold look in Neji's and Gaara's eyes. Sighing he trudged towards a nearby training ground. But someone was already there.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked causing the shy girl to jump. Kita jumped out of Naruto's arms and rushed over to her.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan! Ohayou gozaimasu!" Kita cried in delight jumping into her arms.

"N-Naruto-kun! Kita-chan!" Hinata cried half-hiding behind one of the three wooden posts. "Why did you come here?" Hinata asked shyly. "Isn't today the main matches?"

"Ore wa… you know…" Naruto said awkwardly. "I just came to see this training area. Since this is where I became a genin."

"Really?" Hinata asked. "But why?"

"No reason! Who cares about the reason?!" Naruto cried, not wanting to seem soft.

"Yeah… gomen" Hinata said softly.

"Oi Hinata? Neji is your relative, ne?" Naruto asked.

"Yes" Hinata replied.

"Is he strong?" Naruto asked seriously.

"Yes…" Hinata said sadly.

"Sou ka…" Naruto said.

"Demo… you might be able to defeat him Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried. Naruto laughed.

"Yeah I _am_ strong!" he laughed, but he gave up and sighed. Kita lightly giggled at his expression, her tail gently wagging.

"I'm sure you can beat him Naruto-kun…" Hinata said timidly, pressing her fingers together nervously, Kita relocating to her shoulder. "When you cheered me on… I felt like I had become stronger than before. After the preliminaries… I was able to like myself a little more. If a stranger looked at me, it might have seemed like I hadn't changed… But I think I was able to change… And I think it was thanks to you Naruto-kun. Kari-oneechan helped me very much, but I think it was you who gave me that extra little push…" Hinata smiled shyly, a stubborn blush on her rosy cheeks.

"Oi Hinata… Did you really think that?" Naruto asked.

"Eh?"

"I may look strong from your point of view… but I always screw up… and I just act strong because I'm mad dattebayou" Naruto said, frustrated with himself.

"That's not true!" Hinata cried, Kita yipping in agreement. "Even if you did make a mistake you always… from my point of view… a proud man who makes a lot of mistakes is very strong. When I looked at you there was this impact on my heart. You're not perfect… no one is… You make mistakes and you become stronger from them. I believe that is true strength. Kari-oneechan says that we learn from our mistakes. She is always defeated in training by Neji-niisan, but she never gave up. She says that she can't let you down and she wants to be able to keep up with you" Hinata blushed fiddling with her fingers as Naruto stared at her in shock. "Naruto-kun… I and Kari-oneechan agree that you are a strong person…" she gave Kita a gentle embrace before inching shyly behind the post, a smile on her face.

"Arigatou… Hinata" Naruto said with a grin. "Now I know why Kari-chan adores you." Hinata blushed.

"Oneechan…" she said softly with a smile, Kita's tail swinging lazily.

"I've always been last place in everything. I was nervous over nothing" Naruto chuckled "I just need to see Kari-chan and there'll be no way I can lose! I was a bit depressed but I feel better now dattebayou!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried joyously, her hands clasped together in delight.

"Come on Kita-chan!" Naruto cried and Kita immediately bounded over and jumped on his shoulder. "Ja! We'll be going to the matches now."

"Ja ne Hinata-chan!" Kita cried as they began to walk off.

"Hinata…" Naruto said stopping and looking round with a smile. Hinata looked up with a blush "I always thought of you as…" Hinata's heart pounded and her blush intensified. _Could he…?!_ "…a dark, timid and weird person." Naruto finished bluntly.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured depressed.

"But you know what?" Naruto continued as he began walking away. Hinata looked up curiously. "I like people like you, dattebayou!"

The wind ran through Hinata's short midnight locks as she watched his retreating figure with bright lavender eyes. Her lips were parted and her blush made her feel warm and dizzy. She would cherish those words in her heart forevermore.

_You were wrong Naruto-kun, you don't come last in my heart… And not in Kari-oneechan's heart either. You are my idol. You are her courage. You are our strength._

"Oh! Be sure to come watch me beat Neji! And don't miss Kari-chan's fight either, if she's trying to keep up with me she'll be super strong dattebayou!" Naruto cried over his shoulder.

She smiled as she nodded, the both of them startled by the sudden explosions above the arena.

"KUSO! It's that time already?!" Naruto shrieked, realising that the exams were soon to start. "I'm late! I'm late! Kari-chan'll kill me!! Ja Hinata!!" Naruto shrieked as he ran full pelt towards the arena. She watched him leave, the blush still warm on her face.

"Sorry I'm late Hinata!" Kiba said walking up to her with Akamaru on his shoulder. "Shino's match is later on so… Oi Hinata?" Kiba asked. He was wearing a jacket reasonably alike to the black one he gave Kari. His hood was down for once revealing his messy brown hair without his hitai-ate. Hinata was wearing a blue blouse and her ninja capris. The Hyuuga girl wasn't listening, still staring at the place Naruto disappeared. Kiba looked back and forth confused. "Nan de? Oi Hinata, Kari-chan will scold me if we're late."

"Ara? Kiba-kun? Right we should go" Hinata said snapping out of her reverie.

* * *

"It's going to start!" A Konoha citizen cried.

"Get out of the way dattebayou!" Naruto shouted rushing through the crowd as Kita held on tightly to his shoulder. "Damn it's pretty far away dattebayou I have to make it!"

"Naruto-kun dattebayou's a lot when he's stressed…" Kita sighed, shaking her head as Naruto rushed along.

"Naruto-niichan!" Naruto paused and looked down an alley.

"Konohamaru?" the younger boy grinned.

"I've come to save the day!" Konohamaru cried striking a thumbs up.

"Konohamaru why are you here?" Naruto asked nonplussed.

"We'll talk later, come over here! I know a secret way to get to the stage directly!" Konohamaru cried rushing down the alley.

"Nani? YOSH! Well done Konohamaru!" Naruto cried excitedly rushing after him.

"Kita-chan has a bad feeling about this…" Kita sighed watching Konohamaru's scarf fly behind him.

"Those who conquer the secret passageway conquer time!" Konohamaru cried, searching through a patch of grass.

"Sou ka! You're great Konohamaru!"

"There should be a hole in the fence somewhere" Konohamaru said, crawling through the grass… only to find the hole covered up.

"Doushita Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, noticing Konohamaru had frozen.

"The… passageway has been fixed…" Konohamaru said sheepishly.

"NAN DE?!" Naruto shrieked. "I don't have time dattebayou!" Naruto turned to continue running but Konohamaru grabbed his ankle.

_Naruto-kun is a shinobi… Naruto-kun could jump over the fence…_ Kita thought to herself.

"Oniichan! On to the next plan!" Konohamaru cried.

"I seriously don't have any time left dattebayou!!" Naruto cried at the young boy clinging to his foot. Konohamaru grinned.

"This is a secret, but there's an amazing passageway that will allow you to arrive at the stage in a flash!" the younger boy cried, while Kita mumbled about a 'bad feeling'.

"Nani?! Yosha! Well done Konohamaru!" Naruto cried.

* * *

"This hole is a shortcut?" Naruto asked as Konohamaru pulled a manhole cover aside to reveal a deep hole. Kita huffed to herself. She was _not_ going down into that dark smelly hole and ruining her recently washed fur. She couldn't fight alongside her Okaasan if she was covered in muck!

"It leads directly to the stage, I'm sure of it!" Konohamaru cried as Kita jumped down beside the young boy and peered into the hole. Yuck. She is definitely not going in there. A mission would be different, she could quite easily teleport to the arena (she could almost land on the ground now) but her loyalty to Naruto-kun kept her at his side.

But Kita-chan's do _**not**_ go into smelly, dirty, dark holes without need to.

"Directly eh? Yosh, lets hurry dattebayou!" Naruto cried grabbing Kita and jumping into the hole, Konohamaru jumping in immediately afterwards. Naruto screamed as he slid at full speed down the mucky, grimy, sewer, Kita on his stomach and Konohamaru sliding behind him.

"Konohamaru what is this?!" Naruto shrieked.

"Don't worry about it, we'll get to the stage in no time!" Konohamaru cried. Kita noticed a small dot of light that was rapidly growing larger. "See! We're near the exit now!" Naruto smiled; finally as he shot out of the tube, he was so sure he was going to be late and…

_NAN DE?! THE CHUUNIN EXAMS ARE NOT HELD AT THE BATH HOUSE!!_

Naruto shrieked as he fell face first into the hot water with a splash, Kita landing unsteadily on the surface, trying to stay steady on the rippling water.

"**ATSUI! ATSUI! ATSUI! ATSUI!** **HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!!!**"

* * *

"This must be a mistake of some sort…" Konohamaru said sheepishly to an angry Naruto.

"**_KO-NO-HA-MA-RU_**!!" Naruto growled cracking his knuckles while Kita sighed at his behaviour. With a shriek Naruto pointed at the hole in the trunk of a tree at the top of the waterfall of the hot spring. The hole they had all shot out of. "How the hell did _that thing_ bring us here!?!"

"Naruto-kun that thing is a tree!" Kita cried, pointing to the object with her paw.

"And we've got farther away from the place!!" Naruto howled.

"Well! Before it led to the stage…" Konohamaru cried, trying to defend himself. Kita tilted her head to the side, unable to imagine it. "Let me prepare the next plan!" he paused noticing some bulls. "This is it!"

"Kita-chan has a not so bad feeling about this one" Kita said wagging her tail.

"If we ride this we'll get to the stage in no time!" Konohamaru cried pointing at the bull.

"A bull?" Naruto said sighing hopelessly.

"Don't underestimate it Naruto-niichan! A feudal lord's bull is different to normal bulls. One it starts running racing horses look like a joke. They cannot beat a serious feudal lord bull!" Naruto looked thoughtful but then climbed on, placing Kita in front of him on the bulls neck. "Oniichan just leave the rest to this bull and you'll be at the stage in no time."

"Yosh I'm counting on this! Let's go!" And with that Naruto gave the bull a huge kick. The unimpressed bull threw him off, Kita staying on and watching with interest. She settled herself on the bulls back. The bull scraped its front hoof, glaring at Naruto, or more glaring at the red swirl on the back of Naruto's jumpsuit. With an evil moo it charged at Naruto, Kita happily riding on its back as Naruto screamed and scrambled away.

"_**YAAAA!! NIGERO DATTEBAYOU!!**_"

The bulls they passed looked up in confusion and noticed the dash of red and immediately joined the chase, Kita leading the bull army with the bull in front.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed as he looked around inside the area. _Oi, we're missing quite a lot of people here…_ Sakura and Ino sat together in the stands, looking down at the scene.

"What are the others doing? The main matches are going to begin soon" Ino said anxiously.

_What's going on Sasuke-kun, Kari-chan? Naruto's not here with Kita either…_ Sakura thought solemnly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kita was still leading her army of bulls after Naruto, who was screaming and running for his life.

"**_NANDE DATTEBAYOU!?!_**" Naruto shrieked as he ran full speed, the bulls persistently gaining on him. Konoha citizen screamed and ran away before they were trampled, not thinking to help the poor future Hokage in their retreat. "I'm going to die at this rate dattebayou!" Naruto whined while Kita glanced at the sun to check the time. "I know! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!!" Naruto shrieked creating clones of himself. "Minna! Try and lose the bulls dattebayou!"

They split into three groups, but somehow the bulls managed to cut them off and heard the clones back together again.

"Minna doushita dattebayou!" Naruto cried, noticing his clones back together. "Why did you come back?!"

"New ones appeared and our path was blocked dattebayou!!" a clone cried in reply as Kita noticed her army had increased.

"Why the hell did you make the problem worse?!" Naruto shrieked as he increased his speed. Looking ahead Kita saw their destination. With a big leap she landed in front of the bulls and charged around the Naruto's in her way.

Naruto tried to run into the arena, but so did his clones which resulted in everyone getting stuck in the entrance. The bulls bellowed and charged into the clones, propelling Naruto forward and sending him flying into the arena until he fell flat on his face and skidded until he was in front of Shikamaru.

"What kind of entrance was that…?" Shikamaru mumbled.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried in relief.

"He's totally late…" Ino said, folding her arms.

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru complained, pulling Naruto's arm over his shoulder and helping up. Naruto seemed to regain consciousness.

"Minna, nigero! The bulls! The entire village's bulls are going to go after everyone and Kita-chan is sitting on the leader dattebayou!!" Naruto cried.

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked perplexed.

"I'm serious dattebayou! There's so many of them!" Naruto cried.

"The same Kita that's with Shino now?" Shikamaru said.

Kita had rushed over to Shino, tail wagging in delight, but had then noticed Neji. She hadn't forgotten what she had seen and her ears shot back, her tail curling underneath her. Shino had lifted her up silently, and she had curled up close to him, staring at Neji with wide fearful eyes. The Hyuuga hadn't missed this, but chose to ignore it, though was unsuccessful.

Naruto paused in his desperate explanation and looked around; Shino and Kita, a proctor, Neji, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari.

"Are? Kari-chan wa? Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking around for his team-mates.

"The Dosu guy who was supposed to fight me isn't here either" Shikamaru said.

"Oi you two" the proctor said looking around at them. "Stop walking around. Stand up straight and show your faces to the crowd." Naruto looked up to see a cheering crowd, the stands too high up to make out anyone's faces. "You guys are the main players in the upcoming matches."

"Kari-chan…" Naruto murmured.

_Where are you Ookami-nee?_

* * *


	49. Demo, Kari Doko Desu Ka?

**A/N**: SNOW!! INCHES AND INCHES OF SNOW!! Over in England there is lots of snow! AND NO SCHOOL!! Seeing as I have a real exam in a few weeks thats probably not good but still -- SNOW! Thank you for your reviews, I miss Kari's POV too, but it's nice to see the world through Naruto, ne? Even if he is a little down. Thank you for all of your reviews, I'll get the fanart up ASAP to show my appreciation for you wonderful people.

Disclaimer: Naruto-kun and all associated with him belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Claimer: Kari, Kita and all associated with them are mine, as well as the snow. The snow covering my house and garden is mine.

* * *

**Demo, Kari Doko Desu Ka?**

**_But Where Is Kari?_**

* * *

He inwardly prepared himself, ready to prove himself to all of Konoha

But there was that lingering doubt, that slight apprehension

Where was his source of strength?

* * *

Naruto clenched his fist, he'd been so impatient to see her and she wasn't here yet. But why? She wouldn't miss this for anything. Even if both her legs were broken she'd drag Kakashi and Sasuke the whole way here by their ears.

Looking round, Naruto noticed Kari's opponent which he had missed before. The guy seemed perfectly calm, looking up at the crowd. _Murasaki Akira…_

* * *

"Sasuke and Kari are still missing?" the Hokage asked the chuunin beside him.

"Several ANBU teams are searching for them, but they are nowhere to be found" the chuunin replied. He bent down to whisper in the Hokage's ear. "They may have fallen into Orochimaru's hands already. If that is the case it will be impossible to find them."

"Wakatta…" the Hokage said solemnly. He looked round at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Oh! Look who we have here! Kazakage-dono!" The Hokage stood and motioned for the Kazekage to sit in the seat beside him. The man was taller than the Hokage with similar robes but in blue instead of red and the kanji for wind instead of fire on his hat. His face was mostly covered, only his eyes visible. "You must be tired from your long trip" the Hokage said, sitting down again and looking around at the leader of Suna.

"Iie. I'm glad the stage is in Konoha" the Kazekage replied. "Although you are still young, visiting another village would be tough on you Hokage-sama. Perhaps you should choose a Fifth soon." The Hokage laughed.

"Don't treat me like an old man now!" the Konoha leader said with a smile. "I'm still considering doing this for another five years." The Hokage stood up and approached the railings. "Then, let's begin this." The Hokage took a deep breath before beginning his speech.

"Minna-sama, thank you for coming to the village of Konoha's Chuunin selection exam today. We will now begin the matches with the ten that have passed the preliminaries. Please enjoy the matches!"

"If there are supposed to be ten, it seems that two are missing, unless you are counting that wolf as a participant" the Kazekage commented.

"There are some things that I need to tell you before the matches" the proctor said, reaching into his chuunin vest he pulled out a scroll. "Look at this, there was a little change in the match ups. Check to see who you're going against again."

* * *

Fight 1 - Uzumaki Naruto Vs Hyuuga Neji

Fight 2 – Gaara Vs Uchiha Sasuke

Fight 3 – Murasaki Akira Vs Kari

Fight 4 – Kankurou Vs Aburame Shino

Fight 5 – Temari Vs Nara Shikamaru

Fight 7 – Winner from Fight 1 Vs Winner from Fight 2

Fight 8 – Winner from Fight 4 Vs Winner from Fight 5

Fight 9 – Winner from Fight 3 Vs Winner from Fight 7

Fight 10 – Winner from Fight 8 Vs Winner from Fight 9

* * *

Shikamaru was surprised to see that his first opponent Dosu was no longer there. _Did he drop out?_ Gaara's face darkened, remembering the last time he, or anyone for that matter, saw Dosu.

* * *

"_I was thinking of defeating you right here and right now. Then, I'll have a higher possibility of fighting Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan." The Oto-nin pulled back his sleeve, revealing the metal device on his arm. A shadow blocked out the moonlight and Dosu's eyes widened in horror. "Nan de…?! What are you?!" Dosu was hit, a scream escaping him before he was smothered in smoke._

* * *

"Ano sa! Ano sa!" Naruto cried, putting his hand up.

"What?" the proctor asked, putting his scroll away. Kita jumped on Shikamaru's head and then on to Naruto's.

"Sasuke and Kari-chan haven't arrived yet. What are we going to do?" Naruto asked, while Kita whined to show her agreement.

"Maybe something happened to Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan…?" Sakura murmured from the stands, the snake of worry coiling tighter around her insides.

"If they do not arrive by the time their matches start, they will lose by default" the proctor said simply. Naruto looked back at the entrance to the arena. _Where are you?_

Kita glanced at Gaara while Naruto pondered. The redhead seemed more on edge than before and to be honest it scared her. After seeing him in Lee's hospital room she knew he was capable of pretty much anything. She wished she could see into his thoughts like her Okaasan sometimes could.

* * *

"_Where are you going Gaara?" the Suna-nin's sensei asked as the boy slid the door open._

"_To confirm my existence" Gaara stated, not bothering to look back. _

_He had hidden behind a large rock, listening to the sounds of fists hitting flesh. With his sand he made the third eye and sent it around the rock._

"_Again!" Kakashi ordered, as Kari and Sasuke faced each other panting with exhaustion and sweat rolling down their skin. "Doushita? You can both still move!" Sasuke clenched his fists as Kari stumbled slightly unsteady on her feet. "Again. I'm not going easy on you this time and you two need to stop holding back on each other!"_

_With a cry they shot at each other again as Kakashi charged towards Kari, kunai in hand._

* * *

'_What is he doing?'_ Gaara's sensei thought, looking at the smirk that crossed Gaara's face. '_I told him to avoid anything that would attract attention. Did he kill that Uchiha Sasuke kid and that Kari girl too?'_

"Listen up!" the proctor said. "Although the landscape's different, the same rules apply as in the preliminaries; there are no rules. The match will only end when someone dies or gives up. But if I decide the match is over, I will stop the match. Do not argue with me over it. Got it? The first match is Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. The rest of you need to go back to the waiting room." Naruto and Neji remained still as the others went to leave.

"Ganbatte! Naruto-kun!" Kita cried, licking him on the cheek and rubbing her head against his temple to show affection. "Make Okaasan proud!" and with that, the wolf bounded off after Shino.

* * *

"Oi Hinata! Here are some open seats" Kiba said motioning to two seats. They sat down and looked down at Naruto and Neji. "I can't wait to see this! I just hope Kari-chan gets here soon, she'd hate to miss this." Kiba said, settling Akamaru on his lap.

_Naruto-kun… Kari-neechan…_

* * *

"Ne Sakura. I understand that you're worried about Sasuke-kun and Kari, but why don't you cheer on Naruto a bit" Ino said to the depressed girl beside her.

"You're right" Sakura said with a smile.

"But then again, he has no chance since he's up against Neji" Ino said, looking back down where the two genin stood.

"That's not—" Sakura began.

"Are you sure?" Ino asked. Sakura looked away, unable to deny it.

"To think that kid actually made it this far" a chuunin said with a smirk.

"Hai, but someone who made it this far with luck alone, won't get any further. That Naruto kid, that is" his friend agreed.

"He has a bad opponent; he can't beat someone from the Hyuuga clan."

Kiba smirked, knowing the chuunin would see soon enough that they were wrong about Naruto. A soft whine pulled him out of his thoughts. "Doushita Akamaru?" Akamaru whined again. "What did you say?" Kiba gasped. His eyes scanned the area, looking for something. _Doko ka?_ And then he found it. Behind the back row, stood a man in a mask and a black cloak with the hood up. _Why are the ANBU here? Did something happen?_

Naruto and Neji moved so they were standing opposite each other a few feet apart.

"You look like you want to say something" Neji said with a slight smirk. Naruto clenched his fist and then stuck it out towards Neji, reminding the Hyuuga of his vow.

"I told you before" Naruto growled. _For Hinata, for Kari-chan!_ "I will win!" Neji silently activated his Byakugan. His eyes told him Naruto was perfectly confident in himself, without even the slightest hesitation.

_I know you have good reason to not be here Ookami-nee, but I know you're watching. I can see it in Kita's eyes; I know you're by my side every step of the way._

"That makes this even better" Neji chuckled, sliding into stance. "When you find out the true reality, I will enjoy seeing your discouraged eyes…"

"Stop chattering!" Naruto growled, dust being picked up from the wind and spinning around them. "And let's begin!"

"Now, first match… Begin!" the proctor announced. Cheers erupted from the crowd, adrenaline pulsing through the air. They barely heard as the crowd quietened with anticipation, too locked in each others intense stare. A bead of sweat rolled down Naruto's cheek.

"Watch closely Hanabi" the Hyuuga head said to his youngest daughter. "There is no on else who has inherited the kekkei genkai of Hyuuga as strong as him. You're older sister does not even compare with him."

"_And he's just as bad! Belittling Hinata just because she's not perfect!" Those eyes… Like the devil itself…_

"Even more than Oneesan?" Hanabi repeated.

"And most likely more than you" Hiashi said. Hanabi gasped softly and turned back to look at Neji.

The Hyuuga branch prodigy adjusted his stance, sliding his front foot outwards slightly. Naruto stood their and glared, until with a sharp movement he hurled three kunai towards Neji. Catching the first, deflecting the second and catching the last kunai in the ring of the first, Neji didn't even flinch. Without missing a beat, Naruto charged.

"Baka! Who would charge in right from the front?!" Kiba cried.

Throwing the kunai aside, Neji effortlessly pushed Naruto's fist away from him with a confident smirk. _Just like her, but without her strength and talent._ Using Naruto's own weight, he pushed the blonde shinobi past him. Naruto went to kick him but Neji dodged and Naruto flipped some distance away. With a leap he went to punch Neji, but the Hyuuga simply smirked and tilted his head to the side. He then easily blocked Naruto's rapid assault of blocks and when he went to kick him, pushed his foot to the side. Naruto faltered and jumped in the air to send a kick at him, but once again missed.

_'They fight with the same determination.'_ Neji observed, remembering clear as day that she would have that same fierce spark in her eyes.

Naruto went to punch him again but Neji just avoided it and shot towards him, closing the space between them. Without hesitation, he thrust his chakra filled palm into Naruto's stomach, making the boy choke and cough. Naruto's eyes widened as Neji went to strike him with two fingers of his other hand.

"Iie Naruto! He can see the tenketsu!" Sakura cried, jumping out of her seat. Naruto's fingers pressed into Naruto's shoulder sending him flying backwards. Naruto rolled over, panting as he clutched his shoulder. Neji's eyes narrowed slightly.

_'I missed.'_ Neji got back into stance.

_'So if I get too close, he'll hit me at those points and I won't be able to use any techniques.'_ Naruto thought, remembering when Hinata fought Neji.

"Now you understand that you have no chance of winning." Neji said blankly.

"Heh! That was just a test to see how strong you are" Naruto said with a smirk. He stood up looking confident. "The real battle begins now, dattebayou!" Naruto formed a familiar hand sign and concentrated his chakra. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!!" At once four clones appeared around him in a square.

"What an interesting guy" the chuunin beside Hinata commented.

"The Kage Bunshin is a Jounin level technique" his friend cried. "I didn't know he could use it."

"Now we don't know who'll win." The chuunin said with a smirk as all of the clones pulled out a kunai.

_'Kage Bunshin? I see. If the chakra is distributed equally among the replications… even my Byakugan cannot tell which is the right one.'_

"But there is only one real one" Neji said with a smirk.

"Heh! Don't act so tough dattebayou!!" the Narutos' cried.

"Come if you wish!" Neji challenged.

"It's useless…" TenTen said. "In front of Neji's defence, he isn't offence only" TenTen said with a confident smile.

"Oi!"

"Don't…"

"Underestimate…"

"Me…"

"NEJI!"

The clones shouted one by one, oozing confidence. Four Naruto's charged towards Neji while one hung back. Neji jumped and pushing down on two of the Naruto's backs, he flipped into the air. He deflected the next two Naruto's with ease, pushing their kunai away from him. Another Naruto went to kick him and for a moment it seemed as thought the hit had landed.

"He got him!" Sakura cried.

"What a fool…" TenTen said smirking. Neji had jumped at the last second and leant backwards, Naruto's kick missing by an inch. Neji flipped and landed easily.

"Chikusho! We'll get him on the next try dattebayou!" A Naruto exclaimed. Two Naruto clones ran at Neji and the Hyuuga jumped and folding his arms close to his body spun in mid air. He caught one clone on the crown of the head with his heel and the other in the jaw. There was a poof of smoke two more clones ran at him. He pushed them forwards then struck both with a palm. The two clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke beside the Naruto that had been hanging back.

"He… has eyes in the back of his head too?" Naruto whispered as Neji defeated the last clone that was laying on the floor.

"Become Hokage ka?" Neji said with a mocking smirk. "You can't like this." Naruto grit his teeth. "I can figure a lot of things with these eyes. You're talent is determined when you're born. In other words, everything is predetermined at birth." Naruto clenched his fist.

"Nande? Why do you have to label things like that dattebayou temee!?"

"Then are you trying to say anyone can become Hokage by trying hard?" Neji asked. "Only few are chosen to become Hokage. Look at reality closely! Those who become Hokage are born with that fate. It's not something that you can become because you want to. It's already determined by fate. People are different. They can only live in the indisputable flow of life. But there is just one fate that everyone possesses" Neji closed his eyes for a moment and paused, he then reopened them. "And that is death."

"So… So what?!" Naruto cried clenching his fists. He stuck his fist out, once again reminding Neji of his vow. "I don't give up so easily dattebayou!" Once again he formed the hand sign of his trademark jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Immediately, clones charged at Neji, the Hyuuga's Byakugan sharp and ready. But just like last time, each clone was deflected or dodged with ease.

"Damn it I can't catch him at all dattebayou" Naruto panted. Neji moved like Kari, quick, flexible and fluid, but he used it for defence, while her defence was painfully poor.

"I told you that I'm not that stupid" Neji said with a confident smirk. He charged through the many clones to the one that had been holding back and struck him in the chest. "The one who attacked the least because he feared his tenketsu would be hit. The more you attacked me, the more you stood out." The clones disappeared in puffs of smoke. Neji's smirk widened. "You're the real one." Hinata gasped in shock. "That's why I told you that it was useless."

"Naruto-kun… don't lose…!" Hinata whispered through her coughs. To her surprise those, Naruto started laughing.

"I told you… not to come to conclusions on your own…" and Naruto poofed into smoke.

"Could it be…?"Neji cried spinning around at the sound of footsteps to see two Naruto's heading straight towards him.

"_YOSHA!! NARUTO!!_" Kiba cheered as Hinata smiled in relief and amazement.

"He was one step ahead of me, and made one of his replications stay back?" Neji murmured in shock.

"I've been attacking you with everything I had!" Naruto cried going to punch Neji in the cheek but was stopped by a blue glow of chakra. Naruto and his clone were repelled when Neji span, his chakra pushing them away. The clone disappeared and Naruto crashed to the ground as Hiashi's eyes widened in realisation.

"That's…!" A small crater had formed around Neji, the earth worn away by his chakra. Neji straightened up, looking down at Naruto.

"What was that?" Naruto asked as Neji smirked at his question.

"Did you think you had won?" Neji asked. Naruto scowled and forced himself to sit up.

"Nan de?" Ino asked confused.

"Naruto's punch hit him!" Sakura cried.

"That's…" Hinata murmured in shock.

"Kaiten…" Hiashi said, his hand clenching his kimono.

"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto cried, jumping to his feet and creating six Kage Bunshin. The Naruto's surrounded Neji while TenTen smiled and shook her head.

_'Neji's Byakugan's maximum field vision is almost 360 degrees. And he detects all enemy attacks within it. That's where Neji's defence mechanism begins, the Hakkesshou Kaiten.'_

The Naruto's charged and Neji's body glowed a dim blue as he focused his chakra. In a rapid spin he sent all the Naruto's flying, the clones disappearing in puffs of smoke.

_'The moment he is attacked, he releases an enormous amount of Chakra from his body's Chakra holes. He intercepts the enemy's attack with the Chakra, then spins his body like a top to parry the attack.'_

TenTen smirked, remembering the amount of times Kari struggled to find a way to beat Kaiten, sadly she always failed.

_'Normally, controlling the amount of chakra released from the chakra holes is hard, and even a Jounin can only release a small amount from his hands or feet for a special move. But Neji, who has mastered the Jyuuken, can release Chakra from his entire body and completely nullify physical attack with his Chakra's centrifugal force. In other words, its power is even greater than Gaara's and is another type of absolute defence.'_

"But that is father's…!" Hanabi gasped turning to Hiashi in hope of answers.

"The Kaiten is a Hyuuga technique that is only passed down to Hyuuga successors… In other words, those from the _Head_ family. But he came up with the move by himself? What a guy… I didn't expect him to be this talented…"

"It's too early to be surprised, Neji hasn't shown his true powers yet" TenTen sighed.

"Chikusho…" Naruto whined, rubbing the dust out of his eyes.

"This is it" Neji said. "You are within the range of my Divination." Naruto stood up, watching Neji, his eyes alert. "Jyuuken: Hakke Rokujuuyonshou" Neji said switching his stance, bending his knee with one arm straight in front of him and the other behind him.

"That stance, is he going to…?" Hiashi questioned. Neji charged and span, preparing to attack.

"Hakke!" Naruto gasped he was struck twice in the chest. "Two strikes!" Before Naruto could try and understand, he felt Naruto's chakra filled fingers piercing him all over his body. "Four strikes! Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes!" Naruto couldn't breathe; the attacks were all coming too fast. "Sixty-four strikes!!" Neji bellowed, ending his attack and sending Naruto flying backwards, blood running from his mouth as he gasped for air.

"So a branch family member is going to surpass a head family member…" Hiashi whispered. _What incredible talent… To think that a branch family member, who cannot succeed the clan, has received the Hyuuga's Kekkei Genkai so strongly. Hizashi… Perhaps you should have succeeded the Hyuuga family… _Neji sighed, relaxing back into his stance. Naruto lay still on his back.

"I guess that's the end" the proctor said, walking over to them. Naruto groaned and crouched over his knees, panting through the pain. '_And Kari-chan trained with this guy? Was he this rough on her?'_

"I've hit all sixty-four tenketsu in your body, you cannot stand up anymore." Neji stated.

"Kuso…" Naruto grumbled trying to pull himself into a sitting position but struggling to move his burning muscles. '_Kari-chan… The training you must have gone through…'_

"It's mortifying isn't it?" Neji said, the smirk returning once again on his pale lips. You are on your knees against a power you cannot face, finding out how truly powerless you are. It is only an illusion that hard work makes dreams come true."

Hinata coughed, the stress finally getting to her.

"Oi Hinata, daijoubu ka?" Kiba cried.

"Just as I thought!" Ino whined, smacking her forehead.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered anxiously.

The sun felt hot on Naruto's back as he laid face down in the dirt. His body was on fire, heavy and weak. _Where are you Kari-chan? It doesn't hurt when you're here… _Naruto struggled to lift his head, his blurred eyes looking at Neji's sandals. An image of Lee crossed his mind, standing even though unconscious. '_Gejimayu…' _Hinata struggling to stand, clutching hold of her ribs. '_Hinata…'_ Kari blindly reaching for a kunai as blood spilled down her chin, stabbing it into Akio's arm... and then rushing between Hinata and Neji, desperate to protect her. '_Kari-chan…'_ Naruto clenched his fist._ 'I promised you, I promised you all, I promised Kari-chan.'_ Naruto used every ounce of willpower and managed to struggle to stand, panting through the pain.

"This guy…" Neji said in shock. "_I'm fine! I can go again!"_ "Like Kari…" he said in barely a whisper, that dull ache tugging at his heart at the thought of her. "This can't be…"

"I told you I don't give up that easily…" Naruto wheezed with a light chuckle.

* * *

"Oi Hinata you're bleeding!" Kiba cried in alarm as Hinata's cough became more violent.

"Doushita?" the chuunin beside them asked in concern.

"You're still hurt from that match…" Kiba said worriedly. "If Kari-chan hadn't…" he trailed off shaking himself out of those thoughts. "Hinata hold on!"

"I'll take a look at her." Kiba looked round to see the ANBU from earlier.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked.

"No one suspicious" the ANBU replied from beneath the monkey mask.

* * *

"Stop fighting, it's going to be the same even if you continue" Neji said, his eyes fixed on Naruto. "I have no grudge against you."

"Ha! Shut up dattebayou. Even if you don't, I have one against you" Naruto replied.

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked.

"Why… When you're so strong… Why do you have eyes that seem to say you know everything… Why did you mentally attack Hinata like that when she was trying her best?!" Naruto cried.

"That has nothing to do with you" Neji said, his expression hardening. Hinata meanwhile, was taken to the top of the stands and laid down so the ANBU could heal her, Kiba right behind him.

"You ridiculed Hinata and labelled her as a dropout. The head family and branch family, I don't know what happened between them, but temee like you who call other people dropouts will have to deal with me!" Naruto cried.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked again.

"It's okay, I'm a doctor" the man replied his hand glowing green over Hinata's heart.

"Very well, I will tell you since you seem to care so much. The Hyuuga's fate of hatred!" Neji said bitterly. "Hyuuga has a secret ninja technique that is passed on within the head family. And that is the cursed technique."

"Juin jutsu?" Naruto repeated confused.

"That cursed seal represents a caged bird… and also a symbol of those who are bound within an inescapable destiny" Neji said, closing his eyes and remembering his pain. He reached up and untied his hitai-ate, holding it limply at his side. Naruto's eye widened at the sight.

"Nan de…?" A green swastika like symbol was on Neji's forehead, a line on both sides of it. "That seal is…?"

"One day, when I was four… this detestable seal was carved in to me by that Juin jutsu. That day, there was a big ceremony going on in the village of Konoha. It was also the day when the country of Lightning, which had been at war with Konoha for a long time, had sent their Hidden Cloud's head ninja to come conclude the alliance treaty. But in that even where everyone from Konoha including Jounins to Genins participated, there was one clan that did not attend. The Hyuuga clan. That day was the long awaited day when the head family's successor turned three. It was Hinata-sama's third birthday."

Neji turned slightly, looking up at the crowd where Hiashi and Hanabi sat watching him.

"My father Hyuuga Hizashi and Hinata-sama's father up there, Hyuuga Hiashi-sama were twin brothers. But Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi-sama, was born first, a head family member. And my father, who was born second, became a branch family member." Neji breathed as memories swarmed his mind.

* * *

"_Hinata-sama is now three."_

"Congratulations."

_Hinata shyly clutched her fathers robe, as though wishing to hide behind it, but then turned and smiled at the young boy in front of her._

"_She's kawaii father" Neji whispered to Hizashi. His father turned to him and smiled, but the smile was sad, full of pain and regret. "Doushita father?" Neji asked worriedly, his innocent smile disappearing._

"_No… It's nothing…" Hizashi relied, looking away from his young son._

"_Then, I am going to borrow Neji for a while Hizashi" Hiashi said to his brother._

"_Hai."_

* * *

"When the head family's successor reached the age of three, I was engraved with the cursed seal, and became a caged bird; a Hyuuga branch family member." Neji finished.

"Why do they have to do that?" Naruto asked. "Why separate the head and branch families? What kind of meaning is their to that weird seal dattebayou?"

* * *

"This seal on my forehead is not for decoration" Neji said, his mind filled with his childhood once again.

_He and his father sat watching the Hyuuga head train his daughter. She panted stumbling back._

"_You're footwork is not good" Hiashi commented displeased._

"_Hai!" Hinata cried, running towards her father again, her movements were clumsy and light, her father brushing them off with ease._

"_Listen up Neji. Hinata-sama is from the head family. You must live to protect her and protect the ability of Hyuuga" Hizashi explained to his son._

"_Hai father!" Neji cried, watching in amazement as the little heiress struggled in her training. Hizashi looked back at the tiny girl and his expression grew bitter and cold. His eyes seething with anger as his Byakugan itched to be activated and slowly began to show through veins at the sides of his eyes. Hiashi, sensing the intention to kill rushed in front of his daughter and made a hand sign. Hizashi screamed clutching his head in agony. He fell to the floor, his hitai-ate flying off and clattering to the wooden floor._

"_Father!!" Neji cried in alarm, kneeling beside Hizashi helplessly. His cursed seal was glowing, veins on his forehead threatening to burst. His face was screwed up in pain. "Father doushita?!"_

"_Go home. This is the only time I will forgive that fool" Hiashi said sternly, his face blank despite his brothers cries. "Do not forget your fate." And with that, the Hyuuga head left, leaving Neji to cry and Hinata to stand frozen with fright._

* * *

"The cursed seal is the absolute fear of death that the head family gives to the branch family. The secret seal that the head family forms easily destroys the branch family's brain cells. Needless to say, killing is easy as well" Neji explained. "And this cursed seal will only disappear after my death and it seals up the Byakugan ability. The Hyuuga family has the most unique Kekkei Genkai. There are many who are after its secret. So this cursed seal means that the branch family only lives to protect the head family, and it does not allow the branch family to go against the head family. It is an efficient system to protect the Hyuuga's Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, forever. And… that incident occurred…" Neji closed his eyes as the most painful memory of all burned through his mind.

"My father was killed by the head family." Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"One nigh, Hinata-sama was almost kidnapped by someone. Hiashi-sama caught up to the perpetrator immediately and killed him. He was wearing dark clothes and hid his face with a mask. Who do you think it was? It was the country of lightning's head ninja who had just signed the alliance treaty. It was apparent they came here to seek the secrets of the Byakugan. But the country of Lightning failed in their scheme and ended up with a dead shinobi. So they claimed that Konoha had broken the treaty. Of course, the relationship between Konoha and the Lightning worsened and a war almost broke out. But Konoha wanted to avoid the war and made a secret agreement with the Lightning." Neji said.

"Agreement?" Naruto asked.

"They wanted the body of the one that had killed their ninja. In other words, Hiashi-sama's dead body. And Konoha agreed."

_'But father is still…'_ Hanabi thought confused, looking round at the Hyuuga head. Neji's grip was death-like around his forehead protector.

"And war was averted, thanks to Hyuuga Hiashi's double, who died to protect the head family… My father!" Neji's Byakugan activated in his rage and pain. "Death is the only way to escape this detestable cursed seal." Neji lifted his hitai-ate, staring at it as the sun reflected off its metal plate. "They were twins with almost the same strength… But when they were born first and second, their fates were sealed." He held his hitai-ate tightly and his Byakugan receded as he controlled himself. "And in this match, your fate was sealed the moment I became your opponent!"

"You don't know that until we actually fight" Naruto growled. Neji's retied his hitai-ate around his forehead. "I don't know how tough you've had it with your Otousan getting killed a long time ago… But you've got the wrong idea by using that alone to decide that fate is predetermined dattebayou!" Naruto cried panting.

"You're hopeless…" Neji stated. His Byakugan reactivating as he charged towards Naruto. He struck the blonde shinobi in the stomach causing him to cough and fall hard on his back, rolling until he came to a stop. "Examiner. It's over. Hn, you dropout" Neji scoffed, he turned and went to walk away.

"Don't run away…!" Naruto hissed as he struggled to stand, his body shaking. "I'm not running away… I'm not going to take back my word… that's my way of the ninja."

"I've heard that somewhere" Neji chuckled, remembering Hinata saying the same thing word for word.

"I won't lose to a guy like you, who blames everything on fate and other crap!" Naruto cried.

"You know nothing. Don't lecture me. People are born carrying an unchangeable fate" Neji said.

* * *

"_Neji, you live." Hizashi said, kneeling down and placing a hand on the four year olds bandaged head. "You are blessed with more talent than everyone else in this clan. I wanted to give birth to you as a head family member…"_

* * *

"To carry a seal on you that can never be removed… a guy like you will never understand what that means!" Neji shouted in anger.

"No… I understand. And so does Kari-chan…" Naruto said, clutching his side.

"_It feels like your branded Kitsune-nii, that everyone can see you're different to them" Kari said, tightening her hitai-ate over her ears after a dozen or so people had commented on them with distaste. 'Hanging around with a monster' they had said. 'It's clear she's a monster too, look at the ears and tail, that creature isn't human, at least he can almost blend in'._

"So what of it? Stop acting cool" Naruto scoffed with a weak smirk. "You're not the only special one here dattebayou. Hinata… was suffering like you… Hinata was from the head family, and trying her best to change herself because no one would acknowledge her. That's the determination she had, and fought you even after she was injured. And if Kari-chan hadn't have stepped in, she would have died just to prove herself" Neji's exterior hardened.

"She shouldn't have interfered…"

"That goes for you as well!" Naruto cried, disregarding Neji's comment. "The branch family is supposed to protect the head family, yet you did that to Hinata when it was only an exam. You were trying hard to fight against fate weren't you?!"

"She's okay now" The ANBU said, finishing in treating Hinata. Her face had more colour and was less pained now. Kiba had to admit, this guy was good. "She just needs to rest now."

"All sixty-four of your tenketsu are closed. How are you going to fight now? You won't be able to use your Chakra for a while." Neji said smirking. "In the end, you are going to follow the same fate as Hinata-sama."

"Urusai! Stop talking as though you know everything with that Byakugan of yours!" Naruto shouted in frustration.

"Then show me if what you say is true" Neji challenged.

"Sure I'll beat you and prove it to you! I promised Kari-chan after all!" Naruto said confidently, despite his battered appearance.

'_Kuso! Kuso! Even when I say that I feel no Chakra inside me. It feels like when I used up all of that Chakra during that training.'_

Naruto gasped in realisation, remembering what Jiraiya had told him.

"_You have two Chakra's inside you. You need to be able to call up the humungous Chakra sleeping inside you at any time and use it."_

'_Hai Kyuubi no Chakra…I'll use that'_ Naruto closed his eyes and looked inside himself. _'Damn kitsune! Lend me your power!' _Naruto cried through the dense red fog.

"The chatting ends here. Examiner, I intend to kill him" Neji stated as Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. "If you're going to stop me, stop me whenever you want."

Naruto felt a lurch of anger, but not his anger. _Kari-chan… _

"Tch…" the examiner scoffed at the cocky genin. "Geez…" Naruto formed a hand sign and concentrated.

"I told you that it's useless" Neji said smirking.

'_I can't lose here!'_ Naruto thought determined.

"_I will win!"  
_

"It's useless, I hit your tenketsu" Neji repeated.

"_Be sure to come and watch me beat Neji!"_

"_A dropout will defeat a genius through hard work but I may be his opponent. I have no grudge if you or Kari-chan fights him instead."_

"Why do you fight your fate that hard?" Neji asked, shaking his head.

_"I'll win Ookami-nee! I'll win it for you!"_

"Because you called me a dropout..."

"_My happiness comes from your joy Naruto-kun; our hearts are intertwined and always will be…"_

"_**And you hurt my best friend!!**_"

Small rocks began to rise off the ground around Naruto. The wind began to pick up and wisps of orangey-red Chakra swam before his eyes.

'_Nan de…? Chakra is leaking out from him! What's going on?! This guy…! What in the… Who is this guy?!'_ Neji thought in shock.

"That Chakra… Can it be?" Hiashi whispered.

"What? This is impossible!" TenTen cried.

"The hell?! His Tenketsu were hit!" The Chuunin that had been sitting beside Hinata and Kiba before cried.

'_That Chakra is no doubt the Kyuubi' _the Hokage realised. _'When did he learn how to use it?'_

The Chakra whirled around him in nine orange streaks, causing huge gusts of wind that Neji tried to defend himself against.

"Let's begin" Naruto cried.

"It's wrapping around him? What is that? Is it really Chakra?" Neji whispered. The wind died down and the streaks wrapped around Naruto, coating his body in orange chakra.

'_What enormous power… I feel more powerful…'_

Naruto shot to the side, his speed incredibly increased. He pulled out shuriken and flung them at Neji, who used his Kaiten to deflect them. He then caught two of the shuriken and pulled out two of his own. Naruto landed on the wall and leapt towards Neji. The Hyuuga flung his shuriken but Naruto disappeared.

_'He's as fast as Kari now! What in the world is going on?'_

Neji dodged to the right just in time to miss Naruto's fist and pulled out a kunai. Naruto quickly pulled out on of his own. The kunai hit each other in mid air and Naruto and Neji leapt up towards each other and grabbed their kunai once more.

"You… are confident about close combat right?" Naruto asked with a smirk. He charged, kicking up dust and rocks behind him, Neji's words ringing in his ears.

"_Hokage, ka? You can't, like this. Only a few are able to become Hokage. Look at reality closely! Those who become Hokage are born with that fate. It's not something you can become because you want to. It's already determined by fate. People are born to be different. They can only live in the opposable flow of life."_

Naruto picked up speed and Neji readied his kunai.

"I don't know about the Hyuuga's fate of hatred but if you think it's impossible don't do anything!" Naruto shouted as Neji prepared for Kaiten. "After I become Hokage…" Their attacks collided causing a flash of bright light. "I and Kari-chan will change Hyuuga for you!"

There was a huge explosion from the impact of their chakra, dust and rocks flying everywhere within the arena. The crowd hung on the edges of their seats, desperate to see what had happened.

'_What an enormous amount of Chakra… That kid used a huge amount of energy there…'_ the proctor thought as the dust began to clear. There were two furrows where Neji and Naruto were, both of them buried by the dirt they had disturbed by their attacks.

"Which one is Naruto?!" Sakura cried.

"I don't know that!" Ino cried.

Neji pulled himself out of the ground and coughed, trying to get the dust out of his eyes. TenTen sighed in relief and Neji struggled to walk over to where Naruto was. He panted, sore and exhausted and looked down at Naruto's smoking unconscious body.

'_Neji's Kaiten works by rotating his body and parrying the opponents attack. Seeing as he charged in directly, Naruto-kun seems to have suffered the most damage.' _TenTen thought. _'There is no Genin that can beat Neji. Demo, Naruto-kun, you are amazing. You made Neji get serious.'_

"Dropout boy… I'm sorry, but this is reality. This truly is the end—" Neji was cut off by a sound beneath him. He looked down in time to see Naruto's fist swinging at him and catching him under the chin. Blood rushed up his throat and he coughed setting it free as he landed on his back. Naruto panted in exhaustion as blood dripped from his broken fingernails.

"M-my body…!" Neji cried weakly. Naruto's clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'_He left a Kage Bunshin in the hole and dug his way to victory'_ the proctor thought with a smile, looking at the hole underneath where the clone had been. '_Although beaten, he believed in victory and kept thinking of his next move. The power to believe in yourself... that will become the power to change fate. He knows that, and he knows it instinctively.'_

Naruto walked over to where Neji lay.

"You made a Kage Bunshin in that situation? You're favourite technique, ka? I was careless" Neji said weakly.

"I've failed three times in the academy finals. Unluckily the jutsu that was given in the finals was always… the ninja technique I hated most." Naruto paused for a moment. "The Bunshin no jutsu was the technique I sucked at. Stop complaining about fate and how it can't be changed. You're different from me, you aren't a dropout. And to Kari-chan… you're considered an important person."

Neji looked up at the sky to see a bird flying directly overhead. The proctor smiled and lifted his hand.

"Winner; Uzumaki Naruto."

The crowd screamed and cheered with delight. Kita rushed out of the waiting area and up to Naruto her tail a whizzing blur as she jumped into his arms almost knocking him over.

"Naruto-kun! Naruto-kun!" she whispered. "You did it! You won for Okaasan!"

"YATTA!!" Sakura cried in delight. The crowd all applauded Naruto, who finally realised that they were clapping for him.

"Yeah!!" Naruto cried in delight flashing a peace sign. He cheered and began running around in delight, Kita bounding after him in excitement.

"He still has the energy to run around… Geez he has a lot of stamina." The proctor said with a soft chuckle.

"Naruto is getting stronger and stronger…" Sakura whispered.

"He's pretty good!"

"Yeah he's strong!"

"And he might be kind of cute!"

"I'm a little envious of you…" Sakura sighed as Naruto blew kisses to the audience, Kita chasing after him. "When I see you fight, it makes me think that I should try my best too. That's an amazing thing…"

"He won? Are you serious?" Shikamaru said in disbelief. "I thought he was in the 'not-so-cool group' like me."

"'Not-so-cool group'" Shino repeated, cool as ever, but not understanding.

"He's getting all those cheers, which make him a member of the 'cool group'." Shikamaru said. "Actually I probably can't beat him. I'm in big trouble. Now I feel down…"

"He can extract the power of Kyuubi without losing himself" Kurenai said in amazement.

"Yeah, everyone in Konoha is surprised" Asuma agreed taking a puff from his cigarette.

"_**IM THE BEST!! YATTAAAA!!**_" Naruto cheered bounding up and down as Kita ran around him in circles, yipping in sheer delight.

"When captured birds grow wiser, they try to open the cage with their beaks" the proctor said. "They don't give up, because they want to fly again." Neji was taken away on a stretcher as Naruto squealed and ran around. Hanabi looked around at Hiashi.

"Father…"

* * *

"You're okay, there is no damage to your internal organs."

"It looks like you've used up most of your Chaka."

Neji was only half listening to what the medic-nin's said, more wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"_You're not the only special guy here."_

"_Why do you try to fight against your fate that hard?"_

"_Because you called me a dropout!"_

"_Those who become Hokage or born with that fate."_

Neji was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening.

"Hyuuga-sama!" Looking up, Neji saw Hiashi at the door.

"I'm sorry, but could you please leave us alone a moment."

"But…!"

"It won't take long" Hiashi said walking into the room.

"Hai!" the medic-nin both left, leaving Neji alone with Hiashi. Neji forced himself to sit up and swung his legs over the bed.

"What business do you have?" Neji asked.

"That day… I came to tell you the truth of that day…" Hiashi said.

"That day…?" Neji repeated.

"Back then… I was planning to die" Hiashi said looking lost and depressed.

"What're you… What are you saying?!" Neji cried in rage. "My father was killed in your place!" Hiashi pulled out a scroll from his kimono and held it out towards Neji.

"This has the truth of that day written in it." Hiashi said.

"It just has excuses convenient for the head family right?" Neji said, refusing to take it.

"You should be able to understand it now" Hiashi said, placing the scroll beside Neji on the bed.

_To Neji_

"This writing is…" Neji grabbed the scroll and opened it.

_Neji, I only have a short amount of time left. There is something I want to tell you in that limited time._

"Something he wants to tell me?" Neji asked.

_The Country of Lightning's head ninja, that tried to kidnap Hinata-sama, was killed by Hiashi-sama. But the country of lightning would not admit that the kidnap took place. They focused only on the fact their head ninja was killed and demanded unreasonable compensation._

_But I did not die to protect the head family. I chose death with my own will to protect you, my siblings and family and our village._

_Just once I wanted to go against the Head family and act of my own will. _

_And so I chose my own destiny._

_Overcome destiny Neji. Destiny has to be taken into your own hands._

Neji shoulders shook as he read the last few lines.

"Father…" Neji whispered. He looked around in surprise noticing Hiashi kneeling on the floor.

"That is the truth…" Hiashi said. "I am sorry…"

"Please raise your head" Neji said, looking back at his knees. Hiashi left him in peace and finally, Neji allowed a tear to slide down his face as he smiled.

'_Father. Is destiny like a cloud that floats on a predetermined current? Or is it able to get on the current that it chooses for itself? I still don't understand. Either way, we might end up in the same place. But if it is the latter, people are able to try hard to move toward their goals in life. I think I have finally found out in this battle. That those who possess that will are the truly strong ones. And father, I have only one goal. I want to become stronger, so that I will not lose to anyone.'_

"_And to Kari-chan… you're considered an important person."_

'_And her. I want to help her become just as strong, so she won't lose either.'_

Neji smiled, though his smile seemed saddened. He only hoped she could forgive him.

'_I've missed her father.'_


	50. Gamatte Geemu no Jikan Seigen

**A/N**: Neji seems more popular now he's pulled the destiny stick out of his ass :) I put some fanart of Akira up for the 200/250 reviews. The lighting is terrible :S ... Anyway, go Shikamara and Temari!! Thank you for your reviews, in gratitude I give you a fast update!!

Claimer: Kari and all associated with her belongs to her respectful owner, me.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san.

* * *

**Gamatte Geemu no Jikan Seigen**

**Isoi Kari-chan Oyubi Sasuke!**

_**Time Limit of the Waiting Game**_

_**Hurry Kari-chan and Sasuke!**_

* * *

_He became more and more restless, and more and more worried_

_Could something have happened to her?_

* * *

"The crowd is noisy" the Kazekage chuckled.

"That was a nice battle" the Hokage agreed.

"Yes, that too, but… the next battle is something that the head ninja and feudal lords are highly anticipating. And from what I heard on my way here, Konoha ninja are also excited for the third match, with the young girl Kari." The Kazekage said. The Hokage looked grave and did not reply. "By the way, I did not see them at the opening ceremony, but they are already here correct?"

"Yes…" the Hokage said. The Chuunin at his side bent down and whispered to him.

"We have still not located Sasuke or Kari. And there's the Orochimaru thing, perhaps we should disqualify him before it causes an uproar." However, it seemed the crowd was already showing its displeasure.

"What are you doing?!"

"Start the next match!"

"How long are you going to make us wait?!"

"We don't have all day you know!"

"What happened? Is Sasuke-kun here for the next match?" Ino asked worriedly.

"What's that guy doing? Is he planning not to come?" Shikamaru wondered out loud. "I mean, I know Kari enough to know she wouldn't miss this…"

"A wise man keeps away from danger." Shino said looking discreetly at Gaara. "He made a good decision."

"What are you talking about? He and Kari-chan will definitely come" Naruto said while Kita yipped, pulling an angry puppy pout. _How dare they doubt her Okaasan!_ Naruto looked around at Gaara and the Suna-nin returned his gaze with a dark glare. Shikamaru looked back and forth in confusion while Kita shuddered, her fur on end.

'_But what is he doing? He's going to get Kari-chan and himself disqualified at this rate…'_ Naruto thought annoyed.

* * *

"I have no choice, both Sasuke and Kari are disqualified—Oh?" the Hokage was cut off when a bundle of white fur landed in his lap. Kita sat on her hind legs and folded her front legs in disagreement. "Kita-chan? What are you doing here?" Kita leaned forward and placed her front paws down she stood up and yipped. _If only she could talk and tell Ojii-san how she felt! But Okaasan said she should avoid talking to people she doesn't know because they could be dangerous._

"It seems the wolf is against your decision to disqualify them." The Kazekage said while Kita vigorously nodded her head. The Kazekage gave her the creeps, but her Okaasan and Sasuke's matches were far more important!

"I must" the Hokage said regretfully, turning his old head to look at the Kazekage. Kita puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. If only she had fingers and knew sign language!

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Kankurou hissed to Temari. "If he doesn't come, our plan is going to…"

"Is this bad?" Temari asked.

'_Back then… K'so, Gaara better not have killed them_' the Suna sensei thought gravely.

* * *

"_Sasuke, Kari, one more time" Kakashi ordered as they struggled to catch their breath. "Hm…?"_

"Doushita?" Sasuke panted. Kari's ears twitched and she turned to look at the rock Gaara was behind, sweat rolling down her cheek.

"_Your location is obvious with that intense murderous intent of yours." Kari's breath hitched and she shook slightly her eyes slowly becoming a warm amber, reddening by the second. "Kari, pocky-fish." Distracted, Kari's eyes returned to normal, and a soft giggle escaped her. Pocky-fish, what would one of those look like…? "Come out." Kakashi ordered, turning back to the rock._

_Gaara stepped out, his eyes fixed on the silver-haired Jounin._

"_You eh?"_

"_Gaara?" Kari asked, Sasuke's eyes darting to her before looking back at their unwelcome guest._

* * *

"Hokage-dono, can you hold on before disqualifying Uchiha Sasuke and Kari?" the Kazekage requested.

"Pardon the intrusion, but those who think lightly of their time as a ninja, have no right to become Chuunin, no matter how elite they are" the Chuunin beside the Hokage said while Kita struck him with her hardly frightening puppy glare. "Unless there is a clear explanation that will convince the head ninja and feudal lords here, there is no reason to wait for them."

"I see, then there is a good reason." The Kazekage said. "Including me, I can say that most of the head ninja and feudal lords here came to watch the next match. He is a survivor of the Uchiha clan after all, the Country of wind wishes for him to fight our Gaara. And from the rumours of the preliminaries Kari is a sight to see in battle, and we are also keen to see her fight against Gaara, should the tournament turn out that way."

Kita could have kissed him if he didn't smell so disgusting and have a horrible dark aura. There was no way the Hokage could refuse!

"Hokage-sama?" the Chuunin asked.

'_There is no guarantee that Sasuke or Kari will come."_ The Hokage thought grimly. "Very well, we will put their matches on hold, and wait for them. And also switch them so that Kari will go before Sasuke, seeing as there are so many here to see him." Kita almost squealed and wagged her tail with joy, the Hokage patted her on the head.

"Hokage –sama are you sure?" the Chuunin asked. Kita scowled and glared at him.

"Tell Genma."

"Hai!" the Chuunin cried. Kita grinned and teleported back to Naruto's side. Watching as the Chuunin spoke to the proctor.

"But it was rare for you to say that much Kazekage-dono" the Hokage commented.

"I want to show our Shinobi's quality to the feudal lords, and they are said to be amongst the best of Konoha Genin. It's a chance for us."

"Minna-sama" the proctor said. "An examinee for the next two matches has not arrived just yet. Therefore, the matches will be delayed and we will begin the fourth match instead."

"What are Sasuke and Kari doing?" Asuma cried.

"Kari-chan wouldn't miss this for the world, what's going on?" Kurenai agreed worriedly.

"Yokatta! Sasuke-kun won't be disqualified!" Ino cheered.

"Yokatta…" Naruto sighed in relief.

"Doesn't that mean that my match is coming up faster?" Shikamaru cried.

"Next match; Kankurou and Aburame Shino, come down."

'_My match isn't important. Besides, I don't want to show Karasu's hidden weapons before the plan.'_ Kankurou thought. He looked to Temari, who nodded. "Examiner! I give up! Go to the next match."

'_Nani?_' the proctor thought.

The crowd groaned and booed becoming restless and impatient.

"Kankurou has given up, therefore Aburame Shino wins by default." The proctor announced.

"Che." Temari pulled out her fan and rode it down to the arena; she jumped off, landing a foot or so away from the proctor.

"You are?" the proctor asked.

"It's my turn right?" Temari asked.

"Looks like you want to do this… Yosh, we're going to start the next match. Oi. The other one, get down here!"

"Oi, oi, why are you guys getting excited" Shikamaru grumbled. "Actually why do I have to be the ne who gets his match-ups changed so frequently?"

"Nara Shikamaru, it's you." The proctor called.

"I should just follow the other guy and give up…"

"_YOSHA!! GO GET HER SHIKAMARU DATTEBAYOU!!_" Naruto cried, slapping Shikamaru on the back and accidentally pushing him over the railings. Kita sighed and settled herself on a grumpy Shino's shoulder and sighed. _Chuunin exams are so troublesome dattebayou…_

Shikamaru landed on his back with a loud thud and scowled up at Naruto. Displeased, Shikamaru was bombarded by junk and food.

'_It looks like they were looking forward to Sasuke's match and now have to look forward to some no-name's match… So now they're like "What the hell? Get out of here!"'_ Shikamaru thought to himself. '_There's no point in fighting this match when no one expects anything from it…'_

"Nani? You're going to give up as well?" Temari taunted.

'_**Another**__ woman…?'_

'_He had no interest in doing anything the moment I met him'_ Asuma sighed.

"What is he doing?!" Naruto complained, hopping from one foot to the other in impatience. "Oi Shikamaru! Stop fooling around dattebayou!"

"If you're not going to attack then I will!" Temari cried, grasping her fan and charging at the boy lying on the floor.

"Oi we haven't started the match yet!" the proctor said.

"She seems really excited about this…" Shikamaru grumbled pulling out two kunai. Temari jumped and went to slam her fan down on Shikamaru, but when the dust cleared, there was no Shikamaru to be found. She looked up to see him standing against the wall. Two feet away from the ground.

"I don't care if I can't become Chuunin. But a man can't lose to a woman" Shikamaru stated. "I guess I'll fight." Temari growled and swung her fan at him, her dark eyes flashing with anger. When the dust cleared, Shikamaru was gone again, leaving the two kunai he had been standing on. She smirked.

'_This guy's quick at running away…_'.

'_But then again a man can't really hit a woman…But I don't want to get hit either'_ Shikamaru thought from his position in a nearby tree.

'_This guy uses shadows as his weapon_' Temari remembered, opening her fan half way and holding it in front of her. _'He must be trying to lure me into the trees where there are lots of shadows. But that won't happen.'_

'_Why am I the one that has to fight a woman? That Akira gut doesn't seem that bothered._' Shikamaru complained in his thoughts.

"**SHIKAMARU!!**" Ino cheered excitedly. "Beat her up with your 16-hit combo!!"

"Can I sit next to you?" Chouji asked, chomping on some chips.

"What? Your stomach is okay already?" Ino said surprised.

"Are? Wasn't the next match Sasuke's? And then Kari-chan's after that?" Chouji asked, placing his bag full of bags of potato chips down and taking a seat next to Ino.

"SHH!!" Ino hissed. "Everything's fine right Sakura?" Ino said chirpily to the severely depressed girl beside her. "We're talking about Sasuke-kun and Kari here" Ino grimaced and decided to leave Sakura alone when the girls depression seemed to grow.

"Hmm… Shikamaru being in the main tournament. It seems awfully out of place doesn't it?" Chouji asked munching on another chip.

"Don't say that. It might be true that he doesn't have any strong moves, but Shikamaru's quite good at devising strategies." Ino scolded. "That's why I think we were able to last until the preliminary matches."

"Yeah that's true" Chouji agreed, pausing to answer before continuing in his munching.

"He jumped into the stage himself just a while ago." Chouji wasn't really listening and blew up his empty bag and then smacked it, causing the other end to burst open with a bang. "I think he's full of determination unlike usual. He let's his passion drive him sometimes!" Ino said excitedly. "Go get her, Shikamaru!!"

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was crouching and lazily looking up at the clouds. _'The clouds are so nice… They're so free… Actually I had no motivation to begin with… I only became a ninja because I thought I could lead a fun life…'_

"Damn it! Get moving Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted.

'_But… I guess things don't go that easily._' Shikamaru thought with a smirk as he stood up.

"What's with that dumb look on his face? Is he underestimating me?" Temari wondered. Ninpou; Kamaitachi!" she cried, sending s huge gust of wind at Shikamaru. The wind struck the trees, leaving cuts across it and ripping off branches. Even the crowd had to defend themselves against the brutal wind. Through the dust, a shadow shot towards her. Temari quickly ran backwards and back flipped and the shadow stopped a mere centimetre away from her before retracting.

"I see…" Temari said, scoring a line across the ground with her fan. "Kage Mane no jutsu, I've figured out its nature. Looks like there's a limit to how you can stretch shrink and transform your shadow. No matter how much you stretch or transform your shadow, you can only stretch it as much as its surface area. Isn't that right?"

"Correct" Shikamaru smirked, dust and scratches coating him.

'_Even if I assume he used the stage walls shadow to increase his shadow range, this is as far as the shadow stretches. His attack range goes no further than this line. 15 metres and 32 centimetres.'_ Temari evaluated.

'_She used her fan to measure the shadow's range. Temari is better with long-range combat then close combat. The outcome of this match is clear now.'_ Kankurou thought to himself.

Shikamaru looked up at the clouds then back at Temari. He closed his eyes and formed a circle with his hands.

"What is he doing? What seal did he form?" Kurenai asked.

"That's not a seal" Asuma said smirking. "It's a habit of his."

"Habit?" Kurenai repeated.

"He knows how to enjoy boring times. He's like an old man. That's why he likes go and shougi, and makes me play with him." Asuma said. "And when he's stuck on a move he assumes that position."

"Why?" Kurenai asked.

"To come up with a strategy." Asuma replied. "And I've never beaten him."

"Strategy? But this is real combat. This isn't a game." Kurenai said.

"But I've heard that the pieces for devising war strategies eventually ended up in games like that. So Shikamaru's like a clever strategist." Asuma explained.

"Chotto matte. When we were forming the Genin squads, I looked at his grades. They were about the same as Naruto's" Kurenai said.

"He said that it was troublesome to move his pencil in the academy's written test. He always slept during the tests."

"Troublesome?" Kurenai repeated.

"Since he was so good at strategy games it didn't make sense to me. So I made him take an IQ test that looked like it was a game." Asuma said.

"And? How did he do?" Kurenai asked.

"He was a clever guy alright" Asuma said, his smirk widening. "He is a super genius, with an IQ over 200."

"200?!" Kurenai repeated in shock. Shikamaru's eyes opened, his face determined.

"He's done thinking." Asuma said. "He's about to begin."

"Looks like you're a bit more motivated to fight now" Temari said smirking, re-opening her fan. She flung another wind attack at him. Shielding his face with one hand, Shikamaru grabbed a kunai and ran to his right.

"There's no use in hiding!" Temari cried as the fierce wind slashed against the tree bark.

"Does he really have a strategy?" Kurenai asked.

"Probably…" Asuma said, not seeing how Shikamaru could possibly succeed.

Meanwhile, Chouji was on his fifth bag of chips.

"He can't get near her like this!" Ino said anxiously. "Shikamaru! Ganbare!"

"Maybe it's pointless, he'll give up soon" Chouji said. "He's lazy."

"That won't happen!" Ino cried. "I think… But maybe…"

The winds slowly died down. Shikamaru breathed heavily, hiding behind another tree. He pulled of his jacket and held it tightly as Temari looked around trying to find his location with her dark eyes.

"How much longer are you going to run?!" Temari growled, beginning to tire. "Come out already!" she cried, hurling another wind attack at the trees. Two kunai shot at her but she dodged the first and deflected the second with her fan, she noticed the shadow coming for her again and smirked.

'_It's useless, as long as I stay behind this line, I won't get caught'_ but despite her belief, the shadow shot over the line. _'Wait! No this is bad!'_ she quickly jumped backwards and the shadow followed her, but stopped an inch short.

"Good insight" Shikamaru complimented from near the wall.

"So you were killing time to wait for the sun to set and increase the walls shadow line and increase your shadows surface area" Temari said. "When the sun starts to set, shadows grow. Correct?"

"That was close Shikamaru!" Ino whined.

"But how can he use his shadow?" Chouji asked.

"As long as there's some light, there can be a shadow inside a shadow. You know nothing about Shikamaru!" Ino cried.

"A shadow inside a shadow?" Chouji asked nonplussed.

'_Calculating the height of the sun and the time since the previous attack range limit… he cannot go further than this range._' She smirked and Shikamaru simply scowled at her.

"Temari!! Above you!!" Kankurou shouted. She looked up trying to see.

"I see…" Shino said and Kita followed his gaze. A shadow appeared between Shikamaru's shadow and Temari.

"Shimatta!!" Temari cried, leaping back. Shikamaru had tied his hitai are through the short sleeves in his jacket to make a parachute and looped his hitai-ate strap through the hole of a kunai to weigh it down so that it won't fly away. With the extra shadow he chased after Temari with his shadow.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Shikamaru cried.

'_I didn't expect him to use his jacket as a parachute to create a shadow!'_ Temari thought. _'What a guy… If I noticed the parachute above, the attention to my feet would lessen. What a sick way to catch a person of guard. But this makes one thing clear; the Kage Mane jutsu is like sticky dough that uses other shadows to capture the enemy.'_ She landed between the two craters caused by Naruto and Neji from the previous battle. The shadow reached its limit and began to retract.

"So you've dodged this trick too, eh?" Shikamaru said as Temari straightened up.

"He didn't think that one through thoroughly enough." Kurenai said.

"The enemy is a pretty good analyzer as well. She predicts future steps well." Asuma said.

Temari glanced at the Sun, and then back at Shikamaru. '_If I take too long, the shadow within the stage will spread and his territory will increase._'She slammed her fan into the ground. _'I'll finish it off in the next move. I'll try a decoy tactic with a replication. His shadow is currently… Yosh!' _Shikamaru's shadow returned to him. She bent down, hiding behind her fan and began to make hand signs.

"Bunshin no—" but stopped abruptly. _"Nan de...? This can't be! My body!'_

"The Kage Mane finally succeeded" Shikamaru said smirking.

"How did it happen?" Kankurou cried.

"How many steps ahead does he predict?" Kurenai cried in amazement.

"That's Shikamaru's ability" Asuma said simply.

'_Why…won't my body move?' _Temari thought in shock. _'His shadow shouldn't reach up here!'_

"I'll show you what's behind you" Shikamaru said smirking ant turning his head, also turning hers as well. Temari gasped seeing his shadow coming out of the hole Naruto had dug to and burst out of.

"You see it now? That hole is the one Naruto dug and came out of." Shikamaru explained. "That's why it's connected with the hole in front of you."

"Did you use the shadows inside the tunnel of the holes to…?" Temari began.

"Correct." Shikamaru confirmed.

"It was all part of his strategy" Asuma said. _'He made Temari calculate the shadows range many times to lead her into the final trap. Temari only went after the shadows constantly calculating the range limit and fighting behind that line. So he ran her down with an unpredictable shadow that couldn't be seen and caught her from behind. There's no escaping that.'_

'_Could it be that… The attack using that jacket… Was intended to move me to this location?' _Temari thought. _'That was just a ploy? This guy…'_

"The next move is checkmate" Asuma told Kurenai. Shikamaru began walking towards her, forcing Temari to walk as well.

'_My body is moving on its own_!' Temari thought. _'I can't control it!'_

The crowd was stunned, staring at the scene before them in amazement.

"Everyone is being drawn into this match."

"A guy no one knew turned out to be a dark horse."

"Yosha!" Naruto cried. "Get her!!"

"Go Shikamaru!!" Ino cheered.

"Checkmate." Asuma stated with a smirk.

Shikamaru raised his hand; Temari's automatically dragged up with it.

"I lose. I give up" Shikamaru said. Temari's eyes widened in shock, but it was nothing compared to Naruto's and Ino's bulging eyes and dropped jaws. Kita sighed and shook her head.

"Ah, Shika of Ino-Shika-Cho is such a lazy bum…" Kita stated.

"NANI?!" the crowd cried.

"That's why I told you he would give up" Chouji said, dropping another empty bag of chips onto the dozen already lying at his feet. "You know nothing about Shikamaru Ino."

"What did you say?!" Temari cried.

"I used of too much Chakra using my Kage Mane no jutsu so many times. I can only hold you for an additional ten seconds. So I've thought about 200 possible moves. But time's up." Shikamaru dropped his hand down and shrugged. "It's too troublesome to do more. One match is good enough for me."

The proctor smirked. '_What a weird guy…?'_

"Winner; Temari."

* * *

Shikamaru's shadow retracted and he sighed holding the crook of his neck.

"I'm tired…"

"What a waste!! Nande?!" Ino whined in dismay. He grabbed a hold of Chouji's scarf and shook him. "He had a good chance of becoming Chuunin!"

"He's just being himself" Chouji said simply, smiling as he was half strangled by his female comrade.

"Really… I can't tell if he's serious about this or not…" Kurenai sighed. _'But his intelligence and strategies aren't Genin level… if a basic platoon carried out that mission, his victory would have been determined at the point Temari was captured. I guess he won the fight, but lost the match.'_

"I don't understand either…" Asuma agreed. _'It's unfortunate that he doesn't seem motivated… but in exchange he didn't lose his head or panic during battle. That's why he was able to retreat calmly as he determined the situation was bad. That comes from his calm decision-making ability. If we look at the qualities expected of a Chuunin, Shikamaru possesses the most important attribute… leadership.'_

"If we look at the platoon leader attributes, he understands the need to protect the platoon from danger, over completing a mission." A Chuunin said impressed.

"Yeah '_I accomplished the mission but got everyone on the platoon killed_' doesn't work. You need to be able to weight the risks with the mission and think about survival first, or you're not worthy of becoming a Chuunin." His partner agreed.

"If we look at that point, the Hyuuga guy and Naruto fail. They're okay as Genin though."

"But I do think Shikamaru gave up too quickly. What do you think?"

"He probably has a better chance than Naruto."

* * *

"Why did he give up dattebayou!?" Naruto cried, smacking his fist on the railings. "Baka!! Now I'm getting mad! I'll go lecture him dattebayou!" The blonde Shinobi jumped down into the arena, Kita sighed and ran down the wall, trailing after the knucklehead ninja. It was clear she was the one looking after Naruto and not the other way around…

"Oi baka!" Naruto shouted at the stretching Shikamaru.

"Urusai baka."

"Why did you give up dattebayou?!" Naruto complained.

"That's a matter of the past now. It's all good now." Shikamaru said simply.

"No it's not! You almost won the match!!" Naruto cried. Kita jumped onto Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Shika is Shika Naruto-kun."

"Put that topic aside." Shikamaru agreed. But Naruto wasn't listening, lost within his lecture.

"And you gave up right before you won!"

"And lets get ready for the next match" Shikamaru finished.

"Totally unacceptable and—eh?" Naruto was distracted. "Next?" Shikamaru smirked, giving it a moment for Naruto to figure it out.

"Kari-chan! And then Sasuke!" Naruto cried grinning.

* * *

"The match after the next is finally the Uchiha one!"

"Yeah, but who's this Gaara his opponent?"

"Hmm… Bet he's nothing compared to an Uchiha."

"Did you hear? The Uchiha kids going to give up his match!"

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah. I heard he got hurt badly during the training before the tournament."

"Oh man! I took a day off so that I could watch this match! Don't disappoint me!"

"The match will be won by Uchiha." A feudal lord said, looking at the information pamphlet.

"You can't quite say that, I am expecting something from the Suna rookie" another Daimyo said from beside him. "I know I am right about this."

"In the world of fighting, something always happens, it is unpredictable."

"But what of the two fighting before him?" The Daimyo turned to the page about the one form Konoha.

"Not a lot said about her, pretty little thing, but women shouldn't be shinobi."

The proctor looked around at Gaara, then to Akira as the crowd began to get restless. He then looked to the doors. Nothing.

"Hokage-sama, about Uchiha Sasuke and Kari… they haven't arrived yet." The Chuunin whispered.

"I have no choice then, we cannot allow the guests to wait like this." The Hokage said.

"Ten more minutes" the Kazekage requested. "Can we try and wait for ten more minutes? The guests have been waiting for the last match, it would be cruel to cancel it, and it wouldn't be fair not to treat Kari as Sasuke's equal. We have waited a long time already, an additional ten minutes is nothing."

"Hokage-sama…?"

"What's wrong, start the next match?!"

"Where's the Uchiha?!"

"When's it going to start? Hurry!"

"Kazekage-dono you have a point. I will extend the waiting period another ten minutes." The Hokage turned to the Chuunin. "Go tell Genma about this."

* * *

At the gate, two figures were making their way towards the arena.

"Oi is that…?" one of the guards asked.

* * *

"Man, what is that idiot doing?! Kari-chan is gonna kill him!" Naruto cried. "They haven't arrived yet dattebayouuu!" Kita too was getting anxious, but focused on believing in her Okaasan.

* * *

"Welcome you two."

"Please hurry to the stage."

"Yosh!" Lee cried, leaning heavily on his wooden crutch, but still full of gusto.

"Yosh!" Gai cried, striking a pose. "Let's go Lee!"

"Most of the matches in the first round are finished" a guard explained. "The only matches left for this round is Kari against Murasaki Akira and Uchiha Sasuke against Gaara."

"What about Naruto-kun and Neji's match?!" Lee cried desperately.

"That one turned out rather interesting. The Hyuuga lost."

'_Neji lost… to Naruto-kun?'_

"Is that so?" Lee asked with a smile.

'_You did it… Naruto-kun!'_

* * *

"Oi time is drawing near" Kankurou said as Temari joined him in the waiting area. "Are they really going to come?"

"They will" Gaara stated. "I am sure of it."

* * *

"Geez what are they doing?!" Naruto cried as the crowd became more restless.

'_Thirty more seconds'_ Genma thought, looking at his clock.

"Sasuke… hurry up and come! Kari-chan is gonna be so mad with you dattebayou!" Naruto cried pacing back and forth.

'_Time's up…'_ Genma read. He sighed and looked up at the audience.

"About the final match, time is up so…" he was distracted by a change in the wind, a leaf fluttering before his eyes. Kita's ears pricked, her eye's bright. A gust of leaves blew through the arena and a small whirlwind formed.

Back to back in a triangle stood Sasuke, Kakashi and Kari.

Sasuke's hair was longer, his bangs falling past his jaw and almost to his collarbone. He was wearing all black, his shorts were shorter and his shirt tighter than before. His arms were bandaged with rubber bands wrapped around them. His hitai-ate remained at his forehead.

Kari's hair was also slightly longer, her golden bangs falling into her eyes. She wore her usual fishnet shirt, but instead of a tank top, a black off shoulder shirt was worn instead. She wore reasonably tight capris, which ended below her knees. She had a trademark gloves, and her arms and legs were bandaged. Her katana were crossed over her back and held by black leather straps and the sheaths. Her ears and tail were in full view, her hitai-ate around her neck.

"See, they're here." Gaara said.

"Finally, Kari-chan" Akira said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry we're late" Kakashi said simply.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried with glee, rushing and glomping her for all she was worth.

"Ite-e! Naruto-kun!" Kari giggled as he span her round. He took her in, her smell of spring air, her texture, her smooth skin and soft hair, her bright eyes and warm smile, it was Kari — _his_ Kari chan.

"I won Kari-chan! I won for you! I kept my promise!" Naruto cried, his eyes alight and his smile softening. Kari looked at him in surprise before a joyful smile spread across her face and she planted a kiss on his lips leaving him blushing and stunned.

"Naruto-kun! You did it! You did it!" Kari cried embracing him tightly, he grinned and laughed.

"Namaeha?" Genma requested.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Sasuke answered. Seeing Kari was too caught up in showering her love over Naruto, Sasuke answered for her. "And Kari-baka." Kari's ear twitched, then her eye twitched and she glared at him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried. "Kari-chan!"

"They made it in time." Lee said.

"Lee-san!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd and Kari blushed awkwardly.

"You were awfully late, I thought you weren't going to come because you were afraid to fight me" Naruto said smirking. Kari shot him a slight glare. "I know that it was all his fault though Kari-chan!"

"You won the first round?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Of course! I promised Kari-chan after all!" Kari grinned and rubbed her cheek against Naruto's in affection.

"Don't get so excited over it urasatonkashi. And Kari-baka's been like that most of the week, her mood swings have been a nightmare."

"Well… It's hard to ask this after we've entered the stage with a flashy performance… But... did Sasuke and Kari-chan get… disqualified?" Kakashi asked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"They must have caught your habit of being late." Genma said simply.

"So…?" Kakashi said paling at the glare Kari was giving him.

"They're fine, their matches were put on hold and they arrived just in time so they don't get disqualified."

"I'm glad to hear that" Kakashi said with a weak laugh.

"BAKA!!" Kari hissed, pulling off her katana sheath and thwacking Kakashi around the head. "Apologise to everyone for making them wait!"

"Gomenasai minna-sama…" Kakashi said holding the bump on his head as Kari readjusted her katana, some people laughing at the student scolding the sensei.

"You better not lose to that guy" Naruto said, noticing Sasuke glaring at Gaara.

"I know, Kari's already lectured me." Sasuke said with a smirk at his ever faithful kunoichi companion who smirked back at him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, causing Kari to grasp her sensitive ears. "I want to fight you as well" Naruto said determined.

"Aa."

"Group hug!" Kari said happily as Shikamaru and Kita watched the odd scene before them.

"No." Sasuke, as emotionless as he now seemed to be, wavered under Kari's scolding glare. She huffed, swishing her tail and turned to the other nearby adult.

"Anou… Genma-sensei" Kari asked shyly, a blush adorning her face.

"Aa? What is it?" the proctor asked.

"Eto… is it time for a break?"

"Iie… Nande?" Genma asked, raising an eyebrow at the strange girl.

"Kari-chan needs the bathroom…" Kari said sheepishly.

"I wouldn't argue with her if I was you…" Kakashi whispered to the proctor. "It's her time of the month and she's extremely violent…"

"I heard that!" Kari cried going to kick her sensei in the shins.

"Minna-sama. We are going to have a ten minute break where you are welcome to get refreshments. I'm sure you want to be fully prepared for the final matches" Genma announced after a nod from the Hokage.

"Arigatou Genma-sensei!" Kari cried happily embracing him around the middle before disappearing.

"Ah… Doushimashite?"

* * *

Kari quickly darted through the corridor, listening and searching. Finally she found what she was looking for and stood apprehensively outside the door. Biting her lip she grasped the handle and silently slipped inside.

"Who is it?"

"EEP!" Kari squeaked accidentally banging the door when she jumped. She looked around to see Neji staring at her with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted in shock.

"…Kari?" Neji whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"Ah… Hi?" Kari said awkwardly, looking down at her toes.

"Please" Neji said, patting the bed beside him.

"So you lost to Naruto-kun?" Kari said plopping on the bed beside him.

"Aa. I learnt a lot, even though I lost" Neji said, not taking his eyes off her. Sadly, Kari seemed to find her knees far more interesting than his face. "I want to apologise, I was wrong about Hinata-sama, and in my foolishness you were hurt…"

"Ne?" Kari whispered, finally turning to look at him in shock, his lavender eyes were sincere, his guard down. "N-Neji!" she cried, her eyes shining.

"A-ah! Don't cry!" Neji cried awkwardly but was cut off when she flung her arms around him. "You baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" she cried, almost suffocating him in her arms. "You finally see clearly! Neji-kun I'm so proud of you!" Neji's shock faded to a smile and he embraced her back.

"Arigatou Kari-chan…" He pulled away from her slightly and handed her a scroll. "It's from my father, it showed me the truth…" he motioned for her to read it. She did so, her eyes scanning the kanji.

"Your Otousan was a smart man" Kari said with a slight sniffle. "And you cried. And I wasn't there for you…"

"You're here now" Neji said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and resting his chin on the top of her head. "That's all that matters…"

"Hiashi made you cry…"

"Eh…?"

"**I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!!**"

"IIE!" Neji cried, holding her back as Kari attempted to find the Hyuuga head and give him a scolding. "It's alright now Kari, he apologised!"

"Not good enough!"

"He got on his knees and bowed to me!" Neji cried.

"_**That**_ on the other hand is a satisfactory apology." Kari smiled, content with the images of the grovelling Hiashi-sama floating in her head. "Was it hard? Showing everyone your seal…?" Kari asked, glancing at his forehead. His hitai-ate was over it, but she knew it was there.

"Aa." Neji looked thoughtful, at ease now she had calmed down. "It was a relief too in a way."

"Neji-sempai is becoming mature" Kari laughed, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"And Kari-chan is Kari-chan" Neji said simply, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close to him. It felt like forever since she was in his arms, and his mind was now refreshed, remembering every little detail.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kari asked suspiciously. A month with Sasuke and being called an idiot everyday, she was a little more on guard.

"You're perfect the way you are." Neji said with a soft smile. Kari looked up at him with wide eyes and rosy cheeks, truly touched. "What have I told you about that look…" Neji said blushing and turning away from her.

"And Neji is Neji" Kari said decidedly. "Oh! I had this thought a while ago but I never told you about it." Neji gave her an odd look but waited for her to continue. "Well, you know about kings and queens, and princes and princesses… Seeing as your Otousan was brother to the 'king' of Hyuuga he is till royalty and therefore Neji-kun is like a prince!"

"The Hyuuga family aren't royal Kari-chan…" Neji said giving her an odd look.

"You're missing the point Neji-ouji" Kari said with a grin. Neji smirked and shook his head, knowing better than to argue.

"Were you alright in the last month with Uchiha and Kakashi?" Neji asked, his eyes scanning for injuries.

"Anou… It was ok" Kari shrugged.

"You're very pale."

"Che, I'm always pale" Kari said brushing his worries aside. Neji felt her forehead and gave her a scolding glare.

"You're cheeks are flushed and you have a temperature."

"Eto… I'll be fine!" Kari said simply.

"You had better be, don't overdo it again" Neji said, his hand instead moving to her cheek, which was still pink, but from fever not embarrassment. "You have a habit of pushing past your limit."

"I'm a lot stronger!" Kari cried defensively. Neji smiled, but his eyes clearly showed his worry.

"I know, but be careful" he said softly, brushing her bangs aside he placed a kiss on her forehead. Pulling away he noticed her cheeks were much more darkly flushed. It was odd how openly she showed friendly affection, but when it came to receiving deeper affection she turned extremely shy. Neji moved his hand back to her cheek. "I don't want you getting hurt again."

"You can be really sweet sometimes, but a right temee at others" Kari mumbled but smiled holding his hand to her face. "I've missed you Neji, be good and take care of Hinata-chan so I don't have to get mad at you again."

"I've learnt my lesson. I'll look after her from now on" Neji said and Kari smiled warmly. "Naruto said when he became Hokage that you and him would change Hyuuga."

"Hai! I'm going to be his right hand woman!" Kari said happily. "And we will! No more seals, no more branch and head families and no more slavery" she said determinedly. She knelt up and pushed his hitai ate up revealing his seal and traced it with a cold finger. Her determined face softened. "And then you won't have to live in fear because they won't be able to hurt you."

"I look forward to that day" Neji said, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. She lightly kissed his curse mark and smiled sitting back down, she giggled slightly at his pink tinted cheeks.

"So do I, and then can I go beat up the Hyuuga elders?" Kari asked, looking at him expectantly.

"Of course not" Neji said reopening his eyes and pulling his hitai-ate back into place, Kari straightening it and then smoothing his dark hair. "You had better win in the finals, isn't it your match next?" Kari stiffened her pale, slightly flushed face going stark white.

"**EEH?! I'M LATE!!**" Kari cried in alarm jumping off the bed. "Sumimasen! Ja Neji-kun!" she kissed him on the cheek and ran out the room.

"Ja…" Neji said weakly, touching his cheek where she had kissed him. He was warm, his face flushed. It seemed all Hyuuga's were shy when it came to affection… But then a slightly dopey smile came to his face and he sighed softly.

'_Ganbatte… Kari-chan…'_

* * *


	51. Doku

**A/N:** I feel like i'e been gone a while, sorry for the wait. But I did the last update quickly so i guess I'm allowed ne? Seems like you like Neji x Kari fluff, but I quite like to write it too, so there may be more in future chapters. Thank you as always for your reviews, I put some fanart of Akira up if you're curious to what he looks like :) He's kawaii!

Disclaimer: Naruto-kun's rights and all regarding him have yet to be handed over to me.

Claimer: Kari, Kita, Akira, Kitome, Kaizo, the 'Meiken fighting style', and Kari's relationships are mine.

* * *

**Doku**

毒

_**Poison**_

* * *

_His hair a vivid violet, his eyes a warm gold, a silent warning_

_Bright colours suggest lethal poison after all._

* * *

"Nande?! Why don't I ever pay attention to the time?!" Kari whined as she ran full speed back the way she came. After twenty seconds or so, she skidded to a stop in front of Sasuke and Naruto who were having that '_you'd better win because I want to fight you'_ and '_I know, I'll win loser'_ stares at each other in the waiting area.

"Ne? Kari-chan! Where've you been?" Naruto cried, noticing her still pink cheeks. "It doesn't take that long to pee dattebayou!"

"Aa… Kari-chan got lost…" Kari said smiling sheepishly.

"Why are you blushing baka? Did you walk into the men's room?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"No I did not!!" Kari cried mortified. _That little hentai_! "At least I don't look like I've changed my sexuality Sasu-kun!"

"Kakashi got our clothes, as you've been reminding me" Sasuke said, glancing at her clothes, which were a fair amount tighter than what she usually wore, much to her displeasure.

"Che! _'It'll improve your speed' 'Sasuke won't wear his unless you wear yours' 'Your clothes are all scruffy and torn, all those boys in the audience won't be impressed Kari-chan!'_ Baka-Kaka-nii-hentai-sensei!!" Kari grumbled.

"Sasuke-teme… you _do_ look kinda different" Naruto said, pulling a thinking face.

"His hair's longer so he looks like a girl, he's wearing tighter, shorter clothes in hopes he'll get raped and he's doing the _'I'm emotionless and therefore soooo cool'_ look" Kari said.

"And Kari's PMSing" Sasuke huffed, Kakashi deciding to continue their little chat when the Uchiha questioned Kari's (violent) mood swings.

"Stop going on about it!!" Kari hissed, glaring daggers at the stupid Uchiha.

"Ne, Kari-chan where were you though?" Naruto asked again.

"I—"

"It's obvious. She went to see Hyuuga Neji" Shino said, deciding to enter the conversation.

"E-eh…!" Kari blushed and looked at him in shock. "Sh-Shino-kun!"

"Why did you go see him" Sasuke and Naruto asked together while Kari waved her hands in front of her trying to stop herself getting flustered.

"I-I…! I just wanted to see if he was ok!" Kari said awkwardly.

"Che…" Sasuke scoffed, turning his face away from her.

"Kari-chan! You're too kind! Neji is an ass dattebayou!" Naruto said stubbornly, folding his arms across his chest as he pouted.

"Nice to know you both care" Kari said with a weak laugh, trying to ignore the blush still painted on her cheeks. Naruto grinned and Sasuke slightly sighed.

"Minna-sama, we will now resume the matches." Genma announced. Kari's ears pricked and she looked out at the arena.

_'Looks like it's time…'_

"Knock him dead Kari-chan! I won for you, you've got to keep up dattebayou!" Naruto said grinning and embracing her tightly. Akira glanced at her and then exited and headed for the stairs.

"Hai! I won't let you down!" Kari said happily.

"Kari" Shino said, looking around at her, his sunglasses gleaming. "The bugs most brightly coloured are those most dangerous. Watch out for the poison."

"I'll remember Shino-kun" Kari said with a nod.

"Ganbatte" Shikamaru offered lazily. Kari smiled, appreciating the support from them all.

"Kita-ko, it's time" Kari said. Kita yipped and darted to Kari's side, her hitai-ate plate catching the light. They headed towards the exit, but Kari was stopped when she felt a tug at her wrist. Looking back, her eyes locked with Gaara's, his face emotionless, yet his eyes piercing.

"Murasaki Akira is stronger than his brother, don't take him lightly" Gaara stated. Kari blinked, surprised at the redhead's sudden words, but not half as shocked as his siblings.

"Ehh??" Kankurou mumbled, glancing at Temari who just shrugged, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"Wakatta" Kari replied, holding his gaze. After a moment that seemed far too long, his grip loosened and set her free. "Sasuke. He's improved" she said repaying him for his advice. She didn't tell him anything else, knowing any advice would be found insulting and would be disregarded.

"He had better be strong" Gaara said, expecting nothing less.

"He is." With that Kari headed towards the stairs, a small smirk on her face.

'_I just hope he's strong enough…'_

* * *

"You were going to go without getting any encouragement from me hm?"

Kari stopped and glanced back as Kita trotted down the stairs.

"I was wondering where you got to" Kari said smiling and looking around. Sasuke leant against the wall, she walked over to him.

"You know what I'm going to say" Sasuke said, looking her in the eye.

"I'll be careful, and I won't take it too far" Kari said at once, he smirked slightly before pushing off the wall and pushing her up against the wall instead. His hands were either side of her blocking any escape. A blush immediately stained her face. "I told you to stop that" she grumbled glancing away from him. He lifted her chin, and forced her to look at him.

"Promise me."

"I said I'd be careful didn't I?" Kari said, trying to glance away again, but he just leant his forehead against hers.

"I guess so." He sighed, stirring her bangs. "You might be fighting me, so you should conserve your energy." He smirked when she gave him a slight glare for invading her personal space.

"Point taken" Kari said, giving him a slight nudge in hopes he'd back up so she could breathe, sadly, he liked to tease her and stayed firmly where he was.

"Good." He moved closer to her, his breath mingling with hers.

"I'm m-meant to be fighting!" Kari squeaked, immediately tensing and blushing furiously at the intimacy. He lightly but firmly captured her lips in a kiss. There was a muffled protest which he ignored. After another second or two he moved back a little and smirking at her beat red face and huffy expression. She folded her arms in frustration. "I'm going now."

"Hn." She rolled her eyes and went to walk past him, but was caught in a sudden embrace. "Be careful" he murmured, mushing their bodies together. She remained silent, knowing he wasn't expecting an answer. "It's odd, after having you to myself for a month, to see you with other guys…"

"Possessive much…? Geez, heaven help the girl you fall in love with…" Kari said with a smirk. Sasuke scoffed slightly before letting her go.

"Whatever."

"I'll be there to watch your match Sasu, I promise" Kari said, heading towards the stairs and hurrying down them at a jog. Sasuke watched her go, until she turned and disappeared, the crowd giving a cheer.

"Good luck Kari…" Sasuke murmured, turning and walking back into the waiting room, prepared for a good fight. "Show them what you can do…"

* * *

"Are you ready?" the proctor asked, the pick in his mouth moving as he talked. Kari had thought it was a pocky stick for a moment and was slightly disappointed but forced herself to focus and took in the appearance of her opponent.

His violet hair was slightly longer, but still in the same spiky and slightly static looking style. His golden eyes gleamed, but were calmer than his brothers. He wore a form fitting black vest and navy capris. His elbows down to his wrists were bandaged. Two black leather belts hung around his hips, holding two sheathed kodachi, or possibly wakizashi. Kari had learnt a fair bit about swords from Kaizo, who was surprisingly an extremely good teacher.

A wattou is a long battle katana, usually greater than 30 inches in length. A katana (which Kari uses) is generally 25-30 inches long. A wakizashi is a short sword. A kodachi is a short sword between a wakizashi and katana in length. A tanto is a long dagger. Then there are the typical kunai, the short throwing knives. A sakabatou is a reverse-bladed sword. A zanbatou is a giant sword which is usually used against mounted opponents to cut down both horse and rider (Kari always thought of Zabuza's sword when imagining these). Then there's a bokken which is a wooden sword, and a shinai which is a bamboo practice sword. The sheath of a sword is called a saya, but Kari still thinks of it as a sheath.

Kari decided to go with the swords being kodachi, they looked about the length of his elbow to his fingertips or maybe an inch or so longer. He had a kunai and shuriken holster tied to his leg, and that was all visible weapons. He had a strange aura about him, a quiet confidence that was slightly intimidating.

"Hai." Both answered simultaneously. Kita stood at her side, legs bent slightly, prepared to sprint. She knew her Okaasan's battle plan and was determined to perform flawlessly. Kari and Akira locked eyes, ambery gold against a bright mix of blue green and grey. Kari's ears twitched slightly as a light breeze tickled her face.

'_There's a dangerous scent in the air…_'

* * *

"Kari-chan'll win easy" Naruto said confidently.

"Don't get overconfident usuratonkashi, she's recovering from a bad fever" Sasuke stated, leaning against the wall while Naruto leaned over the rail excitedly.

"Pfft! Kari-chan could beat him blindfolded with both hands behind her back!" Naruto said, dismissing any negativity against his beloved best friend.

'_If only… The attacks with Akio's kekkei genkai had a huge effect on her even afterwards; she'd wheeze and cough up blood if she was struck hard in the chest. It took her two weeks before she was healed…_'

He couldn't suppress a smirk remembering the little incident in the corridor before she went to fight. Kakashi had been encouraging him to tease her, and surprisingly, he found it entertaining and enjoyable and continued to tease her now and then. It was amusing how drastically she would change when put in a situation of possible romance.

Of course it was only teasing; there was nothing more behind it. He looked down at her, knowing they were soon to begin and couldn't help but feel slightly anxious. It takes a lot for her to be knocked out, but she's quite sensitive and can be hurt pretty easily, especially with her poor defence. Hopefully it would end quickly.

* * *

"Yo Gai. And Lee-kun how's your body? Kari-chan was very concerned." Kakashi said as he joined Gai, Lee, Sakura, Ino and Chouji.

"Kakashi!" Gai said with a grin.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried, she stared at him with a concerned look, not wanting to say her worries out loud.

"Oh! Sumimasen, sumimasen. You must have been worried. I'm sorry I didn't let you know about this. I'd thought Kita might have contacted you but she must have been too busy with her training" Kakashi said awkwardly.

'_Ahh Sakura's going to get angry now…_' Ino thought to herself.

"I don't care about that anymore" Sakura said turning away. She looked down at Kari, unable to see her neck because of her long hair and her hitai-ate. She wasn't able to see if… if that mark was still there. "Kakashi-sensei."

"Mm?"

"There was a strange bruise on Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan's neck right? That thing…"

"Don't worry about it anymore" Kakashi said, also looking down at Kari. Sakura stared at him and then smiled in relief. "That's how it is." The silver haired Jounin didn't want to worry her. _'I just hope Kari's fit to fight. As long as she sticks to the rules I gave her, she should be able to avoid disaster…'_ He sighed softly and looked round discreetly. "Ichi… ni… san… shi… go… roku… shichi… hachi… Eight. Eight ANBU members in this huge stadium. Two platoons aren't enough to cover this area. What is Hokage-sama thinking?" Kakashi murmured.

"Well, as long as we don't know how the enemy will move he is forced to distribute ANBU members around the most critical areas in this village. It's about to start…" Gai said in a low voice. "We can't let our guard down, but we should pay attention to the next two matches."

"Aa." Kakashi agreed, watching as the wind slightly stirred Kari's hair. She'd been extremely on edge. She hadn't confided in him, but he had seen her change in behaviour since yesterday. She wasn't just nervous or worried; she was highly on guard as though anticipating something bad to happen.

"Kakashi… I'm going to take a look at what kind of training you've given them. Seeing as Kari-chan is my squad's apprentice and _I_ am your eternal rival" Gai grinned at him, his teeth sparkling.

"Mm? Did you say something?" Kakashi asked, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"AAAH!! THAT WAS COOL KAKASHI! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS PURSUE REVOLUTIONARY REACTIONS??!" Gai cried clutching his head and belting out his displeasure at being beaten by his rival.

* * *

"Begin."

Kari rose her hands up and grasped the handles of her katana, her left hand going to the right sheath and vice-versa. She gripped them tightly and slowly pulled them out, the soft grinding of the blade soothing and exhilarating. She swung the left above her head, adjusting her grip and the right by her side, before holding one blade horizontally in front of her, and the other katana parallel behind her. A defensive move, should he charge in without warning.

She watched Akira's movements and seeing as he was reaching into his pouch and not charging in directly with Taijutsu, with a light flick of her wrists, her katana were pointing towards the ground at her sides at a slight angle so not to cut her leg. Her arms were relaxed, but adrenaline was starting to pump through her, her heartbeat beginning to drum inside her chest.

Akira flung a kunai at her and she simply moved her head to the side, her cheek was grazed, but it wasn't deep and only lightly trickled a drop or two of blood. The audience was quiet with tension, watching as Kari and Akira observed each others actions, seeing how the other would react.

Unable to withstand the anticipation any longer, Kari swung her katana so they were at a forty five degree angle behind her and charged, music pumping through her mind, driving her movements and giving her rhythm and focus. Akira quickly whipped out his kodachi and just had time to bring them into a defensive position before she swung her katana right and slammed them towards his left side.

There was a bang of metal hitting metal and the dust and wind were thrown around by the impact. There were soft gasps from some of the audience and Naruto's jaw dropped in awe. Sasuke pushed off the wall and almost ran to the railing, his Sharingan activating.

He had caught her practicing once or twice, but it was more like a dance. He had only caught a minute or two of her swinging her katana before she would hear him and fling the swords at him and yell at him for spying on her. Most other times, he was unable to find her and she disappeared for an hour or two to practice on her own.

Kari span right, releasing the pressure on his blades and swung them over her head before bringing them down in an X shape ready to cut Akira into pieces. The boy managed to quickly block and they both threw their weight forwards, adding chakra and struggling to push the other back. The wind picked up around them again but they hardly noticed, eyes locked on each others. The proctor shielded his eyes from the dust being stirred.

'_Those two have a hell of a lot of power…_' he thought as he watched their arms and legs shake with strain. With Akira being heavier he managed to throw her backwards.

She landed lightly then speedily charged and swiftly swung her blades at him, twisting and slashing at him at high speed. Akira was skilled and managed to avoid serious damage, but sustained many gashes and cuts before he noticed an opening and slammed his leg into her, sending her a fair distance away from him. In mid-air she managed to sheath her katana in time to put her hands town to catch herself and flip herself back onto her feet.

'_This guy… He's strong… And so calm… and sexy—GAH! Kari! Bad! Bad, bad, __**bad **__Kari-chan! Do not think such things about the enemy!! But he was able to keep up with my speed and katana… and those were my strengths… and he defended easily. This isn't going to be easy…'_

She charged, deciding to go into hand to hand combat and noticed Akira run directly at her. She clenched her fist preparing to strike when she was distracted.

'_Purple chakra, bright purple chakra! Fakku!!'_

Kari yelped as he rammed his hand into her sternum and knocked her flat on her back. Pinning her with his weight and sitting on her abdomen to prevent a repeat of his brothers injury. He grabbed hold of her wrist with his spare hand, her other hand gripping the wrist of the hand alight with chakra.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried in alarm as blood began to flood through her lips.

'_Not good!'_ Kakashi and Sasuke thought worriedly.

"Unn!!" Kari groaned as she choked and struggled to breathe through her nose, only making blood bubbles in her mouth. If she thought Akio had been painful, this was on a whole new level. Her body was alight with fire, burning feeling as thought it was being blackened to ash. Her bones were all twisting, trying to dislocate and fracture. Her organs went into overdrive, trying to expand and contract all at once, feeling as though they were being squeezed and swollen. Her energy was sucked out of her, white dots appearing in front of her eyes.

'_Is this it…? I thought it would last longer. I've heard from some of the Jounin that Kari was showing a lot of potential. But can she really beat this guy?'_ the proctor thought, debating whether to intervene. He didn't want any deaths.

"Hold still…" Akira murmured as she struggled weakly underneath him, unable to lift her limbs, let alone do any damage with them.

'_Kari move, MOVE! He'll kill you!!'_ Sasuke shouted in his head, praying she would be able to hear him. She had heard him in the exam, surely… _'Kari!!'_

She coughed harshly and gave Akira a feeble shove. Then she slammed her hand down, pointing at something. Immediately, Kita hurtled out of the bushes and flung herself into Akira, the sudden attack knocking him off Kari. Kita's jaws closed around his shoulder, her teeth scraping his collarbone.

Kari quickly scrambled to her feet and Kita flipped, avoiding Akira's punch. She darted into the trees disappearing. Sasuke managed a small smirk. _'She told Kita to hide and then when necessary calls for assistance… She was expecting another attack like at the preliminaries.'_ He frowned in concern as she stumbled slightly, her legs shaking underneath her. _'But she still sustained a lot of damage_'_._

Kari shot at Akira, who was clutching his shoulder, Kita had given him a slightly dead arm, she had probably caught some nerves with her teeth. He was punished for his lack of attention when a small iron fist slammed into his gut. He quickly let go of his shoulder but wasn't quick enough to dodge the hard kick to his exposed side. She twisted and flung her fist at him again but this time he dodged and countered by ramming his knee into her stomach.

Luckily, training with Sasuke had built up Kari's endurance and she and Akira became locked in speedy Taijutsu, Kari using her fluid 'Meiken' style, while Akira used normal Gouken, landing a lot more hits than Kari would like.

"Kari-hime… her Taijutsu's improved" Gai said, not daring to tear his eyes away should he miss something. Though Kakashi felt absolutely nauseous with worry, he couldn't help but feel bloated with pride.

"She's my favourite student after all" Kakashi whispered with a smile.

* * *

With a hard hit to her stomach, Kari coughed up a mixture of blood and saliva, falling hard onto her back, but doing a backwards somersault to get her back on her feet. She was panting, her breathing slightly raspy. _'Stupid kekkei genkai…'_

With a slight cry of frustration she ran at him, she was steadier now, a slight glow of chakra around her legs. She wasn't using it for speed; she had been going at a steady comfortable run throughout the fight. No it was to support her. Sasuke bit his tongue and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. _'She's trying to ignore her pain. She'll be at her limit soon. His kekkei genkai took most of her strength._'

"You can do it Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried. Sasuke almost spoke up to stop him. She didn't need encouragement to overwork herself.

"Kari-chan has really become strong" Sakura said in amazement and slight envy. It was hard to accept someone with years less of experience could surpass you.

"She's strong willed" Kakashi agreed, starting to become anxious. _'She's still hurt from the other day. I should have tried to persuade her to pull out. If only she wasn't so stubborn…_' Kakashi smiled, yet felt an ache of sadness. '_So stupidly stubborn… Just like Naruto.'_

Kari quickly performed hand signs and finishing in the sign of the tiger she blew a jet of flame at Akira. He tried to dodge but his arm and side were slightly burned. Kari inwardly grinned that his awesome hair had not been singed but then resisted the urge to run and smack her head into the wall of the stadium.

They charged at each other and Akira grabbed both his kodachi, Kari quickly pulling out a kunai. Kari went to swing at him but was cut off by an explosion of pain in her torso. The world seemed to freeze and then there were gasps and screams from the audience, and a few even covered their eyes.

"Kari-chan!"

"Kari!"

"KARI-CHAN!!"

Kari barely heard, seeming to have become deaf to all but her own sounds, her raspy breathing, her heartbeat, blood pounding in her ears… she looked down to see Akira's kodachi buried in the indent under her ribs, tilted upwards and coming out of her back. It was off centre so luckily looked like it missed her spine. Her shirt began to stick to her, the bandages torn, unable to protect her wound. He yanked his blade out of her and with a pained expression drove his other kodachi into her lower left side.

'_I have a mission for you Akira-kun. I want you to attempt to kill Kari-chan in the finals. If you fail, I will kill your brother and you will never know the truth of your parents.'_

He had to. He had no choice. If he doesn't follow Orochimaru's orders… If he doesn't win then… Then everything will be lost.

"I think that's enou—" Genma began, but to everyone's surprise he was cut off.

"I'm fine thank you very much" Kari huffed weakly, and she slammed her fist into Akira's jaw (he was looking at Genma) throwing him away from her and ripping his kodachi out.

"Kari you baka! That's enough!" Sasuke hissed, clutching the rail tightly.

Wings sprouted from her back and with a huge thrust, the dust was kicked up, hiding her from sight. The wings caused a buzz of whispered conversation through the stands, but it was quietened when the dust turned into a ring, amongst that ring a white blur as Kita rapidly circled Akira.

Kari hid behind the thicker part of the trees, panting as quietly as she could. Her wings disappeared and she clumsily tried to wrap her wounds as quickly as she could. Kita's distraction wouldn't buy her much time. _'I just need to slow the bleeding - ite-e!'_

Kita yelped and skidded to a stop, narrowly dodging the kunai thrown in front of her. She went to run in the opposite direction, but was stopped by another kunai. She looked round to see two more coming at her fast, but before she could worry about escaping, she was lifted off the ground and pulled out of harms way. Kari grabbed the kunai and with a swift turn, flung them back at their owner. One grazed Akira's thigh and he threw his last kunai at her.

Kari dodged and pulled out her own kunai and gave it to Kita, the wolf jumping off and disappearing. With his Sharingan, Sasuke had seen her do some speedy hand signals to Kita, without uttering a word or taking her eyes off Akira.

She flew at him at her full speed, and Akira was unable to keep up. He blocked shielding his face with his arms, unable to move because of the speed her attacks came from all directions. Sasuke watched as Kita darted around them, a white blur.

"Kita!" Kari cried and Kita immediately rushed to her, dropping the kunai in Kari's hand before darting into the bushes again. Kari leapt backward and pulled her kunai. Akira's eyes widened in alarm when wires wrapped around him tightly, binding his arms to his body and his legs together.

Kita had weaved the wire around him as Kari attacked him, keeping him in one place.

He was trapped.

Kari shot at him and with a hard kick to his chest he landed on his back. She sat on his stomach and in a swift motion pulled out her kunai and crossed them over his neck, trapping him. Her hands gripping his wrists and holding them down. If he tried to move his throat would be cut and he'd die.

The air was thick with tension and it was silent for a moment, until a smirk crept onto Kari's face.

"Game over."

* * *

"Winner: Kari" Genma said, seemingly surprised, but Kari was shocked by the sudden eruption of cheers from the stands. She blushed and then smiled, her keen ears picking out Naruto and Kaizo's cheers. Looking up in the direction of the sound, Kari could see Kitome clapping happily while blushing at the jumping, ecstatic Kaizo. But something caught her attention. And that something was sitting next to Kitome.

'_No…'_

"I don't suppose you're going to let me go?" Akira said from underneath her with a slight smirk. Kari immediately blushed remembering she was sitting on him and pulled her katana out the ground and sheathed them. "Congratulations, you're very strong" Akira said sitting up gingerly.

Kari's heart seemed to thump louder and louder as he came closer. But she was paralysed by some unknown force.

"_Forgive me Kari-chan_" Akira whispered before grabbing the sides of her head and pressing his lips against hers.

Naruto paused in his cheering to yell and point in confusion.

"Nani?!"

"Something's wrong…" Sasuke whispered, seeing how she had gone completely rigid. _'She should have run away blushing like an idiot by now…_'

Akira pulled away from her, his tongue sliding back into his own mouth.

"Gomenasai…"

Blood spurted out of Kari's mouth and she fell backwards, her body twitching slightly. Sasuke jumped over the railings and rushed to her side. Kneeling beside her he lifted her limp body up slightly, supporting her head and shoulders in his lap. Kakashi was immediately at her other side.

"Well… that stung like a bitch…" Kari mumbled, blinking her foggy eyes.

"You baka! How could you let him do that to you?!" Sasuke cried.

"Shut up! Do you know how much my head hurts??!" Kari hissed. "OW!! What was that for?!" Kari cried as Kakashi lifted up her shirt slightly and gently prodded her wound.

"The blades weren't poisoned, but those injuries don't look too good. Didn't we tell you to be careful?" Kakashi said sternly, Kari pulled her shirt down and watched as Akira was lifted onto a stretcher.

"Four guys in one day… boo Kari you whore" Kari whined to herself. "But a winning whore! Kita-ko!" The wolf had finally made her way over and could not look any happier.

"Okaasan!"

"Oh my baby! Okaasan is so proud of youuuu!" Kari cooed, hugging Kita and rubbing her face against the giggling cub. Sasuke grimaced still holding her, and resisted the urge to drop her.

"Kari, we'll get a stretcher ready at once—" a medic nin said taking notice of the kunoichi.

"No." she said sternly.

"Kari!"

"Baka!"

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto had rushed over, the proctor having been holding him back as he threatened to pummel Akira. "Kari-chan you were amazing dattebayou! Seriously it was so cool!" Naruto cried, bursting into the conversation and flinging his arms around her. She giggled and hugged him back while Sasuke gave them both a look of repulsion. Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation as the medic-nin just stared confused.

"Naruto-kun! Ite-e!" Kari said, slightly pushing him away, but was caught off guard when his lips pressed against hers. Kari's eyes widened as Sasuke looked like he was about to be sick. Kakashi looked mildly surprised. Kari's face was an immediate flame of red and Naruto broke away from her with a huge grin.

"That's for winning dattebayou! Like when I won and you kissed me!" Naruto cried in delight while Kari buried her face in Sasuke's shirt complaining that it was in front of so many people.

"Kari you need medical attention" the medic-nin piped up again.

"Didn't I tell you no? I'm watching Sasuke's fight!" Kari said sternly, coughing when she tried to raise her voice. She grimaced at the red tinted saliva and wiped it on Sasuke's sleeve.

"But—"

"Don't waste your breath…" Kakashi sighed. "No one argues with Kari when she's on her period."

"I'll wrap myself in the waiting area" Kari said nodding.

"They'll just come and get you when you pass out" Sasuke said, prodding the wound in her side and making her wince and shudder. Kakashi nodded to the medic-nin, knowing that was the only way, and that if Kari was dragged kicking and screaming she'd only hurt herself more and then break out of the room and come back.

"Yosh! Sasuke!" Kari said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and waiting to be lifted. Grumbling, the Uchiha lifted her up, Naruto picking up Kita and going on ahead, talking excitedly to the happy little cub.

* * *

"Lift your shirt up" Sasuke said, setting her down in the room where the stairs were. "I'm taking it you don't want to be wrapped in the waiting area."

"Meh…" Kari huffed and gave a weak cough. Sasuke sighed slightly and pulled her shirt up himself. His hand ran over the ripped bandages, his fingertips coated in thick blood. Pulling out the bandages in his pouch he started to wrap her, starting from her lower stomach and working his way up.

"Didn't I tell you not to go overboard?" he said as she winced at the contact of the wound in her side. "You should have quit when you were hit with his kekkei genkai."

"Pfft. Then I would've lost – ite-e!" Kari grumbled as he pulled it tight.

"Or when you were stabbed" Sasuke said, going to pull her shirt up more to get to the second wound but she shrank away with a glare.

"I'll do it!" she mumbled, but he ignored her and went behind her instead. "I wrapped myself in the trees!"

"You rushed and they didn't help very much. If you'd been more careful you wouldn't have to suffer through this would you?" Sasuke said as he rewrapped her ribs. "Baka."

"Alright I get it!" Kari mumbled blushing in embarrassment as wrapped her chest and upper back. "Shino-kun was right about the poison though…" Kari sighed. Sasuke grunted to show he was listening and she tensed as he pulled it tight. "That kiss had a slight intent to kill and it spread a burning pain across my throat and lungs…"

'_Kari-chan! The Murasaki clan carry poison in their salivary glands! Don't worry though, we were able to neutralise it!_' Kitai cried through her thoughts making her jump slightly.

"But you're all right now?" Sasuke asked, finishing wrapping her.

"Yeah" Kari sighed, leaning back on him and slouching. "I'm just worried about your fight." She heard him scoff and he laid his head on the top of hers.

"I'll be fine" he said simply. She spun around and stared at him worried beyond belief. He could see the concern in her eyes and rolled his own, placing a hand on the top of her head. "Baka, you worry too much. I'm not as careless as you."

"But… you'll be okay ne?" she said grabbing his other hand in hers.

"No, I'm going to die Kari."

"_**NANIII!?! No! No! NO!**_" she cried hysterically, dropping his hand and grabbing the front of his shirt to shake him slightly. Sasuke smirked slightly and pressed his lips against hers. "Mphh! S-ske!" she mumbled but he ignored her and instead cupped her breast. "UWAAH!?!" He avoided the violent swing at his head and smirked widely at her. Unable to hit him she pinched his cheeks and stretched them, cursing at him angrily. Sasuke pulled away and stood up, letting her fall slightly into the wall. He rubbed his slightly red cheeks as she glared at him enraged.

"In the slightest chance I do die, at least I'll know that was my last memory of you" he said with a wide smirk as he went towards the stairs. "Wish me luck hm?"

"No you baka hentai!!" Kari shrieked. "When I get a hold of Kakashi I'm burning those freaking books!"

"I know, I'll try my best" Sasuke said, still smirking at her. "Make sure you watch me, I'll have to work a little to top your fight."

"You arrogant, cocky temee!!" Kari shouted. "You better win! And if your injuries aren't too bad I swear when I'm going to run over and give you the Akio treatment!!"

"You wish" Sasuke said, descending down the stairs. It was quiet on his way down, but as he stepped onto the last stair he got what he'd been waiting for.

"GANBATTE! GO SASUKE-CHAN!"

And his smirk turned into a slight smile.

* * *

"Boo… Kari is a nasty whore…" Kari cursed, smacking the back of her head into the wall behind her. "And Sasuke is a stupid hentai!" she smacked her head on the wall again. "Am I just being left here?!"

"You're talking to yourself."

"YAA?!" Kari jumped out of her skin and fell onto her injured side. Looking up, blushing in embarrassment she saw a flash of red. "Oh Gaara!"

"What exactly are you doing?" he asked.

"Anou…" she answered. He simply stared at her expressionless.

"You really are odd…" he said bluntly. Kari smiled sheepishly and blushed darker. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"No. I don't like hospitals" Kari replied as she tried to get up, but she failed miserably and just laid with her face against the cold floor. "…I don't suppose you want any encouragement?"

"No."

"Then… Have a good fight" Kari said, her ear twitching at the sound of footsteps.

"Kari-chan! It's going to start soon!" Naruto cried crouching down in front of her. "Why are you lying on the floor?"

"Because it's comfortable" Kari replied as Naruto pulled her arm over his shoulder.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, doing the same with her other arm. She suddenly tensed and covered their mouths with her hands. Naruto was about to question her, but she was glaring fixedly ahead, at something behind Gaara. The redhead turned to see two men were looking at him.

"Low level tournaments like this Chuunin exam are good for betting" Kari took notice that the men wore hitai-ate, but fount it difficult to determine the symbol declaring which village they were from. "Quite a few feudal lords come here just for that reason."

"So… can you lose this match?" Kari flinched visibly seeing the wavy line and finally recognising the symbol. _'Kusa; Grass village.'_ She didn't miss Naruto's worried glance, but she, like Shikamaru, was more preoccupied with the two adult shinobi.

Gaara's eyes were closed and Naruto wondered if he was ignoring the men, Kari's eyes were on his gourd, her ears picking up the sound of movement within it. The cork on the gourd was slightly twisting.

"Hey now, at least say something."

"Are you too scared to say anything?"

Naruto made a soft mumble to show confusion but Kari slightly tightened her hold on him and slightly shook her head, silently stressing that he mustn't talk. Gaara's eyes shot open with a crazed smirk on his face. Kari's stomach churned violently and she shuddered at the burning feeling through her gut.

One of the shinobi pulled out a kunai just as the cork flew off and sand flew out almost excitedly. The shinobi gasped as the lights all shattered, bathing the corridor in darkness. Gaara's breathing was heavy and raspy in excitement and Kari felt Naruto shudder next to her. Instinctively, she brought him closer to her, so that his body was pressed against her side. She could feel his heart drumming against her ribs and fought to stay still.

Sand swamped one man, dragging him onto his back and crushed him while he screamed. The other man tried to run and make an escape but was tripped and caught being dragged back towards Gaara. Their eyes widened as they watched the man try desperately to crawl to them, clawing at the floor and screaming in terror.

"Help! Yamete! Yamete!" the man cried desperately. There was a piercing scream a few seconds afterwards.

After a moment Gaara stepped out of the corridor and started walking past them, pausing at the top of the stairs. Naruto and Shikamaru were rigid, frozen, sweat trickling down their brows and their hearts hammering in their chests. Kari could feel her own heart beating relatively fast and she too was tense, but she could almost taste the fear from Shikamaru and Naruto.

With echoing footsteps, Gaara walked down the stairs towards his much anticipated fight, leaving hints of bloodlust still in the air.

"Guys… Naruto-kun, Shika" Kari murmured. Their eyes turned to her, but their bodies were still tense from fright. "I'm going to go into the waiting room now okay? I want to see Sasuke fight."

After a moment, Shikamaru managed a slight nod while Naruto turned his head slightly to look at her. She could tell he was still disturbed and smiled softly, placing a hand on the top of his head.

"You didn't think I'd let anything bad happen to you did you?" she said gently before brushing her lips across his temple. "You're precious to me; I'll always protect you silly."

With that she stood and left, desperate to watch another precious person and make sure he would be alright.

'_Gomen Naruto-kun, but your safe now, and he's in danger… his _life_ is in danger…'_

* * *

"If those two weren't there, and Kari wasn't there… he probably would've killed _us _instead" Shikamaru said shakily. "I've never seen someone kill like that without any hesitation."

"Kari-chan… She kept us quiet and close to her to protect us…" Naruto whispered, just as shaken.

"She had such a strong protective aura… Like a mother protecting her cub…" Shikamaru said wiping the sweat off his forehead. "If he'd turned on us she would've attacked him instantly."

"And then she'd have…" Naruto swallowed and ignored the painful lurch of his insides.

"Sasuke might have trouble with him" Shikamaru said, referring to Gaara.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Gaara appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He walked until he stood opposite the Uchiha, a tense atmosphere immediately created.

"Be careful Sasu…" Kari murmured standing beside Shino, whom Kita had been sitting beside. The crowd was ecstatic and Kari sighed leaning on the railings. Her eye twitched when she noticed Sasuke was being emotionless. It always irked her when he did that.

"So it finally begins…" Genma said. After that last fight and all the drama that came with it, the crowd were all riled up and expecting something equally as impressive. Genma breathed heavily through his nose. _'That Kari girl sure was something… impressive kenjutsu, her own version of Taijutsu, a fire technique, flawless teamwork…_'Genma smiled to himself. _'With such care for her squad and such awareness of whether they were in danger, she'd make an excellent chuunin. It's just a case of whether they'll take that bad defence into account, but I suppose her stamina helps. Hopefully she'll live to see whether she's promoted. Those were terrible stab wounds._' Bringing himself out of his thoughts Genma turned to the two genin before him. "The rules are the same as in the preliminaries. The match will go on until one of you dies or gives up. If I determine that there is a clear winner I may stop the match. But I will make that decision."

Gaara smirked and an evil chuckle rumbled through his throat. Sasuke was unfazed, and kept his expression reasonably blank except for his brows slightly furrowing.

"Fighters, to the centre." Genma requested. Sasuke rolled his shoulders before walking forward. Gaara did the same, still with that evil smirk. Sasuke broke out of his blank demeanour and scowled slightly, becoming impatient. "Begin!"

The proctor jumped out the way and Sasuke readied himself for movement. Sand blasted out of Gaara's gourd and Sasuke immediately jumped back. _'This must be the sand that Kakashi was warning me about… Kari mentioned something about it, but stressed I stay away from it._' Gaara's eye widened before he groaned in pain grasping his head.

Kari shuddered as a piercing pain shot between her temples. She clenched her teeth and forced her eyes to keep open.

"Don't get so mad at me…" Gaara whined and Kari shivered as she suddenly felt cold, goosebumps spreading across her arms. "Okaasan…"

"O-okaasan?" Kari murmured in shock while Kita looked at her anxiously, noticing her distress.

'_What is this guy talking about?_' Sasuke thought in confusion.

"Back there… back there… I made you absorb foul blood…" Gaara continued muttering to himself, his open eye glued to Sasuke while a smirk remained present on his face. "Gomen…Demo… this time… It'll taste better…"

"Sasuke…" Kari murmured fearfully while Kita whined. The cub was distracted however, by Temari and Kankurou's conversation.

"He's begun to converse now… This looks bad" Kankurou said.

"I've never seen Gaara become like that before a battle…" Temari said, shock slightly showing in her face. "It must mean the opponent is strong."

Kari flinched as Gaara groaned in pain again, a splitting headache coursing through her skull. The sand that had been floating protectively above Gaara fell in a circle around him.

"Looks like it has settled" Gaara's sensei said to himself.

Kari breathed deeply as the throbbing in her head seemed to ease. _'Stupid fever… Stupid Sasuke for causing fever…'_ Kari thought to herself grumpily.

Gaara panted before slouching slightly, seemingly exhausted. He looked up, much calmer, but his eyes still flashed with danger.

"Koi."

And the fight began.

* * *


	52. SunaOtoko

**A/N:** Sorry about the late update, Maths exams and a technical glitch in and parties and picnics and other random stuff. Thank you very much to the reviewers, especially the anonymous ones!

Disclaimer: Masashi-sama didn't go through with it (manga), therefore clings to ownership.

Claimer: Kari and all to do with the ookami-kunoichi are property of me.

* * *

Suna-Otoko

The Sandman

* * *

_She could tell something was wrong, could feel it in her gut_

_But what? What was the source of this sense of foreboding?_

* * *

"Hey" Shikmaru said to Naruto, breaking the silence. "Do you remember what he said yesterday?" Naruto's face expressed shock. "Back then… he said '_I will definitely kill you guys. You just wait._' Remember? But he didn't. He had a very good opportunity too. We weren't even in his sight, helped by the fact Kari kept us so still and quiet."

"We aren't good enough for him right now" Naruto said "He wouldn't have spared us just because of Kari-chan."

"The only guy that can excite him right now is…"

"Sasuke dattebayou." Naruto shuddered, remembering the incident in the hospital and gripped his knees, trying to ease his shaking. '_I'll always protect you silly_' But could she stand a chance against that guy?

* * *

"Let's start" Sasuke said grabbing two shuriken and throwing it expertly at Gaara. The shuriken were caught when the sand formed a Suna Bunshin. Sasuke went to charge, but then quickly jumped out of the way when sand flew at him. The clone threw his shuriken back at him and he pulled out two more to counter them. He then span and went to deliver a kick to the sand clone while still in mid air, his memory burning with images of Kari's Taijutsu style. He landed and spun backhanding the clone in the throat. The sand began to close around his wrist so he struck the clone in the face with the palm of his other hand, destroying it.

'_When sparring, you should pay special attention to Kari's Taijutsu. Though you aren't quite as flexible, if you can copy a few of her moves it should come in handy.'_

He was glad he had taken Kakashi's advice, though knew that he wasn't much good at Meiken. He just carefully analysed her techniques, and tried to use them when he sparred. It was nowhere near as easy as it appeared.

Sasuke charged and went to punch Gaara in the face, but his fist was stopped by a shield of sand. He smirked and twisted slightly and in a flash he was gone.

"Ha! I'm a good sensei!" Kari grinned as Sasuke appeared behind Gaara at high speed.

'_He's fast. He moves the same way as…_' Gaara remembered his fight from the preliminaries with the speedy Rock Lee, and then thought to the matches with Kari. _'Them…_' He didn't have time to defend himself before Sasuke's fist slammed into his cheek, causing cracks to spread along it.

"He's fast… He's as fast as Lee's normal speed" Gai gasped.

"His moves overlap with my Taijutsu style and Kari-hime's Meiken attacks" Lee said in surprise.

"That must be the armour of sand" Sasuke said in a relaxed stance. He gestured with his hand for Gaara to attack. "Koi."

"That stance is alike to Kari-hime's!" Gai cried in surprise. True, Sasuke was standing with his feet in an 'L' shape, side on to his opponent, but his legs were straight instead of bent in preparation for movement. One hand was in front of him, but his palm faced towards himself, instead of towards his opponent like Kari's did. His other arm lay still at his side.

"Don't get cocky!" Kari hissed, resisting the urge to take of her ninja sandal and fling it at his head.

"Arigatou, Anbu-san" Kiba said, walking back towards the ANBU that had helped Hinata earlier. "They told me Hinata will be fine as long as she rests."

"Aa. Sou ka."

Akamaru growled and barked at the ANBU.

"Oro? You know him?" Kiba asked. "What are you talking about? He's an ANBU person." Akamaru barked again. "'_Not that, we met him during the exam…'_" Kiba repeated. "What do you mean?"

"This is what he means…" the ANBU replied his hand glowing green. Kiba's eyes widened, but he was then struck in the chest and knocked out cold. Akamaru knocked out by a tap to the back of the neck.

"If you're not coming to me, I'll go to you!" Sasuke cried having grown impatient. He charged at high speed, but seeing Gaara's sand rush in front of the redhead Sasuke quickly darted behind him.

"He's fast… Like Kari-hime" Lee said, watching as Sasuke dodged the sand thrown at him. He charged through the sand and then spun to slow himself down, before lifting his foot and slamming it into Gaara's chin. The sand rushed to cushion his fall as Sasuke smirked his leg still in the air.

"Doushita?" the Uchiha mocked, causing Kari to more seriously consider throwing her shoe at him. She blinked noticing his right arm wasn't bandaged anymore. She touched her stomach and then smiled slightly. "Is that all you got?" _'Ugh. But he's still a stupid temee._'

Gaara stood up, his sand swirling around him. He had skidded a fair way back, leaving a furrow in the ground. Sasuke got back into stance, smirking wider.

"I'll tear down that armour of yours." He charged and then copied Kita's earlier move of rapidly circling the enemy.

"AA! That's cheating!" Kari cried, realising he was copying yet another of her movements. Uchiha are so frustrating!

"He's moving at the same speed as Lee when he took off his weights." Gai murmured. Sasuke broke out of his circling and charged, flipping twice to slow himself down and then punching Gaara before grabbing his shirt and kneeing the Suna-nin in the chest.

"'_I'll probably never use those gymnastics you taught me_'" Kari mimicked folding her arms in annoyance. "You are _**so**_ buying me pocky after this." She sighed and looked back, noticing Naruto and Shikamaru still hadn't returned. "Kita-chan, go stay with him for me" Kari asked looking down at her cub. At once Kita nodded, running off to see Naruto.

'_Sasuke-kun… You are indeed an incredible genius. It took me many years to obtain that speed… And… And with Kari-hime's assistance you obtained it in one month.._' Lee thought.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. _'Kari trained you well.'_

Sasuke panted slightly out of breath and could almost feel Kari glaring a hole in the back of his head. Perhaps he did use her techniques more than he thought. But after sparring with her for a month, he became used to it. '_Maybe I will get her some pocky after all…'_ He watched Gaara who was on his hands and knees breathing heavily. There was a visible crack across his arm, and wider cracks across his face but Sasuke couldn't tell the extent of the other damage.

'_But it looks like you consume a lot of stamina to maintain that speed. Kari-hime has a natural incredible speed with natural high stamina, which you lack.'_ Lee thought.

'_What are you planning on doing Gaara?' _Kankurou thought as he watched the redhead. '_The armour of sand consumes too much chakra. It won't last long._'

"What kind of training did you make him go through?" Gai asked. Kakashi looked around at his rival. "How could he become like that in only one month?"

"Sasuke has copied Lee-kun's Taijutsu with his Sharingan before. As well as that, part of Kari-chan's Taijutsu style is influenced by Lee-kun's. That why, during Taijutsu training, I made Sasuke picture Lee-kun's movements. He also copied quite a few of Kari-chan's movements, as you probably saw. Sasuke knew Lee-kun. That's why he was able to obtain that movement." Kakashi replied. "Needless to say, he went through a lot of trouble." Kakashi chuckled lightly. "He gets mad because Kari-chan is faster than him."

'_Demo… That alone… Taijutsu alone is not enough to defeat that Suna shinobi._' Lee thought to himself.

'_Kakashi was watching the match between the abominable Gaara and the adorable Lee. Someone even Lee could not defeat, cannot be defeated with hastily acquired Taijutsu alone.' _Gai thought._ 'He should be aware of that… Then… Why did he only make him master Taijutsu moves?_'

Gaara stood and made a hand sign. At once his sand swirled around him into a hollow sphere.

* * *

"Shikamaru" Naruto said standing up suddenly. "Let's go see Kakashi-sensei."

"What are you planning on doing?" Shikamaru asked, but Naruto simply ran off without answering. "Oi!"

"Make them… stop this match…"

"Naruto-kun!" Kita cried running at his side. Knowing Kari must have been worried he nodded, accepting Kita was told to stay with him and kept running.

* * *

Sasuke charged as the sphere of sand began to close.

'_Gaara! Is he planning on using that technique!?'_ Kankurou thought. Sasuke went to punch the sphere. A shudder ran through Kari as she sensed the sphere flow with chakra.

'_SASUKE! YAMETE!'_

Sasuke froze, sharp spikes grazing him, and causing drops of blood to slide out of the light wounds. He jumped back a few feet then clenched and unclenched his hand, trying to ease the pain. _'That sand is like steel…_' He watched with his Sharingan activated as the spikes sunk back into the sphere.

Kari sighed in relief, brushing away the blood from her cheek. _'That would've hurt if he'd stopped a second later…_' Kari grimaced at the blood running down her thigh, probably the deepest out of the cuts. _'I almost lost the chance to see pink-haired Sasuke's! Didn't I tell him to be careful?'_

"He's using all of his sand to guard. I didn't think the difference in sand density could make it this hard…" Sasuke muttered. Kari sighed and rubbed her sore hand. She could feel her knuckles bleeding, her hand throbbing with pain. It was a shame her knuckle guards couldn't protect her from Sasuke's injuries. _'Un. He's going to get gloves with really thick knuckle guards…'_ "This must be what people call an absolute defence…"

'_No shit Sherlock!'_

'_Shut it baka! I'm trying to concentrate!'_

"All of the sand has enveloped his body" Lee said.

'_This will be tricky to defeat… What will Sasuke do?_' Gai thought.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Naruto-kun!" Lee greeted with a smile. "Kita-chan!"

"I expected you to take are of Kari" Kakashi said as Naruto and Shikamaru struggled to get their breath back.

"Okaasan is with Shino-kun!" Kita said. This seemed to somewhat reassure Kakashi and he turned to Naruto.

"What is it?"

"Sensei! Please stop this match right now dattebayou!" Naruto cried. He ignored their confused faces and continued. "He's… totally different from us dattebayou. He's not normal dattebayou!"

"Naruto! What are you talking about?" Ino asked.

"He lives to kill people! At this rate Sasuke is going to die!" Naruto cried frantically.

Having grown accustomed to Naruto's voice, Kari's hearing naturally honed in on it. She frowned, understanding that he was worried but then winced holding her side. "Oww… shimatta…" She was distracted by soft whispers coming from inside the sand sphere. Sand appeared above the sphere, swirling into a much smaller sphere which then turned into a large eye.

'_No doubt about it'_ Temari thought fearfully _'It's __**that**__ technique… this isn't good! Gaara no longer remembers the plan!'_

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried with more desperation. Kakashi looked back at the match down at the Uchiha and sighed softly.

"Don't worry. We were late for a reason, though Kari still decided to scold me" he chuckled weakly and touched the top of his head that was still a little tender.

Sasuke smirked and wiped the blood from his cheek. He charged and flung three kunai at the sphere but they just bounced off without even making a dent. Sasuke quickly appeared on the opposite side of the sphere and ran to strike it again. Kari squeaked when he didn't stop because of the spikes, but luckily they just grazed his clothes and he jumped away after an unsuccessful backhand. The spikes sprang at him and he quickly did multiple cartwheels to avoid them and then jumped in the air. He landed on the top of the sphere before jumping off before he was impaled.

'_It's not working… he's completely shut himself in… I don't what you're up to, but this is good timing for me… This move takes time… I wanted to show it before Kari did after all.'_

'_I heard that!'_

"Sensei" Sakura asked, Kakashi grunting to show he was listening "What do you mean you three were late for a reason?"

"Do you want to know?" Kakashi asked simply.

"We don't have time for that!" Naruto cried, running on the spot frustratedly.

"Shut up and watch him. He was trained harshly by Kari. Watch… You'll wet your pants" Kakashi said.

"Kita-chan doesn't wear pants…" Kita said, feeling slightly left out.

Sasuke flipped backwards and then darted up the stadium wall. Kari watched as he performed the familiar hand signs. He then grasped his left wrist in his right hand and crouching down, held it towards the wall.

"_Yeah… I'm going to tear him apart… and then drag it out… what you ask? His insides of course… A lot comes out right? I'll give them all to you… I'm always a good boy… Yes, let's do it… Okaasan I'll watch…" _Gaara murmured excitedly within his shell of sand. Kari's heart skipped a beat, her throat becoming dry.

'_Pocky fish! Pocky fish! Don't think about it!'_

"Shimatta, nothing can be done now he's like that" Kankurou cursed.

"Is he trying to ruin the plan and everything else here? Damn Gaara…" Temari asked. Kankurou debated whether to run away. Kari felt Shino meet her gaze beneath his dark glasses and slightly nodded.

Chakra sprayed out of his palm like blue lightning. Kari felt a bit like a deflated balloon that she hadn't the chance to show it first.

"C-could that be…?" Gai gasped looking round to Kakashi.

"I supervised Sasuke's training… Because he is similar to me" Kakashi said as Sasuke smirked widely. "And Kari… Well, as well as her strength, I also adore her company. Surprisingly, she is an amazing teacher. After all, she taught Kita."

Sasuke brought his sparking arm behind him, grabbing it with his other hand and charged.

"I hope we don't have to pay for damages to the wall" Kari mumbled, seeing it crumble underneath the chakra.

"Sou ka, so that's why you made him master Taijutsu to dramatically increase his speed. Does Kari-hime…" Gai said.

"Of course" Kakashi said smiling. "But due to her high chakra she can lose control and leave a rather large ruin. Also, she suffers burns, which is why she's still wearing her gloves in this heat. It's good she's quite ambidextrous."

"That's amazing, I can clearly see his chakra with my eyes" Sakura cried in amazement. "How is he doing it?"

'_This must be the power of the Uchiha clan_' Gai thought to himself.

"What is that? Dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"It's making a lot of noise, what is that move?" Sakura asked.

"Just a straight thrust" Gai said. "But its Konoha's number one technique specialist; the Copy-nin Kakashi's only original move. It's a secret move only for assassin purposes. Its secret lies in the speed of the thrust and the activation of the body to create large amount of chakra. Then he concentrates that large amount of chakra into the thrusting arm. And because of the incredible speed he moves at, it emits a distinctive chirping sound similar to a thousand birds chirping." Sasuke rapidly approached Gaara kicking up huge amounts of dust behind him. He dodged the spikes and thrust his arm into the shell of sand. "And that's why the move is called; Chidori."

"You've got to be kidding…" Kankurou whispered in shock. "Gaara's absolute defence was…"

"This can't be true" Temari said with a similar expression.

Sure enough, Sasuke's Chidori had gone straight through the sand.

"Chidori, also called Raikiri." Gai said.

"Raikiri?" Sakura repeated.

"That's the alias it took because Kakashi once cut through lightning with that move. Its true name is Chidori and its secret lies in the body's fastest attainable speed, the speed of the thrust and the chakra accumulated in ones arm. The arm turns into a sword that can cut through anything. But you've taught them a reckless move." Gai said looking back at Kakashi.

"That's ironic coming from you" Kakashi snorted, remembering how Gai taught Lee to open five of the eight inner gates. "Right Lee-kun?"

"I still don't understand the logic, but it's an incredible move!" Sakura cried.

'_I can understand…'_ Lee thought _'If I were him, I wouldn't just dive into the enemy after putting on some speed. To be precise I can't… Straight movement is easily countered by the opponent, and I do not have the eyes to detect and dodge the counter. I envy you Sasuke-kun. When I fought you once before, I told you this: 'there is no point in your eyes seeing if your body can't keep up' while feeling superior about myself. But you have obtained high speed body like mine and Kari-hime's, and you… have your Sharingan.'_

"I've got you…" Sasuke said, his Sharingan gleaming.

'_Heh…_' Shikamaru thought looking at Naruto. _'The guy who was worried about Sasuke a minute ago… Is now jealous of him. It's ironic that he doesn't become angry that Kari's improved so much…_'

"Sasuke…" Naruto murmured. _'I become stronger… to become Hokage, and so I wouldn't lose to anyone… And so I wouldn't lose to you… but you…'_ He grit his teeth in frustration.

"_What… is this warm thing?" _Gaara murmured confused. "_Okaasan… nani?_" Then the most horrifying, bloodcurdling scream sounded from within the sand. Kari gasped and grasped her ears, trying to block the sound out. Her knees hit the floor, Shino kneeling down beside her. "_BLOOD! MY BLOOD!!"_ Kari's breaths came out in sharp pants as she whimpered. Kumouri chuckled darkly, running her tongue along her sharp jagged teeth.

'_Hai, hai! Lots and lots of blood!!'_

"Go away…" Kari whispered, her body shaking.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he struggled to break free. He charged his hand with Chidori again and dragged it out. A long _thing _struggling to hold onto him. He jumped back the strange thing following him.

"What is that?" Gai thought.

'_It's __**his**__ arm'_ Kankurou thought in terror. Sasuke fell to one knee, holding his arm, his bandages unravelled near his wrist. He watched as the thing was pulled back into the hole his Chidori made.

"Did he change into the complete possessed form?" Kankurou cried.

"I don't know! He seems wounded, this has never happened before" Temari cried anxiously.

Sasuke looked at the hole, hearing strange noises from inside. Kari's eyes changed viewpoint and suddenly she could see from Sasuke's position. It was a new and odd skill she'd found two weeks ago. She could see something moving in there. Then suddenly, saw an evil golden eye. Kumouri cackled with glee.

'_Shukaku reeks of blood!'_

Her eyesight returned to normal, from her own position, as the shell of sand began to crack; it turned soft and slipped over Gaara and onto the floor. Kari flinched suddenly and grasped her left shoulder.

'_I'm not even close to Gaara, why am I affected by his wound?_' she thought in shock.

'_Because he's a jinchuuriki like you, and you've got a very faint bond, but it's more that Kumouri-chan punished you for showing how affected you were by his conversation with himself'_ Kitai explained gently, despite Kari's unexplainable rising panic.

"He _is_ wounded!" Temari cried. "His shell was broken prematurely."

In the stands, feathers began to float down from the ceiling.

"Nan de…? My eyes are…" Naruto mumbled drowsily.

"Naruto-kun! You can't go for a nap now!" Kita cried.

"Kakashi this is…!" Gai cried as he and his rival stood back to back. "Genjutsu!" Simultaneously, both clasped their hands together and dispelled the technique. "Kai!" most people slumped, but some realised it and also dispelled it.

"Ara?" Kari's eye widened as smoke surrounded where the Hokage and Kazekage sat. She saw those in the stand suddenly fall asleep and was filled with confusion and suspicion. She immediately jumped over the railings and appeared at Sasuke's side. Her ears were twitching slightly, her eyes darting left and right.

"Kari?" Sasuke asked, eying her curiously.

"I can hear and sense a huge amount of people charging to the borders of Konoha" she said anxiously. "There must be a hundred of them! There's no other way I could hear from this distance, we must be under attack!" She noticed Kitome and Kaizo as well as other ANBU hurtle into action. She fell to one knee, panting heavily. "I should head to the borders and help."

"Are you suicidal?!" Sasuke hissed, grabbing her arm. "You can't take on multiple high level ninjas, not even at full strength!"

"I have to do something!" she cried.

"You'll just be in the way" Sasuke said harshly, but she knew he was trying to protect her.

"Kazekage-dono, nani?" The Hokage gasped softly when the man sitting beside him turned to look at him. Kari watched as a dozen or so cloaked ANBU rushed towards the smoke, but was distracted by Temari and Kankurou appearing beside Gaara. Kari turned back and struggled to see through the smoke, hearing a cry.

The Kazekage and Hokage jumped up, four strange looking nin surrounding them. Kari's eyes widened as a huge purple box surrounded the Hokage and Kazekage, one of the ninja at each of the four points.

"A field jutsu of some kind" Gai said as he and Kakashi began running down the steps, but an ANBU blocked their way. "What are you doing?! You're meant to be assisting Hokage-sama!" Gai cried. At once, four Oto shinobi appeared at the impostor ANBU's side.

"What a bummer" Kakashi said to himself.

"I didn't expect an enemy to be disguised as an ANBU member. Was he the one that used the Genjutsu?" Gai asked.

"Yeah, there's no doubt about it" Kakashi confirmed.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked as Kari's eyes darted about, her senses on overdrive. She backed up slightly, so she could feel Sasuke at her back.

"Yamero Gaara!" Temari cried. Kari's eyes immediately snapped back to the three Suna-nin.

"I'll kill you…!" Gaara growled, taking a step towards Sasuke. A kunai was in Kari's hand in the blink of an eye, her body tense for movement but throbbing, spreading waves of dull pain.

"There's no point in fighting him any longer!" Kankurou agreed, stepping in front of the redhead.

"Don't forget the plan!" Temari cried.

"Get out of the way!" Gaara hissed, shoving Kankurou aside. The three's sensei jumped down in front of them.

"What are you three doing?!" he bellowed. "The mission has commenced already!" Gaara groaned in pain, his hands grabbing hold of his red locks. Kari winced, closing an eye against the pain of the headache. She was going to stand up, but Genma appeared in front of her and Sasuke.

"What the hell is going on?!" Sasuke demanded as Gaara fell to his knees, his moaning increasing.

"The wound is more serious than we thought, and he has used up most of his Chakra!" Temari cried anxiously, kneeling beside him.

"Then he can't use _it_?" Kankurou asked.

"He can't use it now." Temari agreed.

"Baka" the Suna sensei spat. "That's what happens from trying to turn into the complete possessed form without waiting for the signal."

"What do we do now?" Kankurou shouted. "You want us to do this without Gaara?"

"Gaara is Suna's trump card." The sensei said. "We must have Gaara fight no matter what."

"Temee! He's not your tool!" Kari growled.

"You three temporarily get away from here and treat Gaara's wounds. Once Gaara's Chakra recovers, we will continue the mission." The sensei continued.

"Wokatta!" Kankurou cried, pulling Gaara's arm over his shoulder and lifting him up.

"Sensei, what about you?" Temari asked.

"I will stop these guys." The sensei said, turning back to face Genma.

"You think you will have it your way?" Genma asked, sounding rather bored.

"I will make it happen!" the Suna-sensei cried in determination. "GO!" Gaara, Temari and Kankurou immediately fled over the stadium wall. Kari got shakily to her feet, bringing her kunai in front of her.

"Is Orochimaru the promoter of this party?" Genma asked. Kumouri's rage and hatred burned through Kari's ruby irises. She closed her eyes and shook her head, clearing her thoughts and changing her eye colour back to normal. _'That was some intense bloodlust for a moment there…_' Genma thought, glancing at her quickly.

"I don't know, let's enjoy it for now" the Suna-sensei said with a smirk.

"Sasuke, Kari, I'm sorry, but the Chuunin exam ends here." Genma said. "You are both Chuunin level already, if you're a shinobi of Konoha, be useful to Konoha."

"So you want me to resume the fight and beat up that Gaara right?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke! Don't be so blunt and rude towards Genma-sempai" Kari scolded.

"Don't chase him too far though, from here on it's not an exam, it's the real thing. Take Kari with you, despite her wounds she should be able to help" Genma said, eyes still firmly glued to the Suna-sensei.

"It's the same thing! Kari, get on so you can save your strength!" Sasuke cried, bending down slightly.

"I'm fine—"

"Don't argue!" she swiftly jumped on his back and he took off, ignoring her grumbles about the irony of him talking about her menstrual cycle when he was having an obvious 'man/boy-period'.

"You're not leaving!" the sensei cried, throwing two kunai towards Sasuke and Kari. Pulling out her katana, she deflected them and then quickly re-sheathed her blade.

"Kick ass, Genma-sempai!" Kari called back as she and Sasuke jumped over the stadium wall, Kakashi watching on with worry.

* * *

"They have many ninja, we were careless" Gai said with a slight growl. He suddenly gasped. "Kakashi! Look inside the field!"

"Orochimaru!" Kakashi cried. _'Why didn't I pay more attention to Kari's behaviour? She's been on edge for the last week and I dismissed it so easily, this must have been that sense of foreboding she'd said about._'

* * *

"_Kashi?" Kari asked, sitting down for a moment and wiping the sweat from her forehead, Sasuke charged his hand with chakra and sped towards a medium sized boulder._

"_Hai?" Kakashi asked, crouching beside her._

"_Nothing bad is going to happen in the finals right?" she asked looking at him worriedly. He chuckled softly and placed his hand on her head._

"_There'll be Chuunin, Jounin and ANBU present, as well as the Hokage" Kakashi said, trying to soothe her. "It won't be like the Second Exam where it was only you, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Kita."_

"_Hai, I guess you're right. I just have a bad feeling about it." She said with a soft sigh._

"_It's just nerves, you suffered a lot of damage with Akio, and Akira's his brother, so it's only natural to worry. That, or it might be your time of the month" Kakashi swiftly ducked as she tried to smack him upside the head. "I'm sure you'll be fine."_

"Yeah… You're right… thanks Kashi-kun."

_

* * *

_

_He was truly a fool._

"Sakura" Kakashi said, pausing in his battle against the multiple Oto-nin that seemed to be multiplying. "I'm glad I taught you about Genjutsu in survival training, you have talent in that area, unlike Kari" he paused for a moment. "Dispel the Genjutsu and go wake up Naruto and Shikamaru, Kita's having difficulty getting them up. Naruto will rejoice, it's his first mission in a long time." Sure enough, Kita was nudging Naruto with her paws, only to have drool come out of his mouth.

"Mission?" Sakura repeated.

"Proceed with caution. It's an A rank mission, just like the mission back in Nami." He dodged an Oto-nin's attack and killed him easily, throwing him to the side.

"Sensei! What do you mean an A-rank mission in this situation? What are we supposed to do?" Sakura cried.

"Sasuke took Kari with him and went after Subaku no Gaara and the others." Kakashi pressed his thumb against his kunai. "Sakura, go dispel the Genjutsu over Naruto and Shikamaru and go after Kari and Sasuke." A drop of blood ran down from the cut. _'That strange Chakra has been bothering me…_'

"But if that's the case, I should wake up Ino and Chouji and go in a bigger group." Sakura cried.

"There are already many Oto and Suna Shinobi inside the village. Movement with more than four people, a basic platoon, will result in a decrease in swiftness, and though quite talented, Kita is a part of Kari and has only trained in basic handling of weapons, speed and teamwork with Kari. She hasn't the experience to count as a fourth member." Kakashi explained. "As well as that, it will become more difficult to conceal yourselves from the enemy. You learned that in patrol exercise in the Academy correct?"

"Sou ka. Since we're going to be moving as four people, not counting Kita, you are going to come with us Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Iie, I can't leave this place" he did some swift hand signs. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" and in a puff of smoke, a small, brown, fat, pug sat facing them.

"Ee!" Kita cried in delight, noticing the small dog.

"Pakkun here will chase after Sasuke through his scent, and will teach Kita the basics of tracking as he goes." Kakashi said.

"The other team-mate… is that inu-chan?" Sakura said in disbelief.

"Oi ko musume. Don't call me kawaii inu-chan" the pug said grumpily.

"His name's Pakkun-kun!" Kita added.

"Yosh Sakura, dispel the Genjutsu from Naruto and Shikamaru" Kakashi commanded. _'Sheesh, how many times do I have to say it?_' Finally getting the message she quickly crawled over to Naruto and Kita, Pakkun following behind. Sakura dispelled the Genjutsu and Naruto sat up sleepily.

"Doushita Sakura-chan?" Naruto mumbled. "Kita-chan? Do you need to pee?"

"Get down!" Sakura cried, dragging their heads down as a kunai skimmed his scalp. "I'll explain later, just stay down for now." She quickly crawled over to Shikamaru, and noticed his eyebrow twitch. "Shikamaru… you've been awake" Sakura grumbled. Pakkun walked over and sunk his teeth into the back of Shikamaru's lower leg. Shikamaru was still for a moment and then sat up, waving his leg about.

"_ITE-E!!_"

"You were able to repel Genjutsu too!" Sakura accused while Shikamaru struggled to shake Pakkun off his leg. "Why were you pretending to be asleep?!" Shikamaru dragged Pakkun off and pinched the dog's podgy cheeks.

"I don't want to be involved in this. I'm not doing this. Kari will be fine and I don't care about Sasuke" Shikamaru scoffed. Pakkun chose to bite into Shikamaru's hand this time, causing the boy to yelp in pain again. "_ITE-E!!_"

"N-nani dattebayou?"

"Naruto-kun was under Genjutsu" Kita said, watching as Naruto looked about in confusion.

"Naruto! Behind you!" Sakura cried in alarm as an Oto-nin prepared to strike the future Hokage. Luckily Gai speedily rammed him into a wall.

"H-haya!" the enemy cried, expressing his shock at Gai's speed.

"I'm not just fast…" and with that, Gai punched him through the wall.

"Gai-sensei…" Sakura said.

"I will tell you your mission now, once it is explained to you, go out through the hole Gai just punched through" Kakashi said, alert should another Oto-nin try his luck. "Go after Sasuke and Kari and when you meet up with them, stop them. Despite what Kari may believe she is in no condition to fight. Await further orders in a safe area."

"What happened to Sasuke and Kari-chan?!" Naruto demanded.

"I'll tell you on the way!" Sakura hissed. "Kita-chan! Let's go!" with that she grabbed hold of Naruto's arm, dragging him out the hole.

"Geez… Why me?" Shikamaru grumbled.

"Hey kid!" Pakkun said, leaning on Shikamaru's knee. "If you succeed in this mission I'll let you touch my pads as a reward, so don't be so selfish!" he lifted up a small paw. "Look, it's soft and bouncy!"

"…soft and… bouncy?" Shikamaru repeated giving the pug an odd look.

"Actually… it's _really_ soft and bouncy!!" Pakkun paused, recollecting himself. "… let's just go…" and with that he bit Shikamaru's hand and dragged him after Sakura.

"Will they be ok?" Gai asked.

"Pakkun is with them, they'll be fine if they don't pursue the enemy too far."

"And Kari-hime?" Gai asked.

"She's never one to back down from a fight, no matter what the odds. It's the Tasukaru blood I suppose." Kakashi said grimly. "If they can get to them before Sasuke reaches Gaara, they should be okay. If Sasuke attacks… Kari will fly in without thought of the consequences." His hand tightened into a fist. "She'll defend him with everything, even if every bone of hers is broken…"

* * *

"Do you think everyone will be ok?" Kari asked after a light sneeze as they darted through the forest.

"Stop worrying so much about other people, you're going to be hospitalised as soon as the medic-nins can get their hands on you" Sasuke grumbled as he ran.

"I hate hospitals…" Kari grumbled. Sasuke slowed and skidded to a stop. "Mm? Are you letting me run now?"

"No," Sasuke said, bending down and picking up a lump of sand. He smirked knowing he was going in the right direction and hoisted her into a more comfortable position before continuing the chase, going into the trees.

* * *

"So that's what happened!" Naruto cried as they sped along, Pakkun and Kita running up front. "Damn Sasuke, he got too hasty and dragged Kari-chan along with him!"

"So why did I get sent out here?" Shikamaru asked grumpily. "How troublesome!"

"We couldn't help it!" Sakura retorted. "Those were Kakashi-sensei's orders!"

"This way!" Pakkun cried, changing direction. "You see Kita-chan, how the scent was stronger in this direction, if it weakens you're moving away from the target." Kita nodded, soaking up his words.

"Hai Pakkun-sempai!"

"How long will it take us to catch up to them?" Naruto cried.

"I don't know, he is moving pretty fast" Pakkun said, leaping from one branch to another surprisingly well with his short legs. "Kita-chan, through experience you are able to determine the strength of the smell and the distance it covers. Of course it's easier with a stationary target, but after you've done a fair amount of tracking, your nose will become sensitive to such things."

"K'so…!" Naruto growled.

"Che" Shikamaru grunted in annoyance.

"Hey you guys! Increase your speed!" Pakkun cried.

"What is it? Did you find Sasuke and Kari-chan?" Naruto cried eagerly.

"No."

"It's those other smells ne Pakkun-sempai?" Kita asked.

"Hai. There are two platoons, a total of eight people behind us, no—I sense another one, so nine people are coming after us. After a lot of practice Kita-chan, you'll be able to distinguish one smell from another from a further distance" Pakkun added as they sped up.

"Already? You've got to be kidding" Shikamaru complained.

"They haven't found our exact location yet, but we'll have to lose them." Pakkun said jumping down from the trees and onto the dirt path. He slowed and then came to a stop, Kita immediately stopping beside him.

"Hey?! Why did you stop?!" Naruto cried impatiently.

"Be quiet and follow me!" Pakkun said. "Step backwards into your footprints. Then it will look like our footsteps have suddenly disappeared." The pug explained, walking backwards. Kita followed suit, stepping into her paw prints. He flipped with surprising agility, and landed on a high branch behind him. The three genin followed his example, Kita rather enjoying herself.

"But even if we do this, they'll still figure out what we did" Naruto complained.

"It'll buy us some time, that's enough." Pakkun said simply. "Also, the pursuers will become impatient, and that will create a weakness in their pursuit. If they don't see the clues that lead to us, even better."

"Hurry up!" Sakura cried impatiently as Naruto moved backwards at a snails pace.

"We don't have time" Shikamaru agreed.

"I know dattebayou!" and with that, they all jumped off the brunch to continue after Sasuke and Kari.

"This is bad" Pakkun said after a little while. "They're gaining on us even though their being careful and looking out for ambushes."

"K'so. They must all be above Chuunin level" Shikamaru grumbled. "If they catch up to us we'll be annihilated."

"Then… Then we should stop to hide and ambush them dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"Ambush…? Hai, if we ambush them we'll have an advantage!" Sakura agreed. "Even if they do have twice the number of people as us, it might work if we catch them off guard!"

"We can't do that" Pakkun interrupted. "They're the men of the former Konoha shinobi Orochimaru. Worst case is that there is a Jounin among them."

"I thought that would've worked but it won't" Shikamaru sighed in defeat.

"Chotto matte, nande yo?" Sakura asked. "The enemy's level doesn't matter when you're ambushing them."

"Aa, nande dattebayou?" Naruto agreed.

"You guys sure don't understand do you?" Shikamaru said looking over at his former classmates. "It's true that ambushing is a basic advantageous tactic, but to pull it off there are two conditions you must meet. First, the runner must move noiselessly, and must discover the enemy first. Second, we must secure a location to catch the pursuers off guard and inflict critically damage to them, and quickly conceal ourselves in that location. Once we're able to fulfil those conditions, an ambush becomes a valid tactic. If we have Kita and the inu-nin's nose we should be able to find their location pretty easily. As for the second condition, it would seem that we're at an advantage because this is our village and we know the terrain better, but Orochimaru has been in Konoha before. If we're dealing with his men, the method won't work."

"Shika really is smart" Kita said happily.

"So what are you trying to get at dattebayou?" Naruto asked.

"The pursuers have been taught about the terrain and have most likely gone through training for this battle. On top of that, they are probably shinobi that have mastered the art of pursuing" Shikamaru explained.

"So they'll know how we'll act" Sakura said in understanding.

"Ambushing is still advantageous, but there are too many uncertain factors. Furthermore the enemy is a squadron organised specifically for this plan. For us, we have a baka, a kunoichi that has no special traits, a inu, a young ookami-ko that Kari will skin me alive if she as much as scratched, and the number one coward; me. A strategy is devised by understanding the situation, and creating the best plan for the situation. So, there's only one thing we can do right now, and that's a feint operation that looks like an ambush." Shikamaru stated.

"Feint ambush?" Naruto asked with a puzzled expression.

"One person will stay behind, set things up to look like an ambush, and stop them." Shikamaru said.

"So… play the decoy?" Sakura whispered.

"Yes, if the person can stop them, they won't be able to get the location of the other four. Then we can lose the pursuers, but the decoy will most likely… die." They paused as Shikamaru uttered the last word, looking in opposite directions, unable to look at each other.

The birds sang and chirped oblivious to the thick tension between the Konoha genin.

"So, who wants to take the job?" Shikamaru asked, still not looking at anyone.

"If Kita-chan was bigger she would" Kita said sadly, her ears drooping slightly. "But she wouldn't be much help being little."

"We need the dog to look for Sasuke, and instinct will drive Kita towards Kari, so that means…" Shikamaru trailed off, Naruto's fist tightening.

"Okay, I'll—"

"The only choice left is me." Shikamaru stated, cutting Naruto off.

"Shikamaru?!"

"Why you, dattebayou?!"

"Shika-kun…" Kita whined, looking up at him with her large baby blue eyes.

"It's better than being annihilated. Also, the only guy who can pull off this decoy perfectly and have a high chance of surviving within this group… is me. The Kage Mane no jutsu was originally created to stop the enemy anyway. I'll catch up with you later." Shikamaru said airily, giving them a small smile.

"Okaasan is proud of you" Kita said, still with the same sad look. "She wishes she were here so she could help, but she's unable to leave Sasuke-kun."

"Aa, you should go help her then. I'll catch up with you later, hurry up and go."

"We're counting on you, Shikamaru!" Naruto cried with a nod. "Sakura-chan, Kita-chan… let's go help Kari-chan."

* * *

"Oi, the enemy is getting closer and closer" Pakkun said, as they raced along, the absence of Shikamaru making them feel slightly hollow, that something was missing. "Is he really stopping the enemy?" the pug asked suspiciously.

"Don't doubt Shika!" Kita cried in his defence. "He may be a lazy bum, but he's not that low!"

"Kita-chan's right, Shikamaru will be fine" Naruto agreed.

"He didn't run away did he?" Sakura asked doubtfully.

"I told you, he'll be fine dattebayou!"

"How so?!"

"He's foul-mouthed and he's lazy, but he'll never betray another person" Naruto said confidently. "He rarely does things on his own, but when he does, he'll do it all the way, I can guarantee that, dattebayou!"

"We're going to raise our speed!" Pakkun announced, and they picked up their pace. After a couple of minutes, Pakkun grunted in surprise. "Hm? It seems the pursuers have stopped."

"Yatta! He succeeded in stopping them dattebayou!" Naruto cried in delight.

* * *

"We're gaining on them, but they're picking up their pace" Kari said, senses on full alert. Sasuke nodded and pressed himself faster, tightening his grip on her slightly. She was panting heavily, feeling the full force of her injuries.

"Hang in there, I need you to hold on if I attack, I can't leave you in case they try and use you as a hostage" Sasuke said, anxiety coiling in his stomach. She chuckled lightly.

"Stoic Sasuke's back? What happened to kinky Sasu-chan hm?" she sighed and rested her head on his.

"Don't go to sleep Kari" Sasuke urged, forcing himself even faster. "Stay awake."

"I'm tired…" Kari mumbled, her eyelids drooping, the trees becoming fuzzy. Sasuke stopped jerkily, almost making her fall off. "Alright I'm awake, I'm awake!" she grumbled, holding tight to his shoulders as he sped off again.

"Stay that way. This is what happens when you're careless baka" Sasuke scolded.

"Oi! Who almost lost his Sasuke junior to a sand spike?!" Kari retorted. "You owe me pocky, or ice cream, or maybe cake? Kashi-nii never did bring us that cake…"

"If you stay awake, I'll consider it" Sasuke grumbled. Kari immediately perked up.

"Hai! We're getting closer Sasuke!" she cried, suddenly having the urge to run, but her legs felt very weak and heavy. Her mind flashed back to Akira's kodachi and she felt nauseous with worry at the thought she might end up paralysed. But she'd miraculously survived much worse thanks to the Torai-Kenshi, so perhaps they'd help her out here?

'_It's not your spine Kari-chan, it's the muscles along your back.'_ Kitai piped up. _'You're in pretty bad shape and have some damaged nerves which is why your lower body is quite weak right now. You're not really up to a fight dear, I don't suggest it.'_

Kari grimaced and sighed softly. _'At least I'm not paralysed_' she thought half-heartedly. Sasuke leaped as the trees became further and further apart, Kari squeaking every time he flipped. She managed to wrap her legs loosely round his waist, making it easier for him to jump.

"I'm gonna fall!!" Kari squeaked as he jumped again.

"I won't let you fall, stop worrying" Sasuke mumbled. Kari's ears and nose twitched.

"That's odd… What's—AIYEE! Sasuke! We're gonna get blown to bits!!" Kari shrieked as he tripped a wire, setting off the first of many exploding tags. Wings shot out of her back and she propelled upwards as hot smoke enveloped them, avoiding the pieces of bark being blown around. They landed on a higher up branch, Kari promptly falling straight off. "Ite-e…"

"Daijobu?" he asked as she hugged herself and rolled onto her uninjured side.

"Just _peachy_" Kari spat sarcastically. Her wings folded and disappeared and she curled up into a foetal position.

"Then get back on," Sasuke said, ignoring her sarcasm and trying to loosen her arms that were tightly around her midriff. She whimpered slightly, and he realised that he had been touching the edge of her wound. He murmured an apology and pulled an arm over his shoulder before picking up her legs and hoisting her up. She sighed gently, resting her head on his, her arms loosely around his shoulders.

"Now can I go to sleep?"

"No." he stated firmly, before setting off again. "Stay on the lookout for more traps, but leave it to me to avoid them alright?"

"Yeah, but you seriously have to buy me pocky…" she mumbled.

"You're so one minded" Sasuke sighed.

"I want comfort food, my comfort food is sweet stuff" she retorted.

"Girls…" Sasuke scoffed, speeding up again.

* * *

"What were those sounds?" Sakura asked, jumping down onto a lower branch. Naruto followed, Kita landing lightly beside him and Pakkun plopping down onto his head.

"Explosions, they were most likely traps set up for Sasuke and Kari" Pakkun answered.

"Are Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan ok?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about them, they won't die so easily" Naruto reassured. "Besides, Kari-chan's been through worse" he added softly.

* * *

Temari stopped abruptly when a kunai embedded itself in the tree next to her face. Kankurou slowed behind her, still carrying the unconscious Gaara.

"We've finally caught up" Sasuke stated. "This is it for you all."

"K'so!" Kankurou cursed.

"Uchiha Sasuke… And Kari" Temari said and Kari offered a wave. She ignored the irritated glance Sasuke shot her.

"You're not going anywhere now" Sasuke said pulling out another kunai, a confident smirk spreading across his face.


	53. Sunano Seishin

**A/N:** Im really sorry about the long wait for this update, its been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least, but you probably dont want to know, so i won't bore you. Anyway, thank you for your kind reviews and thank you especially to **S'mores Poptarts** for her beautiful fanart! if you have a spare moment, take a look its amazing :) By the way, if you're ever confused at the meaning of any of the romaji (Japanese written in English) that I use, just ask. Or would you prefer I put them in brackets or at the bottom of the page? I'm not sure how much you all know, I pick up words all the time and tend to us them so just pm or put it in a review ok? :)

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters and the Naruto plotline belong to **Masashi Kishimoto**, until he dies and leaves it to me in his will.

Claimer: Kari, and all not in the original manga are property of me **Ookami Tsubasawa**. Stealers will be found and burned, for hell hath no fury like this woman scorned.

* * *

**Sunano Seishin**

**_Sand spirit_**

* * *

_Her eyes widened slightly, her lips parting but unable to draw breath_

_That's what she was, that's what she might become…_

* * *

"Sasuke and Kari have stopped" Pakkun told the others while Kita's ears perked. "We're quite a distance away from them though." Pakkun slowed and stopped on a branch, Kita and Naruto landed either side of him and Sakura on the branch behind.

"Doushita, dattebayou?" Naruto cried.

"Did something happen to Sasuke-kun or Kari-chan?" Sakura cried worriedly. Pakkun looked around at her with blank expression. "I didn't notice until now but you… use the same shampoo as me." His small nose twitched and a dopey smile crossed his face, ignoring Sakura's horrified shock. "This scent is floral green… I'm sure of it!"

"Eh? Oi dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"Demo, demo my hair is much glossier" Pakkun said vainly as Sakura's depression seemed to grow in a dark cloud around her.

"Don't bring up something stupid like that in a serious situation!!" Naruto shouted while Kita tilted her head confused.

"Sorry" Pakkun chuckled simply.

"I use the same shampoo as a dog…" Sakura murmured, facing a tree. "Same thing as a dog… Same thing as a dog… Same thing as a dog…" she began hopping through the trees murmuring the same thing like a mantra "Same thing as a dog… Same thing as a dog…"

"Sakura-chan?"

"Nani desu ka?"

"Matte! Don't get ahead of me!" Pakkun cried, rushing after her.

* * *

"Bring it on then!" Kankurou cried but Temari jumped forward.

"Kankurou! Take Gaara and run!" Temari cried. She flung three kunai at Sasuke but he just tilted his head and they shot straight passed him. "Let me deal with him."

"Demo Temari… You can't handle him alone" Kankurou cried.

"Don't worry about it, this is an important mission for Suna no Sato. Prioritise Gaara's condition. Uchiha's going to be slowed down by Kari's injuries anyway" Temari said and Sasuke scowled slightly, shifting her slightly so she was more behind him. "Besides… this guy's my type."

Kari chose this particular time to burst into a fit of light giggles. While Sasuke scowled and glared darkly at Temari, squeezing Kari's thighs which made her squeak and slightly eased her giggling fit.

"Go Kankurou!" Temari cried and Kankurou immediately jumped to another branch.

"I won't let you!" Sasuke cried, flinging two kunai at him, but he evaded and kept going. "You're not getting away!" he leapt up and tried to follow but Temari appeared blocking their way.

"Eat this!" Temari cried, using her fan to send them flying backwards. Kari instinctively locked her arms and legs around Sasuke while he jumped to a higher branch.

'_My opponent is the Uchiha. This is bad; I don't have much Chakra left. And if he uses his Sharingan I'll be at even more of a disadvantage. But… I need to make him waste a lot of Chakra and… Maybe if I get Kari away from him…?'_

'_Should I use Chidori to get rid of her quickly? Or should I…? Kari's already getting weak, she can't hold out much longer. I can't afford to get too badly hurt because she'll automatically be hurt too…'_

They both jumped up simultaneously, Sasuke flung shuriken at her, but she deflected easily with her fan. He flipped and landed lightly on a higher branch, his hand going to Kari's arm, making sure her grip was secure. He grit his teeth, wanting to end the match quickly. Kari was starting to get too quiet, which meant she was on the border of passing out.

'_Just as I thought… He's trying to save his Chakra for Gaara's battle.'_ She opened her fan again and swung it out. "Ninpou Kamitachi!" she cried sending a gust of slicing winds toward him. He quickly jumped up, heading higher and flipping from branch to branch successfully managing to avoid her attack. "Another!" and she sent another gust of slicing winds Sasuke and Kari's way. Jumping up higher into the air Sasuke pulled out multiple kunai and threw them down towards Temari. "Don't underestimate me! Ninpou Fuusajin!" Sasuke was caught off guard and was thrown backwards into a tree, Kari being crushed between the bark and his back. He heard a soft groan and quickly manoeuvred them behind the tree, Kari's grip slipping.

"Oi, oi! Kari!" Sasuke hissed, pulling her into his lap and shaking her slightly. Her eyes were dulled and she looked at him drowsily.

"For a skinny person you don't half hurt…" Kari mumbled, a drop of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. He noticed sand collecting on the tree from Temari's attack.

'_Damn it, I need to do something about that troublesome fan'_ Sasuke thought, pulling her close to his chest and nudging her, trying to keep her awake.

'_How long will you last fighting like that? Kari's distracting you too much.'_ Temari thought with a slight smirk. She was still bothered by Gaara's interest in the blonde kunoichi, he rarely spoke to anyone and to _warn her of danger_? What exactly was going on?

"I have no choice…" Sasuke murmured. "Kari, oi baka, come on I need you to hold onto me, I can't leave you" he whispered standing up and pulling her onto his back. She flopped slightly, not even holding on. "Don't make me grope you again…" he threatened, though was beginning to feel sick with worry. She grumbled and lightly gripped his shirt. He jumped up so he was opposite Temari.

'_Looks like he serious now'_ Temari thought, her smirk widening. His hands fluidly performed signs, ending in the tiger seal.

"Katon: Housenka no jutsu!" Sasuke cried spitting fireballs at her. He heard Kari mumble about him being warm and fuzzy and felt her snuggle into his back. He just hoped it wasn't going to make her fall asleep.

'_Now we're talking'_ Temari thought as she back flipped and avoiding the fireballs, hitting the floor at the same time as them, standing in the middle of the ring of fire they made. She looked up to see Sasuke's hands performing more signs finally landing once more in the tiger sign.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Sasuke cried blowing a large amount of fire directly at Temari. Kari sighed softly, trying to ignore how sleepy she felt. "Did I get her?" Sasuke asked. "Oi! Baka!" Sasuke cried, noticing she was starting to slide down him as her grip loosened.

"Hm? Ara?" she mumbled as Sasuke hoisted her back up.

"Kamitachi!" Temari cried, blowing the fire away and sending a wind attack towards him. He back flipped to avoid and landed on a branch covered in sand, slipping and falling backwards. "You fell into my trap! Now!" she jumped up and flung kunai at him, all three hitting him in the torso, two in the chest and one in his abdomen. He fell hard to the ground, Kari silent beneath him. "Yosh!" Temari said confidently but her smirk faded when both Sasuke and Kari poofed into a log. "Nani?! Kawarimi?!" she cried in shock. Hearing a sizzling sound she noticed the exploding tag on the log and gasped. "Shimatta!!" she screamed as it exploded, flying backwards and landing hard on her back, coughing up blood.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have all day to deal with you" Sasuke said, looking down at her. Kari's eyes half opened, and she sent Temari an apologetic look, before Sasuke darted once more into the trees, racing after Gaara.

* * *

"How far are they?" Sasuke asked. He could sense them himself, but chose to rely on Kari's keener senses rather than his own. The only problem was her lack of response. "Come on Kari, I need you to stay awake" he hissed.

"Not far…" she mumbled, her voice thick and slow.

"Oi, don't go to sleep!" Sasuke cried, giving her a little shake.

"But it hurts…" she said softly, making his stomach knot painfully. _'She didn't get proper medical care, she hasn't even got stitches or been healed, it's a miracle she's stayed awake this long…'_ "Don't be a baby, you've had worse" Sasuke snapped, though he could feel the slight tremor in his voice.

"Mm… You should be able to aim shuriken now…" she sighed as he held her steady with one hand and reached into his pouch.

"Hold on or you'll fall" he instructed, realising he was indeed getting close. He flung shuriken but heard it thud into wood, not a body. He quickly darted in front of Kankurou, forcing the Suna-nin to stop, Gaara still an unconscious dead weight. Sasuke panted heavily but smirked in victory. "Don't run" he said, his eyes fixed on the foreign ninja.

"Bring it on, I'll fight you this time then" Kankurou said, panting just heavily, seemingly in the same shape.

"Matte!"

"Nani? Temari!" Kankurou cried as she dropped down beside him and Gaara. "I thought that he beat you, you're okay?"

"Yeah, somehow" Temari agreed. "But… I couldn't stop him at all."

"No it was enough to give Gaara time to recover, and you also made him use up some of his Chakra as well" Kankurou said.

Sasuke smirked and hoisted Kari up slightly. _'It'll be over soon baka…'_

* * *

"This is…" Pakkun exclaimed as they hurtled through the trees.

"You smell shampoo again?!" Naruto shouted.

"No, it's Sasuke and Kari. There are some other scents near them as well" Pakkun explained while Kita took a big sniff and pulled a delighted expression. "We've caught up."

"Finally!" Sakura cried in relief.

"Kari-chan… Sasuke…" Naruto murmured.

"They've stopped completely" Pakkun said in surprise. "Are they going to fight? Lets hurry." _'Kakashi didn't say much about injuries, one of them, it seems to be Kari, is bleeding very badly. Wait… what is this thing that's made of a clump of smells?'_ "Oi! There is someone other than us after Sasuke and Kari!" Pakkun cried, looking back to the Genin while Kita looked puzzled.

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"An enemy? An ally?" Sakura questioned.

"I don't know… but… it's not _human_" Pakkun said.

* * *

Kankurou set Gaara down on a branch and Sasuke resisted the urge to do the same. Despite Kari being light, she was starting to tire him out.

"Go Kankurou!" Temari urged. "I'll fight him again!" Kankurou ignored her and jumped forward, taking the thing wrapped in bandages off his back and holding it next to him.

"Temari. Take Gaara and go. You can't fight anymore, we don't need anyone to burden us" Kankurou said, glancing back at her.

"But--!"

"GO!" Kankurou bellowed. "Hurry!" Temari looked pained, before going to pick up Gaara. "Looks like I'll have to fight you, are you going to put Kari down or are you going to fight with a handicap?" Kankurou taunted as Temari jumped off with Gaara.

"Hn, I don't care who I battle" Sasuke said smirking but he was cut off.

"Iie. _I_ am his opponent." Sasuke noticed Kari respond to the voice, lifting her head up and tightening her grip on him.

"Shino-kun!" she cried happily.

"Shino? Why are you here?" Sasuke asked. "A-Aa?! Baka what're you doing?!" Kari had slipped down and then flipped with her arms, landing with a thump next to Shino. She wrapped her arms around his waist, sitting on the ground next to him.

"Shino-kun! You were smart and took the initiative and followed us!" Kari cooed. Shino's glasses gleamed and he placed a hand on her head.

"Kari-chan is in no condition to fight" he said, lifting her up and supporting her. He pointed to Sasuke. "I placed a female bug on you and Kari before you left the stadium. The scent is almost odourless, and the only thing that can smell that faint scent is the male of the same species. The males have a stronger odour to them though." Kankurou cringed and moved away from the bugs near his feet.

"Uchiha Sasuke, go after Gaara, since the match between you and him was not completed. I will fight him, as his opponent was originally me. Take Kari-chan with you, but be warned that any further injury to her will **not** be good for _you_." Shino said with a slight threat, jumping over to Sasuke and lifting Kari onto his back. "Leave this to me, go!"

"You seem rather confident, but will you be ok?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Are you mocking Shino-kun?" Kari hissed, burning holes into the Uchiha's head with her glare.

"There is no need to worry, give me ten minutes and I'll come to back you up." Shino said.

"Hn. By that time I'll be finished" Sasuke said smirking wider.

"Ja ne Shino-kun!" Kari called happily as she and Sasuke shot in the direction Temari and Gaara left in.

* * *

"This is bad…" Pakkun said, halting on a branch, Kita and Sakura landing either side of him.

"Pakkun?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked looking around to see why she had stopped and not paying attention to where he was going. There was a rather large painful bang when he slammed into a tree in front of him. "AA! Why did you stop all of a sudden, dattebayou!!" Naruto whined, just managing to hold onto the tree with his chakra.

"They're getting farther away at a rapid pace. The scent of Sasuke, Kari and two others that is" Pakkun explained while Kita nodded, having notice her Okaasan and Sasuke's smells getting fainter. "It seems like Sasuke and Kari are going after those two."

"Eh?"

"They are?"

"The others show no signs of moving. But…" Pakkun trailed off.

"We can't afford to waste time here, Kari-chan's still hurt, let's go after her and Sasuke dattebayou!" Naruto cried impatiently.

"But what?" Sakura asked the small dog, completely ignoring Naruto.

"The remaining guys are about to fight. We must take a longer route to avoid them." Pakkun said.

"Nande yo!? If we do that it'll take us even longer to catch up to Kari-chan and Sasuke!" Naruto complained.

"What are you talking about Naruto?! We don't know what will happen in a combat area!" Sakura cried. "There's a possibility we'll get dragged into a battle, even if we do not fish to fight" Sakura explained.

"I don't care about that!" Naruto whined.

"Kid, our mission is to bring back Sasuke and Kari, if we're going to do that then we need to avoid engagements as much as possible until we complete the mission." Pakkun said.

"Pakkun-sempai is right Naruto-kun" Kita agreed.

"Let's go!" the pug ordered.

"Ryoukai!" Sakura and Kita cried, hurtling after him.

"Fine dattebayou" Naruto agreed reluctantly, peeling himself off the tree and following them.

* * *

"You're more lively now" Sasuke commented, noticing Kari seemed more awake, her grip more secure.

"Gaara is regaining consciousness" Kari stated, ignoring Sasuke's comment. The Uchiha nodded in understanding and picked up his pace.

* * *

"Put me down, Temari" Gaara ordered.

"Can you move again Gaara?" she asked stopping and letting him down, he dropped to his knees clutching his head and groaning in agony. "Gaara!" She looked back anxiously '_Kankurou should be delaying the Uchiha right now… I'll use this time to…' _She pulled out a pot. '_I need to hurry or the plan will be…_' she started unscrewing it.

"Temari go away…" Gaara mumbled. She looked up in shock as he sloppily stood up "Just go over there! You're in the way!" and with that he threw her away, his fist slamming into her gut, sending her flying into a tree. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, then his eyes snapped open, fixed on Sasuke.

'_Uchiha Sasuke! Did he get past Kankuro already?! Iie, he came too fast to have done that, especially as he's got Kari to look after. Another pursuer?'_ Temari thought worriedly.

"I don't know what you Suna guys are planning, but I will stop you!" Sasuke cried.

"Yeah forget about me being here why don't you…" Kari muttered under her breath.

"And I will determine what your true identity is!" Sasuke said sternly, remembering the golden eye that blazed within the sand sphere. He felt Kari's slight shudder, but ignored it. Gaara cried out holding his head in pain.

"Gaara!" Temari cried as cracks started forming across Gaara's armour. Sasuke tried to stay calm as he felt Kari's muscles become extremely tense and tremors rake through her body.

'_Is he… it he going to awaken it right here?!'_ Temari thought alarmed. "Yamero Gaara! Did you forget the plan?!"

"You are strong. You are called Uchiha. You have friends. You have goals. You are similar to me… By killing you, I can exist in the world as the one who erased your existence!" Gaara cried in pained delight.

Sasuke was torn between Gaara and Kari, the kunoichi starting to writhe and slightly spasm. Her breaths came in harsh pants, and she felt hot against his neck and back. She softly groaned, her eyes wanting to roll into the back of her head.

'_He's going to transform! So should we! Let's kill! Let's kill every last one!!'_ Kumouri screeched with glee. _'Shukaku wants to kill, so let's rip him to shreds! Let's stain this forest!!'_

'_Don't listen to her Kari-chan! Fight her! Fight her!'_

Kari whined, she felt hot, her gums sore as her canines began to lengthen.

'_You don't have the strength Kari-chan! You can't try to transform!'_

'_She __**will**__ transform! Consequences aren't important! I NEED TO KILL!'_

"Kari" Sasuke muttered, as her body trembled against his back. "Doushita?"

"Nothing…" Kari panted. "Focus… Concentrate on Gaara… Sasuke… He'll kill you…"

"I will be able to feel that I am alive!!" Sasuke's mind flashed back to training with Kakashi.

_

* * *

_

"_Doushita?" Sasuke asked, noticing Kakashi was distracted._

"_Your location is obvious with that intense murderous intent of yours" Kakashi said. The Jounin glanced at Kari "Kari, pockyfish." The blonde kunoichi burst into a fit of light giggles. Kakashi looked back at a large rock. "Come out."_

_Sasuke watched as the redheaded Suna-nin stepped out from behind the rock._

"_Omae ka?"_

"_What is your goal? Why do you seek power?" Gaara asked, his eyes fixed on Sasuke with an almost… hunger._

"_It doesn't concern you" Sasuke said bluntly. "Get lost, you're interrupting our training."_

"You don't have to be so rude" Kari scolded.

"_You… have the same eyes that I have" Gaara said turning away. "Eyes that seek power, filled with hate and murderous intent. You are similar to me."_

"_And Kari? I noticed that you glanced her way" Kakashi asked, acting overprotective._

"_Her eyes are filled with pain, loss, and desperation." Gaara said. "She hides it and continues to suffer." Sasuke automatically took a step in front of her, but noticed how her lips thinned and her eyes glared at the floor. _

"_Uchiha Sasuke. Don't forget, you are my…"_

_

* * *

_

"You are my…" Gaara screamed and fell to his knees, writhing in pain, Kari's body shuddering with each of his screams. "You're… my… _**PREY**_!" Sasuke's eyes shot open in horror at Gaara's half transformed form. Half of his body was gold with blue markings and deformed half his face, his right arm large and his hand like a claw. "Now… Let me feel!" He opened his eyes to reveal one that was similar to the one Sasuke had seen in the shell.

'_It's that eye! That eye I saw before!_' Sasuke's hands shook, but it was nothing compared to Kari's violent shaking. Her body was burning hot, her skin itching, violent shakes travelled through her body, her breathing ragged and dry. Her eyes were wide with horror, her heart hammering in her chest.

'_That… Is that what I'll be like if my demons take over?!'_

Without hesitating Gaara hurtled towards them with new found speed, saliva running from his open mouth. Sasuke gripped Kari's thighs and rushed out of the way as a large claw smashed through the branch he had been standing on. Bark and branches were ripped from trees from the impact.

Sasuke was hidden behind a more sturdy tree a safer distance away, holding Kari close to his chest. She was still trembling, her raging fever back with a vengeance. He carefully lifted her shirt and bit his lip when he noticed red stains beginning to sink through. Sasuke flinched and grasped his shoulder. _'Looks like I won't be finished by the time you come to back me up Shino…'_ Sasuke thought, looking round the tree at Gaara. Sasuke gasped, and quickly gathered Kari in his arms before jumping away. Not a second later, the tree was mere splinters.

"Is he a monster?" Sasuke cried darting behind another tree.

"No…" Kari groaned, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Kari! Stay awake!!" Sasuke hissed.

"Are you afraid of me, Uchiha Sasuke?!" Gaara cried. "Are you scared of my existence?! Come out! Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Tch" Sasuke growled, hoisting Kari up and holding her body close to him.

"You are my… _Prey!!_" Gaara screamed. The loud noise seemed to echo through Kari make her whole body tremor violently.

"Kari listen to me…" Sasuke whispered. "I'm going to put you on my back, hold on to me and no matter what do _not_ let go…"

"Hai…" she panted her eyes opening slightly. Sasuke hoisted her onto his back and darted out towards Gaara, Kari hanging on loosely.

"There you are!" Gaara cried with glee, his golden claw shooting towards them but his face fell when he noticed he had pierced clones.

"Over here!" Sasuke cried, pulling out three kunai in each hand and throwing them down at him. Gaara simply smirked and shielded himself with his transformed arm, the kunai piercing him, but drawing no blood, he didn't even react. Sasuke grabbed hold of a tree branch and used it to flip himself back up.

"_When all you gotta keep is strong, move along, move along, like I know you do… And even when your hope is gone, move along, move along, just to make it through…_" Kari mumbled softly under her breath. Sasuke grit his teeth, grabbing her thighs to hold her steady. _'She's struggling to stay awake, she's barely aware of what's going on anymore. She freaked out when I caught her humming to herself as she cleaned her katana and got all flustered and embarrassed so she wouldn't sing with other people about…'_ Sasuke's eyes widened as his kunai sank into the transformed limb.

"Here I'll give them back!" Gaara cried, and the kunai shot at him, luckily it was just a clone. Sasuke and Kari were behind a different tree, a short distance behind Gaara. Kari had stopped mumbling lyrics and was starting to go a bit floppy.

"That guy…" Sasuke murmured. He needed to hurry up for Kari's sake, she was worsening by the second, but he was struggling even if he didn't count her hindering his movement and worrying him constantly.

"Uchiha… Sasuke! Why will you not attack me?—Arrgh!" He groaned grabbing his head and fell to his knees. Sasuke gasped as Kari fell from his back and he span and managed to catch her. Her eyes were glazed and dull, unfocused. Her face had lost its feverish flush and had gone that horrible white shade it did when she was very sick. He felt her forehead and could feel the heat prickling at his hands.

"Shimatta… Kari…" Sasuke lightly tapped her cheek and she groggily turned her head towards him. "You promised you'd stay awake and hold on to me, remember?" he said with a slight accusing tone, she blinked and mumbled something. He bent closer, struggling to hear her.

"Sasu…" she said hoarsely.

"Why do you run…?" Gaara growled.

Kari's body lurched and her eyes widened, clouded by images that could only be from Gaara's memories.

* * *

_The chatter of children echoed around as they played football, running about with glee. Gaara sat alone watching them, gently rocking back and forth on a swing, holding the rope with one hand and a teddy in the other._

"_Shoot!" a boy cried, kicking the ball too hard. It soared up in the air, landing on the edge of a high wall._

"_What should we do?"_

"We cant use the rock climbing jutsu yet…"

_There was sighs of disappointment as they stared up at the ball that was far out of their reach. They gasped when the ball miraculously floated down on a cloud of sand. Their eyes followed the toy until it landed in Gaara's hands. He stood facing them shyly, he struggled, trying to speak._

"_You're…"_

"_Here" Gaara offered holding the ball out towards them._

"_Its Gaara…"_

"Suna no Gaara…"

"_NIGERO!!" they screamed turning and running away as fast as their legs would carry them._

"_Matte!" Gaara cried, reaching out to them. "Don't leave me alone!" Sand wrapped around two of the children's legs, pulling them to the ground and dragging them back towards him._

"_Help!!" They screamed._

'_I… don't want to be alone anymore…' Gaara thought desperately. 'I…'_

"_IIE!!" the girl screamed as sand shot towards her, but she was shielded by someone jumping in the way._

"_Gaara-sama! Please calm down!" the man cried, ignoring the blood running from his arm and forehead._

"_Yashamaru…" Gaara said softly in shock. He looked away in shame, the wind lifting up some sand._

_

* * *

_

Gaara roared, knocking Kari out of her trance. _'W-what was that?'_

"You're not getting away, you can't hide behind her forever Uchiha Sasuke!!" Gaara bellowed, smashing trees with his transformed arm before jumping and speeding forwards, cutting through tree after tree, laughing at the destruction he left.

'_What the hell?'_ Sasuke thought pulling away from Kari, having tried to shield her from the dust and wind kicked up from Gaara's attack against the forest. _'What's with his monstrous strength?'_

'_Transform brat! Kill! Make me feel alive!'_

'_No… Go away… Go away…'_

'_I'll never go away! I'll be with you every second of your pathetic life!'_

'_Then just shut up and leave me alone…'_

'_NOT UNTILL YOU KILL!!'_

"Are you afraid of me?!" Gaara taunted.

'_He's too strong…_' Sasuke thought grimly. _'If Kari was at full strength we might stand a better chance, but in the state she's in now she'll be killed instantly…'_

"Uchiha Sasuke… Are you scared of my existence?! Then shouldn't you fear the one you're trying to protect?! Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke looked down at Kari, as she turned her dull eyes onto him, sweat starting to coat her skin.

"Go… Sasuke… You…" she trailed off and grimaced slightly. "I'll… hold him… Go… Back up…"

"I'm not leaving you baka…" Sasuke said coldly and she lazily lifted her arm and tapped it against the side of his head. His brows furrowed and a dull pain hit his chest. _'She doesn't even have the strength to hit me…'_ A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. _'As if I could ever fear her…'_ He glanced back at Gaara, a flashback once again hitting him.

* * *

"_Don't forget… You are my prey" Gaara stated, as he began to walk away._

"_Matte!" Sasuke ordered._

"_Aa! Sasuke! Don't be so rude!" Kari scolded. Gaara paused and looked back at them._

"_Why are you so obsessed with me? And why are you so interested in her?" Sasuke demanded, causing Kari to give him a glare for his lack of respect towards other people._

"_You have eyes that know true solitude… Eyes that know loneliness is this world's worst kind of pain." Gaara said. Sasuke's expression hardened and he didn't miss Kari move closer to him, their arms brushing. "I told you before, you have the same eyes as me. Eyes that seek power, filled with hate and murderous intent, the same as mine… Itching to kill the one who put you in the pain known as solitude."_

"_Kari, calm down" Kakashi murmured._

"_That doesn't answer my question about her." Sasuke forced himself to say, trying to push back the rage bubbling inside him._

"_Like I said, her eyes hold suffering alike to ours. She knows loneliness. She's always in pain, and always hides it. Yet there are moments… Where that murderous intent brushes the surface…" Gaara murmured staring fixedly at her. "But instead she turns that anger inwards, and suffers through her mind. Like now…"_

"_Okay that's enough" Kakashi interrupted, as Kari's eyes took a purple tint. Immediately they returned to normal and turned to Kakashi. "Gaara was it? I don't know what you know about Sasuke or Kari… But you shouldn't talk as if you know everything about them. What did you want to tell them by going through the trouble of finding this place before the main tournament?" Kakashi asked._

"_The purpose of a battle… Is to put your lives on the line… and try to kill each other" Gaara said, staring intently at Sasuke. "Only the winner can confirm the value of his existence."_

"So you came to say you don't want a match, but a battle to the death" Kakashi said. "Oi…" he said glancing Kari's way, Sasuke could feel the static charge thickening the air.

"_Uchiha… I know you want it too… Deep within your heart… You want to confirm your reason to exist and to see if you're really strong, stronger than the one your murderous eyes are directed at…"_

"_WOAH!" Kakashi cried rapidly appearing behind Kari and locking his arms around her as a violent hiss escaped her. "Down girl, calm down…" Kakashi whispered. Sasuke could feel her chakra wash over him, it prickled his skin like a dull sting, but he was unable to take his eyes off the Suna-nin opposite him._

"_And she suffers yet again…"_

* * *

"Doushita?! Uchiha Sasuke!!" Sasuke's expression hardened. He adjusted Kari, who seemed to have temporarily lost consciousness, still against his chest. "Are you afraid of me?! Did your hate and murderous intent cower because of fear? Is your existence that weak? Fight me, and confirm it! Your value and existence that is!" Gaara demanded. "Experiment, if you want an answer! If you don't she'll suffer because of it! _**FIGHT ME**_!!"

"Sasuke…" Kari mumbled. He stood and lifted her onto his back, pulling her up.

'_He kept me alive…'_ His hands fluidly formed hand signs. '_Just me, alone. Why?'_ Chakra sparked in his palm. _'No, I know the answer… He kept me alive, because he wanted to be tormented… by a living embodiment of the guilt he felt from killing the entire clan.'_ The Chidori chirped, his chakra large and bright. _'Itachi wanted an avenger to kill him and chose me for that job!'_ Gaara turned to see the bright chakra and his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Let me have fun, Uchiha Sasuke!" Gaara cried with glee.

"I'll finish you off with one strike" Sasuke growled his Sharingan blazing. Both leapt at the same time, Kari instinctively holding onto him. Sasuke's Chidori cut through Gaara's transformed arm with ease, causing the redhead to scream in pain.

"Gaara!!" Temari cried in alarm as her brother crashed to the branch Sasuke had been on before. Sasuke landed lightly.

'_That should've hurt him…_' Sasuke thought, looking back at Gaara, who was lying on the branch. His eyes widened and then narrowed when Gaara began laughing. He sat up and then struggled to stand.

"Sou ka… I see now!" Gaara cried, holding his transformed arm.

"This cant be, he countered Gaara's attack when Gaara's in that form?" Temari whispered in shock. Sasuke panted, his Sharingan fading.

"Why is this so exciting, I finally understand…" Gaara said panting. "This pain… By defeating a guy who can hurt me and taking away everything he possesses, it will give me a stronger sensation of life!" Sasuke smirked.

'_Gaara has never been wounded before… yet he hurt him twice… Is he a monster? No… the real monster is… So far only Gaara's right arm has transformed…'_ Temari shuddered and clasped her hands together in fear.

"More, more!" Gaara cried, forcing his injured arm to grow.

"Nani!" Sasuke cried as sand poured out of Gaara's gourd to form a large tail similar to his arm. Sasuke felt Kari shudder on his back, her grip tightening on him. _'Who the hell is this guy? He keeps doing something new…!'_ Gaara gripped the branch with his tail and arm and leant back. Kari's eyes shot open.

"Sasuke move!" she cried, her voice a mere croak.

'_He's faster now!!'_ Sasuke thought in alarm, activating his Sharingan as Gaara sped towards him like a bullet. Sasuke jumped up, sticking his feet to the branch above him with his chakra and narrowly dodging as the thick branch he had been standing on before was broken in half with little effort. Gaara grabbed hold of another branch and prepared to hurtle himself back towards Sasuke.

'_I can't dodge his attack unless I predict his movement. I would've been dead a long time ago if I didn't have these eyes…' _Gaara shot back towards them. Sasuke quickly formed a hand sign. _'I can't use Chidori anymore… Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu!'_ Sasuke blew a ball of fire at Gaara, but he simply enclosed himself in sand and wasn't slowed down in the slightest. _'A fire element attack won't work against sand! And a technique of this level isn't enough! K'so Kari I could use a water technique about now!'_

"Suiton… Suiryuu—uhh…" Kari trailed off, slipping from his back, trying to force the technique with such low chakra causing her to faint.

"Fakku!" Sasuke cried, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her to him as Gaara's arm slammed into them sending them flying. They slammed through branch after branch before hitting a thick branch, leaving a heavy dent in it. Sasuke panted heavily, cradling Kari close to him. He couldn't tell if she was conscious, she was still and floppy, her eyes open and glazed, blood trickling from her mouth.

'_It has to be the Chidori…'_

_

* * *

_

_Sasuke panted, his Chidori dying in his hand. Kakashi looked at the two gaping holes in the rock._

"_Looks like your limit is two shots. Pretty reasonable. That's the number of times you can use Chidori in one day with your current Chakra capacity" Kakashi commented. There was a loud bang and Kari fell to her behind, before flopping onto her back, panting as though she had run a marathon. "Kari's is four, seeing as number five pretty much knocked her out." Sasuke's Sharingan faded as he looked at his shaking hand. "Kari still needs to work on control, her arms are badly burned again" Kakashi sighed and she crawled over and flopped beside Sasuke._

"_Sleepy…" she whined and flopped against Sasuke's leg, her chest heaving with each breath._

"_This technique must be used in conjunction with your Sharingan Sasuke, and your speed Kari after all" Kakashi said, a smile stretching under his mask when Kari grabbed Sasuke's shaking hand and gave him a scolding look. "Using them both together, is like exploding the chakra in your body and using it all up in the blink of an eye, and thus uses it all up."_

"_Bleh… I don't like not having much chakra…" Kari sighed._

"_You're both still incredible. If I used my Chidori or Raikiri four times in one day, I'd be running on empty. Kari, your chakra is difficult to control, which results in those burns, so I'd suggest not using it more than twice for you, especially as low Chakra isn't good with your… situations." Kakashi said, pulling out the cream and bandages causing her to wrinkle her nose but allow him to take her arm and apply the cool cream to her sore, burnt skin._

"_Ekk! That's cold!" Kari shuddered as it met her burning flesh, Kakashi placing a large amount on, covering her dark burns. He rubbed it in and then wrapped it, starting to become an expert in wrapping Kari's arms. Luckily though, the deep cuts from Zaku were now almost fully healed, with a fading line as the only visible reminder._

"_What will happen if I try to use it more than twice?" Sasuke asked._

"_The third will not happen. Remember that. For both your sakes." Kakashi said as he continued wrapping Kari's other arm. "If you try to use the technique forcefully… it will not function properly, and your chakra will be reduced to zero. And in the worst case scenario you'll die, in which case, so will Kari." Sasuke looked round surprised as Kari's ears lowered._

"_I wouldn't let him die Kashi-nii, you know that" Kari said stubbornly._

"_Even if you did survive, it wouldn't have any positive effects on you" Kakashi continued. "__**Especially**__, on the both of you."_

_

* * *

_

"Doushita? Is this all your existence is worth?" Gaara taunted. "Let me make this clear… You are weak! You are too soft… Because your hatred is weak! The power of hatred is the power of murderous intent. The power of murderous intent is the power of revenge! Your hatred is weaker than mine!"

"Shut up…" Sasuke said lowly, his anger bubbling under the surface. Kari's eyes shifted to him, but he barely noticed.

"Do you know what this means?" Gaara asked.

"Shut up!" Sasuke shouted.

"It means that you are weaker than me! I'm going to take everything away from you, starting with the one you're trying to protect!"

'_Itachi chose me to be the avenger and kill him. I am an avenger!'_ Sasuke thought as the third Chidori blazed in his palm. _'No one is taking her away from me! Not even you Itachi!!' _They flew at each other once more, Sasuke holding Kari with one arm as Chidori sparked in the other hand. He flinched in pain as the Chidori faded and began to die.

There was a deafening bang as they collided and they landed on the others branch, backs facing each other. Gaara's transformed arm fell off, revealing his normal arm underneath. He groaned in pain as he forced another arm to grow.

Sasuke was silent for a moment, taking note of the feeling of the cursemark spreading through his system. Then his heart froze in his chest when a high scream exploded from next to him.

"_No…"_ Sasuke murmured, his Sharingan eyes turning to look at Kari. She collapsed to her knees, her hair falling over her face. Blood flooded from beneath her fingers, where he knew her cursemark was. Another weaker scream ripped through her throat before she fell to he side, curled up in the foetal position, in absolute agony. "Kari…" Sasuke tried to rush to her side, but his strength deserted him and he fell heavily on top of her. Gaara had wounded his left shoulder, he could feel it becoming slightly sticky as it stung.

"Make it stop…" Kari whimpered, shaking from under him, her canines cutting the sides of her tongue. "Sasuke make it stop…"

"I'm here…" Sasuke said, trying to soothe her, her shaking vibrating against his torso. "I'll get help soon, stay strong" but his reassurances died as she cried out in pain again, the markings across her left side lined in angry red.

"It hurts…" she whispered, a red river sliding out her mouth, her blood mixing with her saliva. "It hurts…"

"It hurts me too" Sasuke said, grasping her hand and squeezing it tightly. "But you have to be strong for me okay?" His body was heavy, and he couldn't move at all. Everywhere hurt, he felt so weak. "It's the cursed seal again—ugh!!" Sasuke cried, hearing Kari whimper. His other hand grasped the crook of his neck, where his curse mark was. There was a creak as Gaara sprang towards the two defenceless ninja. _'K'so… my body won't…'_ Kari cried out as she tried to force her body to move, the thunderous crash of chains and enraged roars deafening her. The claw stretched towards them and Sasuke tightened his hold on her hand.

"KARI-CHAN!!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as a flash of orange appeared in front of him, delivering a powerful kick to Gaara's jaw, sending him flying away from them. Naruto landed on the branch in front of them, panting.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Okaasan!"

Sakura, Kita and a pug landed on the branch around Sasuke and Kari.

"Na-Naru…" Kari whispered.

"It's ok Kari-chan" Naruto said softly. Sakura looked round in surprise at the gentleness of his tone.

"_I'm here now Ookami-nee_."


	54. Kodomoro Koro

**A/N: **Gomen, I've been gone a while :( Exams and usual teenage crap. Arigatou gozaimasu for all your reviews, I'll have to start working on the 300 review fanart! :D

Disclaimer: Naruto was sadly not born in my imagination.

Claimer: Kari, Kita, the Torai Kenshi and all other non-Naruto characters are property of me.

**

* * *

**

**Kodomoro Koro**

**_Childhood_**

* * *

She didn't know why,

but she had to understand

* * *

'_Koitsu…_' Naruto thought, staring at Gaara in his half transformed state.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said anxiously, placing a hand on his back. Kita was at Kari's side, equally worried.

'_We were a bit late…'_ Pakkun thought grimly.

"S-Sakura-chan…?" Naruto said unsurely.

"You guys…" Sasuke forced out, while Kari just stared blankly at Naruto.

'_Those marks… they must have got reckless,'_ Sakura thought to herself. _'Just like that time…'_ She was distracted by Sasuke groaning in pain as he tried to lift himself up. "Sasuke-kun!" she cried in alarm, seeing blood running from his mouth. _'Kakashi-sensei said their bruises were no longer a problem!'_ Sasuke groaned, struggling against the pain. Kari's eyes slowly turned back to him, dull and ridden with pain. His heart tightened painfully.

* * *

"_What will happen if I try to use it more than twice?" Sasuke asked._

"_The third will not happen. Remember that. For both your sakes," Kakashi said as he continued wrapping Kari's other arm. "If you try to use the technique forcefully… it will not function properly, and your chakra will be reduced to zero. And in the worst case scenario you'll die, in which case, so will Kari." Sasuke looked round surprised as Kari's ears lowered._

"_I wouldn't let him die Kashi-nii, you know that," Kari said stubbornly._

"_Even if you did survive, it wouldn't have any positive effects on you," Kakashi continued. "__**Especially**__, on the both of you."_

"_Because of the cursed seal?" Sasuke asked, Kari glancing up at him._

"_If you let the hate consume you and depend on the cursed seals powers, you will cease developing and growing. What's more, Kari will be put through agony as her body tries to reject the cursed seal, her chakra clashing inside her body…" Kakashi paused and Sasuke felt Kari's grip tighten slightly on his hand. "She'll lose control of her chakra and will be torn apart from the inside out."_

"_We'll be fine, Sasuke's not that stupid. Ne Sasu?" Kari said looking up at him with a weak smile, but he could see the doubt laced in her eyes. His mind burned with memories of the forest of death and the sealing of their marks, the intense suffering that ate away at her. He never thought she could scream and cry like that… He never wanted to know that she could be hurt so much…_

"_Yeah, I'll never get rid of you," Sasuke said with a weak smirk. She sighed relieved and leaned against his leg, the shakes in his hand dying down in the embrace of her own smaller, delicate hand._

_Delicate…_

* * *

"Who is that…Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried.

"What do you want?!" she snapped.

"Who the hell is he, dattebayou?" Naruto cried pointing at Gaara.

"His appearance has changed, but he is that Gaara fellow," Pakkun replied.

'_I took the life of the woman who gave birth to me when I was born. To become the ultimate ninja my father used a ninja technique to bind an incarnate of sand to me. I was a monster at birth.'_

'_The guy in front of me… is him?!'_ Naruto thought in alarm.

"Kari! Stop trying to move… You're just hurting yourself…!" Sasuke choked out as she fought against her pain and exhaustion, a shudder tearing through her body as she tried to move.

'_Transform, it's the only way brat!'_

'_He did that to Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan,_' Sakura thought warily, unable to suppress a bubble of anger that rose inside her.

"Oi ko-musume," Pakkun called. "I'm not a combat type, so don't blame me for not fighting."

"I can tell that from your looks!" Sakura said irritably.

"K-Ki-Kita…" Kari whispered.

"I'm here Okaasan! Okaasan will be fine!" Kita cried anxiously, a paw touching Kari's forearm.

"I'll look after Kita-chan, Kari-san," Pakkun said, realising what the kunoichi was trying to say. Relief washed across Kari's face, a tired half smile across her lips.

"Arigatou." She winced and Sasuke cried out in pain again.

'_We have to get them to Kakashi-sensei!'_ Sakura thought desperately.

"You…" Gaara growled, his eyes fixed on Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried as Sasuke tried to lift himself again, the blood he coughed up staining the front of Kari's shirt.

"Yes you are… the guy I tried to kill…" Gaara said in realisation. Kari's eyes widened and she rolled over her nails embedding into the branch as she prepared to scramble over to Naruto. Pain paralysed her muscles, effortlessly defeating her, letting her feel Sasuke's dead weight crashing down on her as he collapsed again.

"**Nigero! Minna**!!" Naruto hollered, only to see Gaara shoot past him.

"_**DIE UCHIHA SASUKE!!**_" Gaara bellowed, hurtling towards them. As a last line of defence, Kari rolled to her side, pulling Sasuke to her chest, her arms tightly round him, shielding him with her own body. Sasuke's eyes widened, feeling Kari's heart dance wildly inside her chest.

"Kari-chan!! **SAKURA-CHAN**!!" Naruto shouted. Kari turned in horror to see Sakura standing protectively in front of them, kunai in hand.

"**SAKURA**!!"

"Get out of the way!!" Gaara roared, his transformed arm extending and smashing her against a tree trunk, immediately knocking her out. Her pain numbed by adrenaline and fear, Kari jumped up onto Gaara's arm in front of Sakura, her legs caving in from strain the second she landed.

"Sakura?! **SAKURA**!!" Kari cried frantically. She clawed at the hard sand, not even leaving a scratch. She tried to force herself into a standing position, to kick, punch, try anything to set the kunoichi free, but her weak legs gave in and she twisted, falling awkwardly off the deformed arm.

"Kari-chan!" She landed safely, caught by Naruto's arms. He had moved Sasuke and landed next to him. "Kari-chan calm down!" but she wouldn't listen, struggling to get free and tear the arm in half to set Sakura free. "Kari-chan you're not strong enough" Naruto said setting her down, her legs ignoring her demands to stand and only twitching in response to the messages from her brain. "K'so, k'so! What the hell do I do?!" Naruto whispered frantically, looking up at his team-mate. _'I don't want to fight this guy!_'

"Why?" Gaara groaned, hit by another wave of excruciating headaches. Images of Sakura protecting Sasuke, Gai protecting Lee, Kari protecting Sasuke, Yashamaru protecting the children, they burned in his mind and caused pulses of pain.

Kari choked a sting shooting through her eyes and then spreading through her skull as Gaara's childhood once again invaded her mind.

* * *

_A young Gaara stared at the framed photograph of a young woman, almost identical to Yashamaru apart from a touch more femininity. She had short sandy blonde hair and grey eyes, and was pretty in an average way. Gaara clenched his fist and raised his arm, tightly gripping a knife in the other hand. He thrust it down, but it was stopped at the last second by a thick cloud of sand._

"_It's no use, the sand interferes…" Gaara said sadly. He watched as the sand disappeared._

"_Gaara-sama." The young boy jumped in alarm and turned to see Yashamaru standing at the door._

"_Yashamaru?" He walked over and stood a foot or so away from the young boy._

"_I was ordered by Kazekage-sama to be your caretaker. I am to keep an eye on your health and protect you. Please don't do such a thing in front of me." he said gently. Gaara looked down ashamed, a horrible guilty feeling clenching his stomach. "But I suppose the sand will protect you anyway." Yashamaru said smiling sheepishly._

"_Yashamaru, gomen," Gaara apologised, looking up guiltily at the bandages around Yashamaru's forehead and right arm._

"_Oh this? Its just a scratch," Yashamaru said touching his forehead with a smile._

"_Do wounds hurt?" Gaara asked._

"_Just a little, it will heal quickly though," Yashamaru said reassuringly. The wind rushed through the sand, pushing it up and giving it life in a sandstorm outside the window._

"_Hey, Yashamaru… What does pain feel like?" Gaara asked. Yashamaru looked at him surprised. "I've never been hurt before so I was wondering how it felt…" he explained, smiling sadly._

"_Hmm, how should I explain this… It's painful and unbearable… Like, when a person is shot or cut, he becomes very ill at ease and he can't think normally. I can't explain it very well, but simply put, it's not a very good to be in" Yashamaru explained, rubbing the back of his head._

"_Then… do you hate me Yashamaru?" Gaara asked, his eyes flicking to Yashamaru's wrist before glancing away again._

"_People hurt each other and get hurt during their lifetimes. But it is difficult to hate another." Yashamaru said gently. Gaara's face lit up into a relieved smile._

"_Arigatou, Yashamaru! I think I understand what hurting is now. Maybe… maybe I'm injured too, like everyone else. I always hurt here…" Gaara said, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm not bleeding, but my chest really hurts here."_

_Yashamaru walked over to Gaara and knelt in front of him so they were eye level. He gently took the knife away from him and lightly cut his own finger. Gaara gasped, eyes wide in shock when blood immediately flooded out the cut, thick drops wrapping around the finger and dripping onto the floor._

"_Flesh wounds bleed, and they may seem painful… but as time goes by, the pain eventually disappears, and if you use medicine, the wounds will heal even faster." He paused and smiled. "But the tricky wounds are the ones in your heart, those are difficult to heal."_

"A wound of the heart?" Gaara repeated.

"_A wound of the heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound, there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they never heal. But there is one thing that can heal a wound of the heart." Gaara looked up, waiting for Yashamaru to continue. "It's a troublesome medicine, and you can only receive it from another person."_

"Nani? How can I heal this…?" Gaara asked desperately.

"_The thing that can heal the heart is… Love."_

"_Aijou?" Gaara repeated._

"_Hai." _

"_How can I get it? What should I do to be rid of this pain?" Gaara pleaded._

"_Gaara-sama, you have already received it. Love is the spirit of devoting yourself to someone important and close to you. It is expressed by caring for and protecting that person. Just like my sister," Yashamaru explained. "I believe that my sister always loved you Gaara-sama. The Shukaku no Suna is a living soul that is usually used for combat purposes. The sand automatically protects you because of love. I believe that the will of your mother is inside the sand. My sister probably wanted to protect you, even after her death."_

"_Yashamaru?" Gaara said._

"_Hai?"_

"Arigatou… for stopping me back there" he said, a small smile appearing on his face.

"_My pleasure" Yashamaru replied, putting his lightly bleeding finger in his mouth. "You are a person who is important to me and close to me after all, Gaara-sama." Gaara took a step forward and then took hold of Yashamaru's wrist, pulling it out of his mouth so he could see the wound. He hesitated for a moment, and then put the bleeding finger in his own mouth. "Can you feel my pain?"_

"It tastes like metal…"

* * *

Gaara groaned in pain, his eyes tightly shut.

'_Why are you showing me this?' _Kari thought, her head pounding. _'This has nothing to do with me!'_

'_I'm afraid it does, he is a jinchuuriki just like you. You are connected.'_ Kitai replied. _'You have to understand him.'_

'_Sakura's trapped, Sasuke can't move and Naruto can't do this on his own!'_ Kari thought desperately.

'_We're trying to restore your chakra, but Kumouri is in a rage, we're using most of our chakra to contain her.'_ A large roar echoed through Kari's mind and her heart clenched. _'We'll do our best.'_

Kari's body jolted as her eyes were clouded with images of Gaara's memories again.

* * *

_A young Gaara ran through the streets of Suna. It was night, the only light coming from windows and streetlamps. He clutched a package tight to his chest, hope sealed around it. Inside was ointment, he had asked Yashamaru for it and was going to give it to the girl he had hurt today._

_He came to a stop outside her front door, panting slightly. He paused for a second gathering his courage and then knocked._

_The girl opened the door her eyes widening when she saw him._

"_I'm sorry about before. It hurt ne?" Gaara said with a sad smile. He shyly held the package out. "Here, this is ointment. Use it if you want…"_

"_Go home!" she shouted, slamming the door in his face. "Bakemono!"_

_Gaara's eyes widened with hurt, the familiar pain hitting his chest. The package slipped from his trembling fingers and onto the ground. He turned and slowly started waling home. A drunk stumbled across his path and almost walked in to him._

"_What the… Watch where you're going! You stupid kid—" Gaara looked around at him, causing the man's eyes to widen in realisation. "You're…"_

"_Again… Those eyes again… Nande? Nande?!" Gaara murmured, the pain in his chest intensifying. The sand whipped round him flying towards the man. His bottle crashed to the ground as a deep scream echoed through the street. Gaara walked away, leaving the man dead, barely listening to the people behind him._

"_What? What happened?"_

"_It's Gaara!"_

"_Oi, he's dead!"_

_Gaara kept walking, he stopped when he felt a disapproving glare on him. He looked up to see a man with messy brown hair._

'_Otousan…'_

_They didn't speak to each other and Gaara continued walking, feeling those disapproving eyes burning into his back._

_Eventually Gaara stopped, sitting on a rooftop miserable and lonely. The full moon was behind him shining brightly, casting shadows around him._

'_It didn't go well… why am I the only one who is a monster? What am I?'_

_The pain in his chest spread, causing a sting in his eyes and a painful lump in his throat. He looked down at his shaking hands._

'_The thing that can heal a wound in the heart… is love.'_

"_Yashamaru…" Gaara sobbed, clenching the cloth over his heart. A sudden rush of sand behind him made him gasp. A dozen kunai had been thrown at his back. He looked round to see a masked man, bandages around his head, hiding his identity. There were kunai floating around him, all pointing towards Gaara._

'_Nani? Nande? Why am I the only one to have to go through all of this?!' His sand shielded him from the four more kunai sent his way and he thrust his hand out, ordering the sand around the assassin. The sand pulled him up into the air and Gaara clenched his fist. The sand contracted and there was a crash as bones broke within it. Blood spurted up the wall and the body fell limply to the ground._

"_Dare…? Nande…?" Gaara asked shakily, his arms brought up to his chest. The person didn't answer. Gaara stared at him and then suddenly noticed one of the assassin's fingers was bandaged. With a trembling hand he reached and grabbed hold of the cloth covering the persons face. He pulled it away and his heart clenched with pain greater than ever before._

"_You are strong, as I expected…"_

"_Y-Yashamaru…" Gaara's breath choked and then he screamed in pain, sand flying around him._

* * *

"Kari!"

Kari gasped, her throat sore and eyes wide. _'N-Nani?!'_

"Kari-chan doushita? You were screaming dattebayou!" Naruto cried in alarm, holding her trembling body close to his chest.

"Doushita?" Gaara growled, Naruto's attention snapping back to him. "I thought you were going to run?"

"Sasuke-kun… Kari-chan… Naruto… Ki… ta…" Sakura murmured.

"They… What are they to you?" Gaara demanded.

"They're… my friends, dattebayou!" Naruto cried setting Kari down beside Sasuke and jumping to his feet. "I dare you to hurt them anymore, I'll beat you up!!"

Sakura screamed as Gaara put pressure on her body. Kari's eyes flashed red but then a blinding pain shot threw her, her curse mark pulsing. '_Move, move, move, MOVE!!'_ Her muscles tensed, and became unbearably tight. She winced and struggled against her pain, but still she was unable to stand.

"Sa, doushita? I thought you were going to 'beat me up'?!" Gaara taunted. "KOI!"

"KUSO!" Naruto shouted as he jumped towards Gaara. Kari's heart skipped a beat and she almost got into a sitting position when her pain kicked her back down.

"Na-Naruto!" Kari cried.

He went to punch Gaara, but was thrown back by a simple flick of Gaara's tail.

'_Chikusho… This is really turning out bad dattebayou! I have to… I have to save everyone.'_

Gaara laughed mockingly.

"So you fight for another" Gaara said, making Naruto look up in surprise. "That is why you guys are so weak. You don't need a reason to fight. Only the winner can feel the value of their existence. Now, forget about your stupid friends and fight only for yourself."

"Stupid… friends..?" Naruto repeated, his fists clenching.

"People who bring unnecessary emotions into battle should just die."

"You just keep saying what you want… I swear, I'll beat you up!" Naruto cried, pulling out a kunai and jumping back towards Gaara.

"You guys do not know the true meaning of being strong" Gaara said smirking.

"Urusai!" Naruto shouted. Gaara flinched, his skull throbbing as images of people protecting each other filled his mid again. He swung his tail and slammed it into Naruto's gut. Kari winced, feeling a drop ob blood slide down her chin.

'_Not again!'_ She thought as her vision went hazy, and Gaara's memories played in her mind, continuing where they left off.

* * *

_Gaara sobbed his heart out over Yashamaru's bloody body, the man looking up at the moon and coughing weakly._

"_Nande? …Nande? …Nande Yashamaru? ...Nande? …Nande?" Gaara sobbed, hiccoughing as he spoke._

'_Love is the spirit of devoting yourself to someone important and close to you. It is expressed by caring for and protecting that person. Just like my sister.'_

'_You are a person who is important to me and close to me after all, Gaara-sama.'_

"_You… You… I thought you were…" Gaara cried as he wiped his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop._

"_It was an order…" Yashamaru said. "I was ordered to kill you…" Gaara's eyes widened. "By your father… Kazekage-sama…"_

"_O-otousan?" Gaara was suddenly struck with nausea, he bent over and threw up. "Otousan? Nande? Nande boku?"_

"_You were born with Shukaku no Suna, then observed like a guinea pig, Gaara-sama. But since you could not control the power of the living soul, Shukaku, and were unable to manipulate sand on your own… your existence was deemed a danger to the village. Before that happened…" Yashamaru said quietly._

"_Then you did this unwillingly because Otousan ordered you to…?" Gaara asked, holding onto a shred of hope._

"_Iie, that is not correct." Gaara's eyes widened in horror. "It is true that I received the order from Kazekage-sama… But I could have refused it if I had wished to. Gaara-sama… Deep within my heart… I hated you." Gaara gasped, his tears thickening. "You took the life of my beloved sister when you were born. My sister's memento… I tried to love you by thinking of you as her treasured child, but I couldn't. My sister did not wish for your birth, she became the villages sacrifice and died cursing this village. After that, I carried a wound that could never heal…"_

'_A wound of the heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound, there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they never heal.'_

"_My sister gave you your name. This child's name is Gaara, an Asura that loves himself. Love only yourself, and fight only for yourself, by doing so you can continue to exist, your name carries those wishes. But my sister did not give you that name because she loved or cared for you. She gave you that name so you could continue to exist. Because she hated and cursed this village as she died, and wanted her deep hatred to exist and remain, to let others know of it. You were not loved."_

_The clouds shifted, blocking the light of the moon. Yashamaru undid his Jounin vest, revealing exploding tags stuck to him._

"_This is it…" a weak smile spread across his face. "Please die."_

_Immediately afterwards, the tags went off exploding on Yashamaru's body. The moon reappeared, chasing the dust away. Gaara sat in a half dome of sand, unharmed from the blast. Yashamaru's body was gone, as well as the wall he had been up against. Gaara was sobbing, hugging his knees, unable to ease the agony in his heart._

'_I believe that my sister always loved you Gaara-sama.'_

_Gaara clutched his head, crouching over his knees._

'_The sand automatically protects you because of love. I believe that the will of your mother is inside the sand.'_

_And then suddenly, his pain was greeted by anger. He screamed out his pain and rage, the sand spinning wildly around him. And then suddenly, it stopped, frozen. Gaara stood panting in the middle as the sand slowly began to fall back around his feet._

'_Love only yourself, and fight only for yourself.'_

_Gaara looked up, blood dripping down the side of his eye. He could feel the burning pain on his forehead. Pain in the form of the kanji 'Ai', love, a visible scar, stamped on his forehead for all to see, and a reminder… a constant reminder…_

'_That is what Gaara is… Me. I finally understand… I'm alone. I won't believe in anyone, or love anyone. I'm alone. Yes, I'm alone…"_

_

* * *

_

Kari became aware she was conscious and looked round at Naruto. She understood why Gaara was the way he was, but she couldn't let her team die because of it. She would try and help him, but she'd only be able to do that if they survived.

"Doushita? Koi!" Gaara cried impatiently. "Don't you care what happens to your important friend?" Sakura winced as pressure was applied to her body again.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm. "K'so!"

'_Naruto isn't acting like himself… Did something happen between him and that guy?'_ Sasuke thought to himself.

'_Anyway, anyway I have to save Sakura-chan! And Kari-chan's really hurt she can't last much longer. But how…? I know! This'll use a lot of Chakra demo… I'll have to summon the frog boss!'_ Naruto rapidly made hand signs and concentrated his Chakra. He bit his thumb and slammed his hand against a branch. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

"Nan de? It's just a little squirt!" A bright orange toad sat on the branch, only a little bigger than Naruto's hand. "If you want me to do something give me a snack, otherwise I won't play with youuu—"

"You know something?! I HATE YOU FROGS!!" Naruto screeched.

"What'd you say?! You better not disrespect amphibians!" and for added effect the little orange amphibian stuck its long tongue out at him.

"Naruto-kun…" Kari sighed flopping against a branch in exasperation. She adored him and his stupidity, but now was really** not** the time. Her hand twitched and she grimaced. _'I can't even make a hand sign and I don't even have enough chakra for a water jutsu, I can't summon anything… not even a youngster…'_

"Actually I have no time to play with you, squirt." Naruto snapped back. He looked up at Sakura and then back at his hand. _'Why? I trained so hard! I can't think of anything else.'_ "I have to save minna!"

"Minna?" Gaara looked up, the whole of his head transformed save for a puff of red hair on the top of his head. "Don't make me laugh. I fight only for myself." Sand spread down from his shoulders and covered his torso and spreading down his abdomen to his knees. The arm holding Sakura broke away at the wrist, the hand still holding her in place. "The sand on this girl won't be released until you defeat me. Not only that, but the sand will constrict as time passes and will eventually crush her to death." His arm regret with ease. "Suna shuriken!"

Naruto grabbed the toad and protected it with his body, slamming into a tree trunk and falling through three branches before he came to a stop. Kari had rolled on top of Sasuke to shield him, but the shuriken zoomed over them, missing them completely. She winced, feeling the burst blood vessels under her skin. She'd have some heavy bruises later…

"You are weak" the toad huffed.

"Urusai!" Naruto grumbled.

"But who is that?" the toad asked. Naruto looked over at Gaara to see he had almost completely transformed save for his ankles and feet.

'_What sad eyes… Such lonely eyes… he has a monster within him too. He's the same as me… the same as me and Kari-chan. I hated everyone. I didn't know who I was, why I was so hated, or why I existed…'_

"_In other words you are the Kyuubi who killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village! The villagers have deceived you all this time"'_

'_After I found out the Kyuubi was inside me… I felt the villagers be even more distant. It was really… really tough… Demo…'_

"_Oi Naruto, want to go get some ramen?" Iruka said cheerfully._

"_Yeah! I want lots of barbeque pork on mine!!" Naruto cheered excitedly. "And Kari-chan can come too ne?"_

"_Hai!"_

_

* * *

_

"_Hn, usuratonkashi. If you want to beat me, train more," Sasuke scoffed._

"_Baka! Don't be so arrogant!" Kari scolded._

"_Urusai dattebayou! I won't lose to you," Naruto cried confidently._

_

* * *

_

"_Ne, Naruto! What did Sasuke-kun say about me?" Sakura asked, a strong blush on her face._

"_Nothing much," Naruto said, not able to recall Sasuke mentioning her. Sakura sighed depressed. "Putting that aside, don't you want to know what I think of you? A-aa! Sakura-chan" Naruto whined as she walked off depressed._

_

* * *

_

"_Ittadekimasu!" Naruto cried in delight as he prepared to dig into his steaming ramen. He was stopped by a basket filled with green stuff being pushed in front of him._

"_Hmm Naruto, you're really going to die if you just eat ramen and drink sweet red bean broth" Kakashi said in a scolding tone, crouching on Naruto's windowsill. "Ninja's must eat more vegetables! This is a gift!"_

"_Nehhh I don't like vegetables" Naruto said leaning away._

"_I win," Kari said grinning._

"_I really should learn to stop betting against you," Kakashi sighed, handing her a pack of pocky._

_

* * *

_

"_Kita-chan, who do you like better me or Sasuke?" Naruto asked the young pup._

"_Okaasan said not to answer that question!" Kita said in a scolding tone. "But Kita-chan loves Naruto-kun very much dattebayou! You're very, very important to Okaasan therefore important to Kita-chan, dattebayou!"_

"_K-kita-chan…" Naruto said with a slight sniffle, his eyes watery. "I love you too dattebayou!" he cried pulling her into a suffocating hug._

"_Mou! Naruto-kunnn! Ite-eeeeee!"_

_

* * *

_

"_Oi Kari-chan?" Naruto whispered._

"_Mm?" she replied, her ear twitching._

"_You're my best friend, you know that right?"_

"_Hai," she said smiling and looking round at him. "And you're my best friend too!"_

"_And we'll always be friend's dattebayou! Itsumo!" he said happily pulling her into a hug. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "And nothing will ever tear us apart!"_

"_Waa! Don't say things like that! I couldn't live without my Naruto-kun!" Kari whined in distress._

"_You'll never have to, dattebayou! Because we're inseparable!" Naruto grinned and she smiled and nuzzled her face into his chest._

"_Naruto-kun… I can barely smell your scent under all that ramen!"_

"_That's a great idea! Let's go get ramen Kari-chan!"_

_

* * *

_

'_I've finally met people who acknowledge me, and Kari-chan and Kita-chan who I'm so important to. That's why I was able to bear the fact that a Bakemono kitsune is inside me, and the cold eyes of the villagers. It was a relief knowing Kari-chan was the same as me, that she could understand… She opened my eyes to the friends I had, she showed me I wasn't alone anymore. I never thought that it was such a joyful happy thing. I really, really was glad… That I could stay here… And I felt I existed here and I was relieved. _

'_That's why… When I think of the old times… I get the chills… That pain wasn't normal, it was a dark hell. If I had remained alone… if Kari-chan had never came… That's why I understand.'_

"_So why do I exist and live? And this is what I concluded. I exist to kill everyone other than me."_

'_I don't know what happened, but he's been alone and he's suffered. He has never felt any relief, he can only believe in himself. He is still fighting in that hell. Yes… Since I have people that acknowledge me… I may only be a frivolous coward to him. Can I really beat such a guy?'_

"Doushita? Are you afraid of me?" Gaara mocked. "Are you going to fight only for yourself? Or for another? Just love yourself and fight. Fight only for yourself! That is what makes a strong person strong! Now, fight me! What happened to that spirit? Show me your power, I will crush it! Doushita? If you don't fight me I will kill that girl!"

"Kuso!" Naruto shouted, jumping towards Gaara "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

"Fuuton; Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" He blew out with the force of a sandstorm, easily destroying the clones.

'_K'so… That hurt a lot…'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"I'll play around with you so that you won't die just yet. I can't wait to see when you give up, abandon your friends and run away. Suna Shuriken!" Gaara cried, pelting Naruto with sand. Kari grimaced, feeling the impact and grimacing as she felt pain tear through her wounds.

'_Kuso…'_

'_But what is this feeling?'_ Naruto thought as he stood up.

"I'm not through yet!" Gaara cried pelting him with yet more sand shuriken, sending Naruto flying through a branch and into another tree trunk. Kari's breathing was getting hoarse again, her vision blurring.

'_Not now… Please not now…'_

"Kari" Sasuke groaned, gripping her hand. "Don't… Don't give up on me now!" As Gaara released another onslaught of shuriken she felt a warm liquid slip out of her mouth. "Shimatta… Hold on Kari…"

"Chikusho! Chikusho!" Naruto cried. _'What is this feeling gushing out of me? I don't know why but… I don't want to lose to this guy, even if I die!'_

"Doushita? You came after me and this is what happens to you? You can't even touch me. You make me laugh," Gaara scoffed. Sakura groaned as the sand tightened around her again. Before Kari could even thick about moving, her body went rigid with pain again. Naruto pulled out a kunai, wrapping a exploding tag around the handle.

'_I don't know how far I can get… But I'll do as much as I can!'_ Naruto thought to himself. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he cried and four clones appeared. "Let's go! I'll show you a secret combat move; Bunshin Taiatari!" Gaara caught three Naruto's with his claw.

"Now!" the clones cried.

"Okay!" Naruto replied, as another clone landed on the claw and through the real Naruto directly towards Gaara "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Gaara cut through the clone with his other claw as Naruto flipped over his head. "Again! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" A clone appeared, allowing Naruto to jump of it, stopping his fall. "Eat this, the move Kakashi-sensei taught me! Konoha no sato's secret master combat move; **Sennen Goroshi**!" and without hesitation, Naruto thrust the kunai right up Gaara's behind.

"Ne??" Kari whispered, eye twitching.

"An enema?" Pakkun asked.

"Mou, that can't be hygienic Naruto-kun…" Kita sighed from beside Pakkun. Gaara looked round at Naruto and swiftly smacked him with his tail. Naruto smirked as he fell.

"Boom."

The kunai exploded, coating Gaara in smoke. Kari grimaced and sighed deeply.

"Don't you _ever _do that to me," she mumbled, glaring at Sasuke.

"Che," Sasuke scoffed. "How are you faring?"

"Not good," she sighed. She had to hand it to Kumouri; the Inu-Yasha didn't give up. "I think I'll be able to move soon… I'm starting to get some chakra back…"

"Baka! You'll be killed easily," Sasuke hissed.

"I'm surprised I'm not dead already…" Kari muttered under her breath. "Oi! Incoming!" Kari cried in alarm, noticing Naruto falling straight towards them. Sasuke didn't even have a chance to look before orange covered his eyes and he felt a blow to his gut as they were sent flying. There was a painful crash as they smacked into the trunk of a tree.

"Sasuke? Oi where's Kari-chan dattebayou?" Naruto asked.

"Itai…" Kari grumbled.

"Kari-chan daijoubu!" Naruto cried rushing to her side and helping her sit up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" she sighed.

"That was a nice move…" Pakkun said cringing slightly.

"Did… Did he kill him?" the little orange toad asked.

"You did all that but only managed one hit?" Sasuke asked as he too sat up.

"Urusai, I'm not in the mood to put up with your tantrums today" Kari grumbled her eyes closing. Naruto was so warm, his jacket soft…

"Hai! Urusai dattebayou!" Naruto huffed.

"Baka, I told you not to go to sleep."

"I'm not, I was resting my eyes" Kari retorted. Her eyes slid open and she looked down at the blurry figure that was Gaara. Half of him seemed to have melted away.

'_I didn't expect him to attack the base of the tail where the armour is thinnest. I wasn't wounded, but the sand couldn't absorb all the impact. I underestimated him…'_ Gaara thought as he leant against the remainder of the tree, sand pouring out his side.

"Oi Naruto. You better rescue Sakura no matter what—"

"Waa! You admit you have feelings for her!" Kari cried in delight, she would have hugged Sasuke, but her movements were still quite restricted.

"Urusai baka. And once you do, I want you to take her and Kari and run. You can do it—"

"Naniwoitte iru no ka?!" Kari cried grabbing hold of the front of his shirt.

"Sasuke… are you…?" Naruto said in shock.

"I can buy you some time… If it ends here, it means I was only capable of getting this far…" Sasuke said trying to get up. "Kari, don't look at me like that…" he said looking away from her. He didn't want to see those bloodshot eyes. He didn't want to see her cry any second now.

"Anata baka! Watashiha anata wonokoshite I nai n dayo!" she shouted.

"I have already lost every thing once… I never want to see an important friend die in front of me ever again," he stood up, but she still clung to his shirt, her legs shaking beneath her. "I'm never able to protect you, at least let me protect your life" he said softly, trying to get Kari to let go of him. "Let go…"

"IIE!"

"Kari let go…" Her head fell against his chest, her body shaking with suppressed sobs.

"Watashiha anata no manami shinai yo!"

"An important friend…" Naruto repeated. "Sou ka… Sou dattebayou. He's like me… I've felt the same loneliness and sadness in my life… That's why I thought he was strong, because he was alone and fought only for himself."

"Naruto…" Sasuke said surprised. Kari looked around slightly, so that she could see him.

"Naruto-kun…"

"But that's not what being strong means. You can't become truly strong if you fight only for yourself…" Naruto said.

"Haku-kun…" Kari said softly.

"No one makes Kari-chan cry…" Naruto growled, slamming his hands together in a hand sign. Kari's legs gave out and Sasuke caught her with one arm. Chakra surrounded Naruto.

'_He's creating an enormous amount of chakra! Is this really Naruto?'_ Sasuke thought, drawing Kari closer to him.

"I swear… I will protect everyone dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried.

"He's pretty good," the toad mused looking around at the countless clones that had appeared.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! This is where the Uzumaki Naruto Ninja Chronicles begin!" a Naruto announced.

"What's with this number of replications?!" Gaara cried.

"What is this?" Temari cried.

"This is amazing…" Pakkun said in awe while Kita was hopping from paw to paw, her tail wagging.

"You have some good qualities" the toad said.

"Did you… do this?" Sasuke asked in shock.

"Sasuke, you rest and protect Kari chan. Leave this to me, Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said in determination. He paused, an idea striking him. "Ne, Kari-chan?"

"Mm?" she asked looking around at him; her eyes still a bit red and sore.

"If I win… You'll kiss me again ne? After all my great battles?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Naruto!!" Kari whined, her face flushing red. She buried her face in Sasuke's shirt. "Neh, I don't see why not…"

"YOSH! Minna! Let's go!!" Naruto cried, commanding all his clones. "Fly! Naruto Ninja Chronicles!"

'_He's… that Naruto?'_ Sasuke thought in shock.

"The No-Escape Shuriken Chapter!"

'_My body still isn't ready; I'll have to guard it with the sand!'_ Gaara thought, blocking the shuriken with his arm. Clones charged in and delivered kicks to him forcing him into the air.

"U!"

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!"

"The Naruto Two Thousand Rendan!!" Clones covered Gaara, delivering countless punches. "Chapter!" Gaara fell from the trees and landed hard on the ground.

"Koitsu…" Gaara mumbled.

"This time, we'll use our legs and do a Four Thousand Rendan!" the clones cried.

"Who is this guy?… He suddenly…" Gaara asked.

"This can't be… he's winning against that form of Gaara?!" Temari cried in disbelief.

"Where is his power coming from…? Me… Lose to this guy…? There's no way I can lose to this guy!" Gaara shouted, sand shooting up and destroying the clones.

"KUSO!" Kari cried, clutching her head as she felt chakra start to burn at her body.

"Nan de ore wa?" Sasuke said in shock looking up at the huge beast. Kari's body shook feeling her canine's lengthen. '_No, no, no, no, no, no!'_ "Kari doushita?" Sasuke asked feeling her starting to slide down, he placed her on the branch and knelt beside her.

"That's the monster inside of him?" Naruto whispered.

"I didn't expect to show this form to you guys!"

Naruto cried out in alarm when he realised sand was starting to wrap around him.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted but his body froze with pain and he fell forwards onto his knees. "K'so… my body…" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Kari?" The air was starting to feel hot and static, like when Gaara came in training and Kakashi got panicky.

"I've used up most of my chakra with those Bunshin!" Naruto cried as the sand started swirling around his torso. "Kari-chan… Sakura-chan…"

"Na-NARUTO!"

"Su—"

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!!" Naruto cried as the sand enclosed his head. There was an explosion, and when the smoke cleared Gamabunta was revealed.

"Gama-sama," Kari said with a weak smile of relief.

"Amazing, he summoned him in that situation," Pakkun said impressed. Sasuke stared in shock at the toad that was as large as Gaara's demon form.

"I will protect Kari-chan and Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried. "And Kita-chan too!"

'_Uzumaki Naruto… you entertain me greatly'_ Gaara chuckled in his thoughts.

'_My training has finally produced some results dattebayou! Yosh! I can win this!'_ Naruto thought with confidence.

"What the hell?" Gamabunta said. "You again? What do you want? Oh? That's Shukaku no Suna."

"Boss, fight with me!" Naruto cried with a grin. Gamabunta blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe.

"Iie," he said bluntly.

"**_EHH_**?!"

"Why do I have to fight that guy? That's stupid," Gaara scoffed.

"Nande, dattebayou?! You said you would make me your subordinate last time! A boss is supposed to help a subordinate in trouble right?! Isn't that your moral code?!" Naruto screamed repeatedly smacking Gamabunta's head though not doing any damage at all.

"I did say I would make you my subordinate. But we haven't even had a drink yet," Gamabunta said simply.

"That's ridiculous! I'm not even twenty yet! I can't drink alcohol!" Naruto cried.

"Don't say that, please listen to him Otousan!"

"Eh? Otousan?" Naruto repeated looking up at the little toad sitting on his head.

"Why are you here, Gamakichi?" Gamabunta asked.

"I was bored, so I came out here to play," Gamakichi said simply.

"Eh? You're father and son?" Naruto asked.

"Anyway, that guy tried to pick on me!" Gamakichi complained, pointing accusingly at Gaara.

"What did you say?" Gamabunta asked dangerously.

"Then this guy helped me out. He was able to fight that monster equally. This guy is pretty interesting," Gamakichi explained.

"Sou ka…"Gamabunta replied. "Gaki! I officially accept you as my subordinate," the toad boss said as he reached for his blade. "I'll show you how the moral code works in this world." He drew his katana and held it horizontally in front of him. "You're going to pay fro what you did, you flunky!" Twisting his blade so he was holding it to his side Gamabunta charged, sending Naruto flying backwards. "Hold on tight!" He swung his blade and smirked. "Got ya!" he jumped away slicing off Gaara's arm.

"Sugoii…" Naruto whispered. Gamabunta's sword slammed into the ground, the wind slamming through the forest. Kari flew into Sasuke and he held her steady as best he could.

'_What a guy… he was so heavy I could barely cut through him with my dagger. I'll need to finish this quickly or the landscape here is going to change…_' Gamabunta thought.

"Ano sa, ano sa, boss!" Naruto cried. "Kari-chan and Sakura-chan are over there, so don't go that way! Lure him over here!"

"Sakura-chan?" Gamabunta repeated. "Kari-chan was the winged one who stopped your fall?"

"Hai! I need to defeat him to save them," Naruto cried.

"This is interesting!" Gaara cried. "This is interesting Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara rose out of Shukaku's head.

"Is that the medium?" Gamabunta asked.

"This is the reward for entertaining me… I'll show you the true power of the incarnate of sand!" Gaara cried.

"Those rings under his eyes… The medium must have been possessed by the Shukaku there are symptoms of insomnia showing," Gamabunta said.

"Eh? Fuminshou?" Naruto repeated.

"Those who get possessed by the monster raccoon Shukaku are unable to sleep at night because they are afraid. If they fall asleep, the Shukaku will slowly eat the person's personality and the person will no longer be themselves," Gamabunta explained. "The person cannot sleep most of the time, so the medium's personality tends to becomes unstable. While the medium is awake, the Shukaku's true powers are limited. But… if the medium falls asleep…"

"Tanuki Neiri no jutsu!" Gaara cried, his eyes closing as he fell limp.

"He's done it…"

"What's going to happen, boss?" Naruto asked. "Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried in alarm as he heard a scream pierce the forest.

"Once he finishes the Tanuki Neiri no jutsu, the Shukaku will finish coming out…"

"**YATTAAAA! I'm finally out here**!" Shukaku roared in delight.

* * *

Translations...

**Koitsu **-_ he, that guy_

**Naniwoitte iru no ka **-_ What are you talking about_

**Anata baka! Watashiha anata wonokoshite I nai n dayo** -_ You idiot! I'm not going to leave you_

**Watashiha anata no manami shinai yo **-_ I won't leave you_

**Fuminshou** - _insomnia_

**Tanuki Neiri no jutsu** - _Forced sleep technique_

If you're unsure about any other words put it in a review or PM me :)

* * *


	55. Shinno Tsuyosa

**A/N: **Wai! I managed to get it out before the end of Easter break! :D Thank you to those who reviewed, I'll try and sort out the fanart as soon as possible. I can't wait to right about Itachi and Sasuke :)

Disclaimer: Nope, Ookami Tsubasawa owns nothing, not even Naruto's sock.

Claimer: I do on the other hand own all non-Naruto related things in this story.

* * *

**Shinno Tsuyosa**

_**True Strength**_

-x-

_True strength is not how many people you hurt,_

_Or how big your muscles are,_

_It's the ability to keep fighting, when all hope seems lost_

_To protect the people precious to you._

_

* * *

_

"That's… Shukaku?" Naruto asked.

"He's pretty funky…" Gamakichi said.

"I've found someone I want to kill!" Shukaku cried in delight, pointing towards Gamabunta.

"We're going to fly," Gamabunta warned.

"Fuuton! Renkuudan!" his stomach expanded, and Shukaku punched himself in the stomach, causing a ball of compressed air to shoot from his mouth.

"Suiton: Teppoudama!" Gamabunta cried, jumping the air to avoid the attack. He spit out a ball of water as Shukaku spat out another ball of air. They collided with a bang showering the forest in rain.

-x-

"This is like a storm…" Pakkun cried as he and Kita clung to a branch. Sasuke had pulled Kari's trembling body as close as could, trying to shelter her from the rain.

"What kind of battle is taking place?" Sasuke asked, trying to hold Kari's shaking body still. "Kari what's happening to you?" Sasuke cried as her body lurched as though she was about to be sick, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

'_Kari-chan, you'll have to enter the battle, we can't control her you'll have to satisfy some of her rage and bloodlust while you fight, the adrenaline should calm her down'_ – Kitai said grimly.

'_It hurts… Why does it hurt so much…'_

'_Hurry Kari! If you transform everyone here will die!'_

Kari pulled herself to her feet stumbling slightly.

"Kari what the hell do you think your doing?!" Sasuke cried.

"I can't control them… I have to join the fight…" Kari mumbled panting harshly, feeling her eyes burn.

"You can't you'll—"

"I'll be fine, but if I transform… I'll end up like him…" she said looking up at Shukaku. Sasuke fell silent clenching his fists helplessly. She smiled at him weakly. "Don't forget my pocky." She planted a swift kiss on his cheek before jumping up, she bit her thumb quickly performing multiple hand signs.

-x-

"Boss! Not that side!" Naruto cried.

"Urusai! I know! I can sense Kari's chakra!"

"RENKUUDAN!!" Shukaku bellowed, shooting two more balls of air.

"Teppoudama!" Gamabunta cried countering Shukaku's attacks with two water bullets.

"Too bad!" Shukaku sneered as another ball of air shot towards Gamabunta. Unable to defend against it, it was a direct hit. "YEAH!! I killed him! I killed him!" Shukaku cried in delight as Gamabunta fell to the ground hidden in smoke.

"That hurt damnit!" Gamabunta shouted, jumping through the smoke towards Shukaku. "That ball had a lot of Chakra moulded into it. Even I won't last long if I get hit by more of those."

"Then what should we do?!" Naruto cried frantically.

"You can punch that kid awake! Then the technique will be dispelled!" Gamabunta cried.

"How am I supposed to wake him up?!" Naruto screeched.

"Just smack him once!" Gamabunta cried lurching his body up to avoid the ball of air. Teppoudama!"

"Like I'd get hit!" Shukaku cried, jumping back.

"Now!!" Gamabunta cried, grabbing hold of Shukaku's shoulders, but Shukaku easily broke away.

"Boss! You need to hold onto him or I can't hit him dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"A frog like me has no claws or fangs to hold onto him with!" Gamabunta said.

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Naruto screeched.

"I'll transform into something that has those! But then again I'm not good at transforming… You'll have to give me the form and make the seals."

"EHH?!?"

"Naruto!"

"Eh? Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried, staring at her. "Aren't you hurt? I heard you scream!"

"My demons are riled, I have to fight if I don't want to end up like Gaara," Kari replied grimly. "A demon having a tantrum inside you isn't the most comfortable experience…" Naruto stared at her and then nodded in understanding.

"Be careful 'kay – Waa?! Kari-chan are you riding a dragon?!" Naruto cried in shock.

"My wings and legs are pretty much out of action at the moment," she admitted sheepishly. She was sitting on a dragon about the size of a fully grown horse, still young but strong enough to carry her. The dragon made an odd noise, like a gargling roar. Its bat like wings beat at a steady rate, its slender long body beginning to show muscle, especially on the four legs tucked under its stomach. A long tail curled slightly underneath it, the length of its body again.

"Kari-chan, can you transform?" Naruto asked.

"It won't be big enough, my chakra's pretty err… conflicted right now," Kari said finding it difficult to describe. "I could transform into a larger ryuu, but it would be nowhere near big enough to hold him."

"Oi, you and the gaki can give me the form and make the seals and I'll transform!" Gamabunta said impatiently. Kari nodded, the dragon disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto steadied her as she landed. "It'll be a combination transformation!"

"Yes sir!" Naruto cried as he and Kari hastily made a hand sign.

"Think of something with fangs and claws!"

"Umm…" Naruto thought. Kari grimaced struggling to think. A dragon was too complicated to transform into, '_fangs and claws, fangs and claws… crocodile? No they're too slow!'_

"We're going!!" Gamabunta cried hurtling forward. The sudden rush of speed and the realisation that they were getting closer to Shukaku sent Kari's mind blank.

"MATTE! MATTE! CHOTTO MATTE!!" Naruto cried. "Fangs and claws… fangs and claws…!"

"HENGE!" Gamabunta shouted. Naruto looked surprised and Kari immediately linked her mind with his. She smirked, picturing the fanged, clawed beast in her mind.

"HENGE NO JUTSU!" she and Naruto cried simultaneously. She felt her body disappear in the large ball of smoke, and felt herself mould with Naruto and Gamabunta. Her arms and legs grew long and she felt her tail split, her jaw lengthened to form a fang filled muzzle her ears growing and her hair changing into thick fur.

Sasuke stared up in shock, as the nine tailed fox gave a large roar.

"Kitsune?" he whispered and was startled by Kita jumping on his head.

"Ne, ne, Sasuke-kun!" Kita cried. "Okaasan is a kitsune!"

"Kari…" Sasuke whispered, praying for her safety.

They hurtled towards Shukaku, Gamabunta doing most of the work of moving them. He easily dodged Shukaku's attack with his long legs. The blast sent a gust of wind through the forest, and Sasuke quickly grabbed Kita before she was blown away.

"It feels like I'm floating…" Kari mused, feeling extremely sleepy. "Ite-e!" she cried when Shukaku's tail slammed into the Kyuubi's side. They shot forward but Shukaku dodged their claws and spat another attack at them, forcing them to jump out of the way.

"What a battle…" Pakkun said in awe.

"Okaasan…" Kita said worriedly.

"K'so, his powers are increasing," Gamabunta spoke through Kyuubi's mouth.

"Boss! We have to smack him awake fast, Kari-chan's starting to lose grip on the jutsu!" Naruto cried from inside, he could feel Kari weakening.

"Wakatta!" Gamabunta said in annoyance. "Let's go!" he cried, wrapping a tail around a bunch of trees and pulling them effortlessly out of the ground. They charged towards Shukaku but he dodged.

"Die!" Shukaku hollered spitting another attack at them. Gamabunta threw the trees down, to counter, unable to use his jutsu in their current form. They charged through the smoke and finally were close enough to catch him. They sunk in teeth and claws, holding tight to the Shukaku.

"Yosh! Kari, gaki, go now!" Gamabunta cried.

"Yosha!" Naruto cried as he and Kari shot out of the smoke while Gamabunta struggled to hold on to the Shukaku. "Wake up!!" Naruto screamed delivering a hell of a punch to Gaara's jaw. Kari's landing was jolted from the sudden pain in her jaw and she landed on her knees. "Yarou!"

"Shimatta!" Kari hissed, her mouth filling with blood from where she bit her tongue.

"Good, not much time has passed since the medium fell asleep. That punch alone should've done the trick," Gamabunta said.

"CHIKUSHO!" Shukaku wailed. "I finally came out you know!"

"The technique was dispelled," Pakkun said in shock.

"Even if the Tanuki Neiri no jutsu was dispelled he still has some power left in him!" Gamabunta said as he struggled against the weight, he was slowly being pushed back.

Gaara's eyes shot open. _'He dispelled my technique…?'_. Realising Gaara was awake Naruto got up and ran up Shukaku's nose. Kari saw Gaara's angered expression and forcing some of her slowly replenishing chakra into her legs she shot up and rushed towards Naruto, whose feet had sunk into the Shukaku's nose.

"SUBAKYUU!"

"Oyaji!" Gamakichi cried as Kari darted in front of Naruto, sand shooting towards them. Naruto gasped as the sand was stopped by Gamabunta, the large toad wrapping his tongue around them in a protective shield.

"That won't help for long!" Gaara shouted. Kari gasped noticing that she and Naruto were inking in the sand, sand crawling up their bodies. Gamabunta retracted his tongue as the Shukaku pushed him further back.

'_How much power does this guy have left…?'_ the boss toad thought to himself. _'This is bad, Naruto and I have already used up all of our Chakra, and by the look of it, Kari's close to collapsing.'_

"I will kill you!" Gaara declared, glaring down at Naruto. "My existence will not disappear!"

Kari felt the pressure on her body increase. It had slowly been growing tighter, as though a snake was constricting her torso and legs. "S-Sakura…" she said desperately, her legs gave out again, trembling from strain. The more she pushed herself, the worse the damage was going to be. Naruto looked at her and she turned to meet his gaze. Nothing but pure determination…

"I will protect you Kari-chan, and Sakura-chan!" he whispered fiercely. _'I'm running short on time here… Kari-chan can't take any more, I've got to defeat this Bakemono Tanuki quickly!'_

"Naruto…" Kari whispered through her heavy breathing. Her lungs were really feeling the pressure… "I believe in you, I'm with you all the way…" she said trying to encourage him as black threatened to creep in through the corners of her eyes. She stubbornly beat it back, blinking the blurriness away.

All of a sudden, she felt a rush of foreign Chakra. Naruto was surrounded by the orange blaze, like a fire… Kari stared in awe, amazed. She felt a rush and was surprised to see white chakra around her own body. She turned to stare at Naruto, the force of his chakra ripping open the zip of his jacket, his hitai-ate thrown off (Kari managed to catch it).

"I will protect everyone!" Naruto cried, his cerulean eyes without a trace of doubt. Kari smirked and stood, immediately focusing the chakra to her weak legs.

"I'm right behind you Naru-kun, show them what you got…" Kari said moving out of the way.

"Come on baka Tanuki!!" Naruto cried.

"Die!!" Gaara retorted enraged. Naruto jumped forward to punch Gaara again but was caught by the sand a couple inches away from Gaara's face.

"Chikusho!!" Naruto shouted and slammed his forehead into Gaara's, causing Kari's vision to explode with stars.

"Mou… Ite-eeeeeeeeee!" she cried, falling flat on her back her skull cracked in half. She felt blood run down her forehead, sticking her bangs to her face and running either side of her nose. She was aware of a cracking sound and felt the sand begin to soften. "Kuso…" she grumbled, beginning to fall as the Shukaku fell apart.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried grabbing hold of her hand.

"Did they win?" Sasuke whispered, Kita perched by his side with wide eyes.

'_A plain head butt eh? He didn't fight very efficiently, but he squeezed out some Chakra in that worn out state. I've never seen a noisy ninja like him before, but he's one crazy kid you won't come across often! It's unfortunate that I can't watch the end of this, but I've reached my limit as well…'_ Gamabunta thought to himself. "Gamakichi! We're going home!"

"Mm! Oyaji!" and the two toads disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Kari-chan…" Naruto whispered as they fell.

"Gomen… I don't have the strength to fly…" she whispered, looking dazed at him. She smiled, despite the rivers of blood across her face. "I'm proud of you… kitsune-nii…" her hand slipped from his when Gamabunta poofed into smoke, the impact sending Naruto and Gaara into trees and Kari crashing down to the floor.

"I'm already empty dattebayou…" Naruto panted, staring fixedly at Gaara. "You are too, ne? Let's end this battle between two similar people."

As the darkness seemed to win the fight for Kari's consciousness, Kumouri's viscous cry of glee caused her eyes to shoot open and Kari to half sit up before falling back down in agony. Kumouri's words ringing in her ears.

'_The smell of fresh blood!'_

Naruto and Gaara shot towards each other fists pulled back, ready to strike. "_When the Konoha dance, fire burns…_" Kari muttered to herself, repeating the words that were dully running through her mind. Naruto was quicker, and punched Gaara in the face with everything he had left. "_The shadow of fire will flash over the village_…" she stared blankly at the sky, she was so tired… so, so tired… She heard and felt Naruto and Gaara crash to the ground near her, Gaara falling only a foot away. "_And the leaves will grow once again_…"

-x-

"Sasuke-kun…" Kita cried in alarm, as the sand holding Sakura loosened and began to fall away. Completely unconscious she had no way to stop her fall. Sasuke jumped and managed to catch her, setting her down on the brunch next to Pakkun. Kita sniffed her, her nose twitching and then sighed sitting down heavily. Sasuke was panting, feeling sore and exhausted. His stomach clenched, knowing Kari was probably unconscious by now.

"Take care of Kita and Sakura…" Sasuke said quietly, before jumping off.

-x-

'_Why is he so strong? My existence will not disappear…It will not! I won't let it disappear!'_ Gaara thought anxiously. Naruto grimaced, struggling to crawl over towards Gaara and Kari. Unable to move his limbs, he resorted to dragging himself along using his chin.

Kari was gazing upwards with half open eyes, she looked dazed, as though she wasn't aware of where she was. Her mind half processing, echoes of Naruto's thoughts.

"_I told you not to talk to him!'_

"_There he is!"_

"So that's him..."

"_Go away!"_

"Bakemono!"

_Bakemono…_

_Bakemono…_

_Bakemono…_

"Na…" Kari whispered, watching the clouds lazily drift across the sky.

"_I'm only a relic of the past they want to get rid of… So why do I exist and live?"_

_Gaara…_

"_And I realised that was the hardest thing one can feel… The feeling that you are not needed by anyone in this world…"_

_Haku…_

"D-Don't get near me!!" Gaara cried desperately as Naruto continued to drag himself towards them, inch by inch.

"Don't be afraid…" Kari whispered, feeling his frightened aquamarine eyes switch to her.

"The pain of being alone… is completely out of this world isn't it?" Naruto asked, looking up from the ground, dirt smudged across his chin which was starting to bruise. "I don't know why… but I understand your feelings so much it actually hurts… And it hurts Kari-chan too…" he glanced at her, seeing a red tear slide from the corner of her eye. "But… I have people that are important to me now…" he said, Kari's eyes fluttering, itching to close. "I won't let you hurt the people important to me! if you do… I'll stop you, even if I have to kill you!"

"Nande, why can you do this for strangers?!" Gaara cried in shock.

"My loneliness, that hell… they saved me from it and acknowledged my existence. They're important to me, that's why!" Naruto cried.

"_Love is the spirit of devoting yourself to someone important and close to you… It is expressed by caring for and protecting that person"_

'_Love… is that why he's so strong…?'_ Gaara wondered.

"You can stop now Naruto." Naruto looked up in surprise to see Sasuke kneeling beside him. "Sakura's fine now." With those last words, Kari relaxed, and unconsciousness crashed over her like a wave. "He must be out of Chakra too, since the sand that was holding Sakura released her."

"Sou ka… Look after Kari-chan, ne?" Naruto whispered, reaching his sore arm out, the muscles tensing in pain, his fingers brushed Kari's and he fell unconscious in an instant. Sasuke looked surprised and glanced at the kunoichi. He tensed when Temari and Kankurou dropped down in front of Gaara.

"Don't fight them… Let's stop," Gaara said quietly.

"Gaara…" Kankurou said, looking round at him. _'I've never seen Gaara in such a weakened state before…'_ "Okay." He pulled Gaara's arm over his shoulders and stood up. They jumped away, disappearing into the trees.

'_Uzumaki Naruto… Kari… One day, will I be able to…?'_ "Temari, Kankurou…" Gaara said weakly. "Gomen…"

"D-Don't worry about it?" Kankurou said as he and Temari exchanged a look of surprise.

-x-

"Baka, you look a mess," Sasuke sighed going to Kari's side and studying her bloodstained face. "You'll get Kita worried, you're so reckless." His brow furrowed in annoyance. "Are you even listening to me?" His throat suddenly tightened, his eyes becoming wide. He carefully lifted up her shirt and he froze.

The bandages were soaked, huge red stains coating the bandages.

"Kuso… iie, iie, iie! Kari, you have to wake up!" Sasuke cried, having forgotten about her earlier battle. "Kuso…" He picked her up and glanced at Naruto. '_I can't just leave him…'_ With difficulty, he managed to hoist Naruto onto his shoulder, holding Kari like a baby.

"Sakura!" Sasuke hissed, feeling helpless.

"Sasuke-kun!" Kita cried, appearing at his side. "Kita-chan isn't good at transformations or summoning, but she can try and transform so she can carry Sakura-chan!" Kita offered.

"Thanks Kita", Sasuke said quietly, glad for the cubs presence. She had a way of calming his nerves.

-x-

With a fair amount of difficulty they got back to the village in one piece. A larger Kita (she had transformed to the size of a large dog) carried Sakura home, clearly distressed at the wreckage of the village. Pakkun went to inform Kakashi they were back. After throwing Naruto into the ramen smelling apartment, he started heading to his own place.

"What the hell am I going to do with you…?" Sasuke sighed, hoisting Kari up slightly. She had woken up, but was dazed. She hadn't spoken, falling silent after seeing the first dead villager.

They got home to find Kita already back, fast asleep in her usual puppy size. Leaving Sasuke to help clean and dress Kari's wounds. They'd stop bleeding for the most part, and she was practically mummified when he'd finished with her (of course she cleaned the front of her torso, not allowing him to see or touch).

"I should learn healing jutsu…" Sasuke sighed as he finished wrapping Kari's forehead. He had washed her face, and the bruise that spread across most of her jaw seemed to be clearing up already. "You really are a baka…"

"Sasuke…" Kari said, he was surprised by how sad and meek her voice was. "Why was there a war?"

"I don't know…" he sighed, seeing how upset she was over it. "I don't know…"

"Kari-chan, Sasuke."

"Kakashi?" Sasuke said looking up in surprise.

"Kashi!" Kari cried in alarm, rushing over and practically falling on him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, burying her face into his vest. "You're ok… you're ok…" He wrapped his arms around her tiredly.

"I've got something to tell you – no don't get up Sasuke, its better if you sit down," Kakashi said tiredly, sitting down and pulling Kari into his lap. _'It'll hit her hardest…'_

"Nan da?" Sasuke asked.

"The memorial for those who died is tomorrow. Hokage-sama… Hokage-sama was killed in battle…" Kakashi said softly, immediately tightening his grip on Kari as she tensed.

"No…" she whispered, though inside she knew it was true. Kumouri's sick pleasure was proof enough. "Naruto… Naruto!"

"Kari, matte!" Sasuke cried as she broke away and shot out the window. "Couldn't you have broken it to her more gently? You know what she's like," Sasuke said in a half-hearted snap.

"She's sensitive Sasuke, she's not stupid. However I said it would have upset her," Kakashi said, looking exhausted and upset. "But she's more worried for Naruto than anything."

"Have you told him yet?" Sasuke asked, still pale from shock.

"I'll let her tell him, she's the only one he won't push away at the news…"

-x-

Kari landed in Naruto's window lightly, her heart beating painfully in her chest. Her throat was sore, her eyes blurred with tears. At the sight of her, Naruto, though exhausted, broke into a smile.

"Kari-chan we won, we did it," he said joyfully. "I protected you and Sakura-chan! Is she ok, did she see me?"

"N-Naruto…" Kari choked, her desire to put up a brave face shattered by his innocent ignorance.

"Kari-chan? Doushita? Daijoubu ka? Kari-chan?" He said in shock, noticing her tears, he immediately went to rush over but she shook her head, instead walking to him.

"Naruto-kun…" she whispered, taking hold of his hands. Her hands were shaking violently, cold against his warmth.

"Nan da? Did Sasuke-temee upset you? If he did I'll—"

"Naruto," Kari said, her breaking voice causing him to stop, seeing her difficulty.

"Kari-chan?"

"Naruto-kun… H-Hokage-sama…"

"Ojii-san?" Naruto said in confusion.

"He's dead Naru, h-he's gone…" Kari said, and her tears broke free, falling in silence.

"N-nani?" Naruto said, his azure eyes widening. "Who told you that Kari-chan? They must have been lying dattebayou!"

"Kashi wouldn't lie about this…" she whispered. "Gomen… Gomenasai…"

"Ojii-san…" Naruto whispered in shock. She didn't let the first tear fall, she pulled him to her, locking him in an embrace. His shaking added with her own, as his tears slid down her neck his arms locking tightly around her waist as they mourned.

They didn't know how long they stood there. After she knew Naruto's tears had stopped, she pulled away, her hands cupping his cheeks. He hadn't cleaned his wounds and she could feel smears of his blood on her.

"I'll clean you up…" she said softly, going to his bathroom and getting a bowl, a flannel and medical supplies. He was oddly silent, staring off into space, his bright eyes dulled. He half noticed how gentle she was as she washed his face, and when he removed his shirt and she checked the bruising on his back. She carefully wrapped his stomach and placed a band-aid on a nasty gash on his chest. Her hands were cold, her fingers soft like a feather.

"You really were amazing against Gaara…" she said softly, not able to stand the depressed silence. He looked round at her, she was rubbing antiseptic onto the cut on his forehead. It stung, but he'd had worse.

"Really?" he asked, perking up the tiniest bit. She managed a small smile.

"You really made an impact on Gaara, and you saved Sakura-chan," she put a large band-aid over the gash and lightly kissed his forehead. "You were a real hero." She placed another on his cheek and he was done. She grabbed his pyjamas and handed them to him. She then opened one of his draws and pulled out a baggy black t-shirt.

"You're staying the night?" Naruto asked. She didn't miss the hope and slight desperation in his voice and smiled.

"I'm not going to leave you Naru," she said moving to the bathroom to change. "If you try and kick me out I'll sleep outside the door." Naruto smiled, knowing despite the sarcasm she was perfectly serious. She came out and dumped her clothes in a reasonably neat pile.

"Kari-chan…?"

"Mm?"

"When's the funeral?" Naruto asked. He noticed her expression soften with sadness and she sat down on the bed.

"The memorial for those who died is tomorrow," she said gently.

"Sou ka…"

She pushed him down gently, and then pulled the covers over them. The automatically curled up together, almost instinctually. He rested his face against her chest, his arms wrapping around her waist, while her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders and back. Their legs were bent and slightly tangled.

"I'm glad you're here Kari-chan…" Naruto said softly. She smiled and kissed the top of his head.

"I'm grateful I have you too," she said gently.

They barely slept, their hearts too heavy with loss, uncomfortable in their chests. Naruto's tears returned during the night and she patiently wiped them away, her fingers weaving through his golden mane until he would relax. Eventually they slept for a few hours, almost merged together in their closeness.

-x-

Early next morning, regretfully, Kari had to leave Naruto for a while. She didn't have anything suitable for a memorial, and though her ninja clothes were black, she didn't find them appropriate. So she went to visit Sakura, who being the smart girl she was, had already expected that Kari would come by, and had put an outfit in her bag for her.

She got back to find Naruto sitting in his boxers looking lost and gloomy, like all the joy and energy had been sucked out of him.

"Naru-kun…" Kari said softly.

"Kari-chan, tadaima," Naruto said with a weak smile.

"I don't live here," she said smiling, not able to find it in her to laugh.

"My home is your home, what's mine is yours remember," Naruto said simply.

"As good looking as you are Naru, you need to start getting ready," Kari said, pulling the borrowed clothes out the bag, only to drop them.

"Kari-chan?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Naruto… Sakura…"

"Sakura-chan?"

"She packed a _short skirt_."

Despite their misery, Naruto couldn't help but to chuckle at the look of utter disgust on Kari's face, her eyebrow twitching.

"For you, Hokage-sama," Kari grumbled. "And for Naru-kun's humour, I'll suffer with it."

-x-

They waited outside, and Sakura and Sasuke slowly came into view, Kita on Sasuke's other side. They stopped a foot or so away from the blonde's of their team, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What the _hell_ are you wearing baka?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Kari's angry twitch.

"They were a bit small for me so I thought they'd be okay for you…" Sakura said sheepishly.

"I think Kari-chan looks fine," Naruto said with a smile in her direction.

"Don't lie to me Uzumaki Naruto," Kari grumbled. "I should have gone to see Hinata, and got _baggy_ clothes."

Kari's frustration was mostly due to the skirt, which only reached half way down her thigh (for Kari that feels like only wearing underwear). The shirt Sakura had leant her didn't fit her body structure, and due to her being a little more developed than Sakura, it stretched slightly in the wrong place.

"I wasn't lying, you look fine," Naruto said his smile widening.

"You actually look like a girl," Sasuke said, neither complimenting or insulting, simply stating.

"You do look nice Kari-chan," Sakura added. "You've got good legs."

"Okaasan!" Kita cried, pawing at Kari's leg. The kunoichi smiled, noticing the ribbon Kita held. The same white ribbon the Hokage had given her. She tied it around her ears, and then threading her fingers with Naruto's began walking, Sasuke beside her, and Sakura on his other side. Kita trotted beside Naruto, who looked surprisingly different with his hitai-ate around his neck, his forehead still sore.

She took hold of Sasuke's other hand, knowing he was upset, even if he didn't show it. He allowed her to, accepting the gentle comfort, though told himself _he_ was the one comforting _her_.

-x-

They stood on the rooftop of the Hokage mansion, the faces carved into the mountain looking down on them. She was surprised to notice a crack in the Sandaime's face, but pushed the thought aside, deciding it was an earlier sign of foreboding.

There was a memorial with a picture of the Sandaime, and a couple more pictures of important people that were killed. There were many people, less than she thought would be there, but the roof was full. The rookie ten, team Gai, sensei's, Chuunin, Jounin, members of ANBU including Kitome and Kaizo, the proctors from the Chuunin Exams, some academy kids, their was a variety of people there.

She had refused to leave Naruto's side as they were arranged into lines, their hands holding tightly to each other, almost daring someone to try and pull them apart. She felt the first drop of moisture hit her nose and blinked in surprise.

"Ame wa?" Kurenai asked, as a light downpour started. Sasuke inwardly grimaced, knowing he would have to change Kari's bandages later. Kita looked up in surprise at her first experience of rain. She decided she preferred snow better, remembering back in Nami.

"The sky is crying too," Asuma replied, without needing to look at the woman beside him.

"The funeral for the Sandaime, who lost his life in this battle, as well as the others who gave their lives will begin now," one of the elders began, only a woman at his side. Kari breathed heavily, feeling the steady Chakra of more people gathering around the mansion. But one distinct presence was missing.

"Naruto…" Kari said softly. He glanced at her, and what she was about to say next tore at her heart. "It seems our sensei's lost on the road of life, I'm going to point him in the right direction." He nodded, his hand loosening around hers. She pecked him on the cheek, a silent promise that she would return, and she disappeared into the wind, glad her transportation jutsu was discreet.

-x-

"Is that for Hayate?" Kakashi asked, noticing a presence behind him. He'd been staring at the memorial stone for a long time now, the rain washing away the tears shed onto the smooth stone. The violet-haired woman, a member of ANBU approached the stone and lay a bouquet of white flowers in memory of her lost love. "The Sandaime's funeral has already begun, hurry up."

"Kakashi-senpai, did you come here for Obito-san?" she asked. "You should come here earlier instead of thinking up excuses for being late.

"I do, early in the morning. But when I come here, I feel like punishing my old foolish self…" Kakashi said, his voice guarded and emotionless. He looked up, noticing the flash of familiar Chakra. "Kari?"

"Gomenasai Kashi," she said, straightening up.

"Shouldn't you be at the funeral? I'm surprised you tore yourself away from Naruto," Kakashi said gently. He was taken aback when she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tightly in a way only she would.

"I don't like seeing the people I care about in pain Kashi. You're important to me," she said softly. He understood, and lightly embraced her back, knowing she was still hurt. She looked up at him and he placed his hand on her head, her ears immediately twitching, despite being lowered in depression.

"You're getting wet," he said, his voice gentle, seeing the pain in her eyes. He took in the bandages across her forehead and cheeks, reminding him she was fragile. "Don't get sick."

"They've started, and Naru-kun will miss me if I'm gone too long," she said. He nodded, and looked round at the woman, who seemed surprised at his open show of affection towards his student. Kari blushed awkwardly and apologised, walking over to the memorial stone to give them a moment.

Hotaru Kohaku… Uchiha Obito…

"You seem close," the woman remarked as Kakashi watched Kari trace the names she recognised, one being his old team-mate.

"She's a good kid," Kakashi said not taking his eyes off her.

"Kaizo's and Kitome's?"

"So you've heard," Kakashi sighed.

"Kaizo-senpai told a few ANBU."

"Sou ka."

"She seems really attached, I've never seen you that close to someone," she said carefully.

"She's got a big heart, as her sensei I have to guide her," Kakashi said.

"Just don't love her in the wrong way." To her surprise, Kakashi chuckled.

"She has enough admirers, as oblivious as she is. Kari! We're going!" In a flash she was at his side. She bowed at the ANBU politely.

"Douzo yoroshiku ANBU-senpai," she said with a friendly smile. It was returned and the woman could see where Kakashi was coming from. The girl showed warmth, a desire to please others, and a non-judgemental innocent curiosity.

A curious young kunoichi indeed.

-x-

'_Nande dattebayou? Why did Hokage-Ojiisan have to die?'_ Hearing the sound of sobbing, he looked down to see Konohamaru trying desperately to stop his tears. Being the affectionate person she was, Kari wasted no time kneeling beside him, wrapping her arm around him. He buried his face in her shoulder and she rested her head against his, giving him the comfort he so desperately needed. She'd only been a few minutes, appearing at his side silently as he watched person after person lay a flower on the memorial.

Soon enough it was nearing their turn, and they got into line, each holding their own white flower. He wasn't sure what type of flower it was. Kari left Konohamaru to Iruka, and followed Naruto to pay her respects. They were linked once again by their hands, giving each other strength. Kita trailed behind Kari, a little awkward at being the only animal there. She supposed Akamaru was around somewhere, but she hadn't seen him. She was overwhelmed with the depression, catching snippets of memories from her closer friends, and listening to Naruto's monologue.

'_A ninja must not show his emotions in any situation. A ninja must prioritise his mission first and not show any tears.'_

Naruto laid the flower down and seemed lost. He glanced to Kari, who laid her flower next to his. She then lifted Kita, who dropped hers and looked at the picture of the Sandaime with sorrow. She'd never see him again… As they got back in line, the rain finally stopped. Konohamaru took hold of Kari's other hand and she managed to smile for him as he stood close to her leg.

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto began. "Why do people risk their lives for others?"

"When one person dies… he disappears… along with his past, current lifestyle and his future. Many people die in missions and wars. They die easily, and in surprisingly simple ways. Hayate was one of them. Those who die have goals and dreams. But everyone has something important as those… Parents, siblings, friends, lovers… People who are important to you." Kari felt Naruto squeeze her hand slightly when Iruka said that. "The bond to people important to you, ever since birth and the string that binds them becomes thicker and stronger as time goes by. It's beyond reason. Those bound to you by that string will do that. Because it's important…"

"Mm, I think I understand somewhat dattebayou," Naruto agreed. "Demo… It's painful when someone dies." Kari leaned into him slightly, not wanting to make a scene and embrace him, especially when Konohamaru's pain was still raw and he was clutching her hand for support.

"The Sandaime didn't die for nothing," Kakashi said from behind them. "He left something important in all of us. You'll find out what eventually."

"Mm, I think I understand that too somewhat dattebayou," Naruto said with a slight smile.

"The rain stopped," Sakura told Sasuke with a smile. Kari looked up to see the clouds parting, a beam of sunlight breaking through and lighting the top of the mansion as the last person paid their respects.

"Ja ne, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cried, smiling and waving. Kari smiled and kissed Konohamaru's forehead.

"You were really brave Konohamaru-kun," she said softly. "Ja ne Iruka-sensei."

"Aa," Iruka said with a smile, watching as Naruto pulled her towards the rest of their team. _'It seems like the small leaves in Konohagakure no sato, have inherited that will of fire you spoke of Sandaime.'_ His smile widened when Naruto lifted Kari up in a hug and she squeaked and scolded him because she was wearing a skirt. '_The fire on the leaves will eventually burn greater and stronger. It will flash its light and protect this village, after becoming the new Hokage someday.'_

Kari giggled and then sneezed as Naruto finally put her down.

"Kari…" Kakashi said sternly. She smiled sheepishly, her cheeks tinged pink.

"I'm perfectly healthy Kaka-nii!" she said. When Kakashi continued to give her that stern look she simply hugged him. "I'll be fine!" and she sneezed at the end to prove her point. Kakashi sighed and placed a hand on her head, admitting defeat.

Kari suddenly froze, ears pricked, eyes wide. The colour that had started to darken her cheeks drained out, leaving her pale.

"You can't be alright if you look like you're about to be sick," Kakashi reasoned. She didn't answer but instead turned, her eyes searching for something. "Kari…?"

"It's nothing," Kari said softly, reassuring him. "Maybe I do feel a little off. But you can get me some ice-cream to fix that, ne?"

"Aa," he relented, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side. "As long as you don't throw it up. The others are already leaving us, how rude." She smiled at his slight mock offence and instead glanced at the sky.

-x-

Two men looked over Konoha, standing on the village wall. They had no fear of getting caught, the guards and defences weakened by the attack. Both wore black cloaks and straw hats, and one had a large wrapped object on his back. He was a fair amount taller than his partner.

"They were able to avoid complete destruction, but the damage was great. The village that prospered like no other, has become pitiful."

"That's out of character, so even someone like you has attachment to his old village."

"Iie, I don't." his Sharingan eyes gleamed.

"And this student of yours?"

"She knows we're here."

"The Torai-Kenshi though, are you sure its not just a myth?"

"You'll see soon enough."


	56. Sharingan

**A/N:** Thank you for your kind reviews, I really am touched (and late with the fanart too... -smiles sheepishly-) Exams are gaining on me like wild starving tigers, so updates will probably grind to a halt soon. But i'll try my best :) By the way, do you prefer lines as breaks?

Claimer: Isn't it obvious who's mine?

Disclaimer: Naru-kun and all associated, sadly belong to Masashi Kishimoto-san

* * *

**Sharingan**

_She flew on the instinct to attack, ignoring his cry for her safety,_

_They had harmed something precious to her,_

_Now she was going to harm them._

_---x---_

"_Otousan and Okaasan didn't have to die… the entire clan was killed because I didn't have enough power… Everyone was killed…_" The young Sasuke sobbing was destroyed when a kunai cut straight through the illusion, Sasuke breaking out of his thoughts.

"Kuso," Sasuke cursed from his seat on the steps. The same ones he, Naruto and Sakura had had to introduce themselves to Kakashi. His thoughts were halted when he realised something was in front of his face. "Arigatou," he sighed taking his kunai back from Kari. She'd been on edge since the funeral two days ago; he supposed it was just something death did to her. "You could see it, couldn't you?"

"Yeah," she admitted with a sigh. "I'm still not used to it, and it's bad enough to see kawaii Sasuke-chan in so much pain…"

"Don't call me that."

"You're not cute, you used to be, but now you're a jerk," Kari said pulling out her own kunai and swinging it around her finger.

"Weren't you going to annoy the Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked. "Or invade Naruto's training?"

"I'm glad you enjoy my company Sasu."

"Don't call me that _chiisai_ Kari."

To his surprise, she didn't retort and simply lay back, staring at the sky with a blank expression. She was thinking too much, or perhaps it was the cold she'd caught, she was still looking a little flushed. He was surprised she was resting like she should, instead of rushing around the village to try and help rebuild it like he knew she wanted to.

"Is something bothering you?" Sasuke asked, before he could stop himself.

"It's probably nothing," Kari replied, smiling when her sensitive ears picked up the playful chatter between Naruto and Konohamaru. He lay beside her, his arms folded beneath his head. "We're so lazy, we could be helping to fix something."

"Kakashi said to rest," Sasuke said simply. Kari watched as a bird flew over them and then began to circle. "Speaking of Kakashi, what does he want?"

"Who knows, best not keep Kashi waiting," Kari said as Sasuke stood up. She raised an arm gesturing for him to help her up. He ignored her and started walking.

"Temee," Kari grumbled, flipping herself up, her stab wounds stinging as she bent. "Oi! Matte Sasu!"

_---x---_

"Have you located them?"

"Aa."

"Then this will be easy."

"Let's go."

_---x---_

"Are? This is weird dattebayou!" Naruto whined, searching desperately through his pockets.

"Sorry, but if you don't have a pass, you don't get any ramen," Teuchi said simply. Kita sighed as Naruto's searching became more frantic.

"D-d-d-d-d-d--Chotto matte de! I know I had another one dattebayou! Oh man… was the one I gave Konohamaru the last one? My ramennnn!!"

_---x---_

"Homura-ojiisan and Koharu-sensei eh?" Jiraiya said, as the elderly couple approached him. "What do the advisors want from me?"

"What do we want?" Homura repeated. "You should already know without us telling you."

"You don't have to look so serious," Jiraiya said simply, folding his arms and smiling at the two stern faces. "The talks with Suna went well right?"

"Suna no sato has publicly stated that Orochimaru set them up. Also… They have surrendered to Konoha, so that topic is no longer relevant."

"Konoha had no choice other than to accept their surrender in order for us to revive our power" Koharu added.

"But Konoha no sato's power has declined enormously. In this situation we must prioritise preparations for worse situations."

"We do not know when a neighbouring country may do something radical. So until the village's power is restored, we have decided to gather the top ninja from each squad and assemble an emergency executive committee to deal with this problem. But first… We need a trustworthy and strong leader," Koharu stated. "There are many problems right now; it's not just about Orochimaru."

"You didn't have to waste your time reporting such things to me," Jiraiya said simply, though knew what they were trying to get at. He pulled out his telescope again and turned back around. "Well, I'm going to resume my research now…"

"Let me tell you about the one basic thing we have all agreed on," Homura interrupted. "We need a Godaime as soon as possible."

"And just yesterday at the emergency meeting with the Country of Fire's feudal lord… Jiraiya, **you** were chosen."

"Unfortunately, I'm not very well suited to that," Jiraiya said, without turning around.

"It has already been decided. Also, if you, the ninja praised as one of the Sannin are not suited for this, then who is?" Homura asked. An idea striking him, Jiraiya turned around and raised his hand.

"There's one other Sannin." Seeing he got their attention he smirked. "Tsunade."

"It's true that she may be capable of it… But we have no idea where she is."

"I'll find her, you have no problem with that right?"

"But…"

"The witty Tsunade is better suited for it than a lazy person like me," Jiraiya stated. "So, what is your decision?"

"Okay. We will take it into consideration. However, I will make three ANBU members accompany you on your search for Tsunade."

"Don't worry, I won't run away. People to watch over me will only be a bother," Jiraiya said with a smirk. "However, there's one guy I want to take with me on this journey, and perhaps his partner too… I found an interesting egg."

_---x---_

"Yo, you two," Kakashi said, looking up from his book to see Kurenai and Asuma walking by. "My, you two get along well."

"Baka, I'm only here because Anko asked me to get some dumplings for her," Kurenai said blushing.

"What are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be getting pocky to keep Kari happy?" Asuma asked.

"Well, I came to make an offering and I'm meeting someone here," Kakashi said simply. He glanced at the black cloak with a red cloud pattern that someone inside the shop was wearing. "Sasuke and Kari that is."

"Oh? It's unusual for you to wait for someone," Asuma said surprised. "Is the offering for Obito?"

"Obito?" Kurenai repeated.

"Ma, something like that," Kakashi agreed.

"Kakashi, it's unusual for you to be here first," Sasuke said surprised.

"I do it from time to time," Kakashi shrugged.

"I don't like natto and sweets," Sasuke said with a scowl.

"Sweets?" Kari asked her ears twitching. Kakashi pulled out a pocky stick from the pack he had just bought and tossed it to her. "Sasu how can you _not_ like sweets?"

"Easily."

"Kurenai? Asuma?" Kari said surprised, ignoring Sasuke's reply. She was trying to keep herself distracted. _'This place reeks of him…'_

"Kari-chan," Kurenai greeted. Kari grinned and looked pointedly at the two of them. "You're as bad as your sensei…" Kakashi glanced inside the shop and gave them a pointed look. They both nodded. "Ja, Kari."

_---x---_

"Nan de?!" Naruto whined having taken his jacket, shirt, and pants off, he was shaking them out, trying to find his pass while Teuchi waited, unimpressed. Kita had a glass of water with a straw and was trying to learn how to use it. "Something's wrong here dattebayou!!"

"Geez, you're such a troublemaker," Teuchi sighed, holding the pass while Naruto slurped his ramen. After another twenty minutes of frantic searching Naruto had finally found it.

"Well, I forgot I put the pass behind my hitai-ate so I wouldn't drop it during my morning training dattebayou!" Naruto cried while Kita munched on her own ramen, both Teuchi and his daughter having grown fond of her. She had better table manners than Naruto half the time.

"I guess its ok, eat well and work hard," Teuchi said as he worked on the next batch of ramen. "You're going to train again after this right?"

"Of course! I'm going to train hard, and I'll see if Kari-chan's better so she can train with me and Kita-chan!"

"Yosha! Here!" Teuchi said happily, pouring more noodles into Naruto's bowl and a smaller helping into Kita's. "Seconds. Free. Work hard!"

"Arigatou Ojiichan!" Kita and Naruto cried simultaneously, a happy smile lighting their faces, Kita's tail wagging happily.

"Irrashaimase!" Teuchi greeted when the flap was lifted.

"I came here as I was told," Jiraiya said, poking his head in grinning. "Looks like you _do_ eat ramen all the time."

"Ero-sennin!" Naruto shout was muffled by the mouthful of noodles.

"Jiraiya-ojiichan!" Kita cried.

_---x---_

"You're not from this village are you?" Asuma asked the two cloaked individuals that were taking a walk down by the river. "Why did you come here?"

"It's been a while, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san."

"If you know us, you must be a former shinobi of this village," Asuma said coldly. The shorter one raised his hand to the brim of his hat and lifted it slightly so they could see his eyes, the bell on the hat giving an eerie little jingle.

"Y-you're…" shock smacked both Konoha Jounin in the face. As they knew his identity, the shorter man removed his hat and unbuttoned the top part of his cloak to reveal his face.

"No doubt about it, it's… Uchiha Itachi," Asuma stated.

"You know these people Itachi-san? Then I should introduce myself too," the larger man said, removing his own hat. "Hoshigaki Kisame, nice to meet your acquaintance." He was a frightening looking man, about seven foot tall, with pale blue skin. His face immediately reminded you of a shark with the mean, beady little eyes, three strikes on each cheek like gills, and the sharp jagged teeth.

"You're not making any acquaintances here… I'm going to eliminate you two, right here, right now," Asuma said.

"Itachi-san, it seems as if you're hated in this village," Kisame mused.

"I also know you, Hoshigaki Kisame former Mist-nin. You're a former degenerate wanted by many countries including the Mizu Country, for assassinating a feudal lord and sabotage, as well as various other crimes," Kurenai said.

"You're S-rank felons in the bingo book," Asuma stated. "Itachi, you came back to this village after what you pulled…You've got a lot of guts coming here."

"Asuma-san, Kurenai-san, please don't get involved with my work," Itachi said, his face an emotionless mask. "I have no intention of killing you."

"That's not something a guy who killed his own clan members can say. I know you wouldn't come here without a reason… What is your purpose?" Asuma demanded. Kisame pulled his sword off his back, the heavy tip slamming down in front of him.

"This guy's annoying, should I kill him?" Kisame asked, his annoyance with an undertone of hope.

"It looks like we cannot leave this village without a fight… but don't overdo it, your moves stand out too much."

"Then it's settled," Kisame said, lifting his sword up and resting it on his shoulder. Itachi let go of his hat, letting it drop to the ground. At the sound of the bell, Kisame swung his sword at Asuma who managed to dodge twice, and then blocked with his knuckle knives. Kurenai jumped back and quickly completed a flurry of hand signs.

'_This is… Genjutsu…_' Itachi realised as Kurenai's body seemed to swirl with the density of smoke and disappear into the wind. Leaving Asuma to struggle against Kisame.

'_I can't believe I'm being overpowered by just the tip of the sword… this guy is strong.'_

"My big blade Samehada…" Kisame grinned as it pressed onto Asuma's arm. He quickly pulled back, the bandages coming off half the blade, as the sword sliced through Asuma's arm, tearing the skin. "Does not slice… It shaves!" the unravelled bandages revealing sharp blue scales.

"Kurenai, you're late…" Asuma said smirking as sand began crawling up Kisame's legs and tree roots began to curl around Itachi. It bound him to the tree that had grown behind him. Kurenai's torso rose out of the trunk, holding a kunai tightly in her hand. Itachi watched her, appearing almost bored.

"This is it!" Kurenai cried, preparing to strike. Itachi smirked slightly and Kurenai gasped to find herself bound in vines where Itachi had been moments before. The ex-Konoha-nin stood in front of her, emotionless.

"A Genjutsu of this level won't work on me," he stated.

'_This is… a Genjutsu counter'_ Kurenai thought. Itachi pulled out a kunai and Kurenai closed her eyes and bit her lip, a drop of blood running down her chin. She managed to break it and duck in time for his kunai to cut the tip of her hair. She brought her arms up in a cross guard as Itachi kicked her, sending her flying over the railings and skidding across the surface of the river.

"Kurenai!" Asuma cried.

"You don't have time to look away from me!" Kisame said, diverting Asuma's attention back to him.

"That was pretty nice, Kurenai-san." Kurenai froze and looked around to see Itachi behind her. "Demo…"

"Demo this is it… for you," Itachi looked to the side at the new voice.

Kisame charged, swinging his sword quickly for such a large blade. After receiving one injury from it already, Asuma dodged every swipe, finally seeing an opening and striking with his knuckle knife. Kisame quickly tilted his head.

"Nani!?" Kisame cried, feeling his skin on his cheek rip. He stared at Asuma's knives to see the blades were extended with chakra. Kisame quickly performed hand signs. "Suiton…!" the water swirled next to him. "Suikoudan no jutsu!" Kisame cried, but another voice spoke at the same time, performing the same jutsu, causing the jutsu to collide, spraying water on them. "The same technique as mine?" Kisame cried in shock.

"Why did you come here?" Asuma asked.

"I asked you two to deal with them back there, but you know I get worried, a habit I've picked up," Kakashi said simply, his Sharingan revealed as he stood behind Itachi, a clone in front of Asuma.

'_Kari…'_ Kurenai thought, inwardly smirking. "Kage Bunshin?" she asked, noticing the other clone.

Kakashi was holding a kunai close to Itachi's neck. "What is a renegade ninja like you want in this village?"

"Hatake Kakashi." Itachi turned, Sharingan meeting Sharingan.

_---x---_

Kari kept close behind Sasuke as they walked through the dark tunnel. He held a candle in a dish, leading the way. After his thoughts earlier, he decided to return to the Uchiha compound after Kakashi left, allowing Kari to come with him. Their walk was silent as they descended down the stone stairs, only the echo of Sasuke's footsteps breaking the silence.

_---x---_

"Haa?! Nande? Nande? Why do I have to go on a research trip with you Ero-sennin, dattebayou?" Naruto whined.

"Iie, this isn't just a normal research trip. There's a woman I want to ask some questions, so I have to find her," Jiraiya said to an unimpressed Naruto. Kita lay on Naruto's shoulder feeling full and sleepy.

"I have no time to waste on your perverted stuff," Naruto complained. "I have to train!"

"Train?" Jiraiya repeated.

"I'm going to have Kakashi-sensei to teach me a lot. Like the Chidori," Naruto said simply. _'Mou… Kakashi-sensei's been playing favourites lately with Sasuke dattebayou!'_

"Well, um… I believe you can't master that move," Jiraiya said simply. "More importantly, the girl I'm talking about is really hot. You want to see her right?"

"Not at all. I'm not a kid who can easily be convinced by an Ero-sennin like you. Anyway… NO!" Naruto shouted.

"Then I have no other choice… What a shame… I know a technique that's more powerful than Chidori," Jiraiya began walking off slowly. "I guess I'll take _Sasuke_ with me—" In a flash Naruto was in front of him.

"I've changed my mind, I'll go!" Naruto cried. "But… on one condition."

"Oh?"

"Kari-chan… I want Kari-chan to come too. I don't want to be away from her for a long period of time again dattebayou. And Kita-chan's coming too," Naruto said, looking surprisingly serious.

"Aa, no problem," Jiraiya said with a shrug.

"Yosha! I'll go pack my stuff!!" Naruto cried, charging home full speed, Kita hanging on for dear life. "Stay there Ero-sennin!!"

"Ha! He's such a kawaii gaki!" Jiraiya said, smiling awkwardly. He then smirked slyly. "He didn't want to leave Kari-chan ehhhh? He was complaining all through training about her being with Sasuke, I wonder..."

_---x---_

'_His eyes are the same as before. But then again, he's a true heir of Sharingan… I have to assume the worst case scenario.'_ Kakashi thought, watching Itachi carefully.

"This is a surprise, no wonder you could do that with my technique. I wouldn't have believed someone had the same eyes as Itachi-san if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Your name was… Copy Ninja Kakashi," Kisame said.

"I'm the one who's surprised. I saw some weird guys at the tea house and wondered who they could be… And they turned out to be Uchiha Itachi and the Bakemono no Kiri no sato, Hoshigaki Kisame," Kakashi said.

"My, my, you know my name too, I'm honoured."

"Sou ka, you're one of the Shinobi-gatana no Kiri, and that large blade of yours must be Samehada." Kakashi said glancing at the large sword. _'Despite Kari's skills in Kenjutsu, she wouldn't stand a chance against this guy.'_ Kisame chuckled.

"I heard that that kid Zabuza fought you."

"Aa." Kakashi reached behind his back, into his pouch. He pulled out a kunai and Kisame raised his sword.

"I'll enjoy shaving you to death."

"Stop Kisame," Itachi said, glancing at his partner. "If you fight him head on, you will suffer unnecessary injuries. Also, if we take too much time, more ninja's will arrive."

"But…"

"Do not forget our purpose. You did not come here to get hurt."

"Then tell us that purpose of yours," Kakashi's clone said, before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Itachi turned back to Kakashi.

"We came to find something we're looking for," Itachi replied.

"Something you're looking for?" Kakashi repeated.

_---x---_

He had lit two fires, illuminating the small room. None of the spirits had followed them down here, not even Mikoto who stopped at the door. The wall was painted, but she couldn't make out what it was. There was a slab with writing was in front of them, which Sasuke was reading, the atmosphere becoming tenser with each passing moment, the air becoming thick. She didn't read it, knowing that it was obviously Uchiha business, and she wasn't an Uchiha.

Sasuke's Sharingan activated, his fists clenching tighter and tighter. Hating seeing him like that, Kari loosened his fist and gripped his hand, allowing him to squeeze it, her other arm wrapped around his, embracing it, knowing that she couldn't embrace all of him. Her head rested on his shoulder, feeling sick with worry.

She knew where Asuma and Kurenai had gone, and she knew Kakashi had gone to help them. She also knew that they wouldn't be able to take on Itachi and his partner.

"You're freezing," Sasuke mumbled.

"It's cold down here," she replied softly, watching the fire flicker and bend.

"We should go," Sasuke sighed, his Sharingan deactivating.

"You don't have to," Kari said, looking up at him.

"No, I've had enough," Sasuke replied. She loosened her hold on him but he continued to grip her hand. He relit the candle and put out the larger fires, turning and beginning the walk up to the exit, his grip never loosening.

_---x---_

"And what exactly are you looking for?" Kakashi demanded.

"I won't take as long as Kisame if I do this," Itachi said. Kakashi's eyes narrowed and there was a shuriken between each of Itachi's fingers. Kakashi jumped back, quickly performing hand signs.

"Ninpou Suiton Suijinheki!" Kakashi cried, water shooting up as a shield just in time to block the water attack aimed at him. _'He used that technique fast. I couldn't follow the seal formations with my eyes. He used those Shuriken in his right hand as a decoy, and tried to hit my legs with a Suiton jutsu.'_

"Very nice, Kakashi-san… Your eye of insight is impressive." Itachi said, a clone stabbing a kunai into Kakashi's back.

"A Kage Bunshin? He uses his techniques too fast!" Kurenai said. Kakashi fell into the river as water.

'_A Mizu Bunshin!_' Kisame thought in surprise. _'A mere copy ninja can use this many techniques from our village? Impressive._' Kisame smirked.

"Nice, Kakashi!" Kurenai cried as she saw Kakashi swim underneath her with a kunai, she took the weapon.

"Get down Kurenai!" Kakashi cried, jumping out the water and grabbing her. "This one's the Kage Bunshin!" The clone exploded, throwing water everywhere.

"Kakashi! Kurenai!" Asuma cried, jumping into the water.

"Kakashi!" Kurenai cried in alarm, seeing that he was breathing heavily. The water from Itachi's attack fell like rain on them. She gasped, seeing Itachi appear through the rain. Finally, the water had returned to the river.

"Don't let your guard down," Kakashi said, looking round at Itachi. "He's the man who became an ANBU squad leader at the age of thirteen."

"I didn't expect him to be this strong," Asuma said, as he and Kurenai got into stance.

"Iie, he hasn't shown his true strength yet," Kakashi said warily.

"I'm impressed that you can use the Sharingan so well, even though you are not part of the Uchiha clan. But your body is not an Uchiha's body, which the Sharingan needs to work best," Itachi said.

'_He's right… I tire easily.'_

"I will show you why the clan of the Uchiha was feared and reputed to be unmatched," Itachi closed his eyes. "The Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai's true power." Itachi's eyes slowly opened.

"Could it be…?! This is bad! You two, don't look into his eyes!" Kakashi cried, closing his normal eye as Asuma and Kurenai quickly closed both of theirs. "Don't open your eyes. If you open your eyes now, you're dead. Only a person with Sharingan can deal with his technique right now."

"It's true that if you have Sharingan you can resist this Mangekyou Sharingan a little. Shikashi, you cannot counter this special Sharingan eye technique… The Genjutsu, Tsukuyomi. Only a person who has the same Kekkei Genkai as me, a Sharingan user, can defeat me," Itachi explained.

"Sasuke?—!!" Kakashi gaped as the sky turned red and black, the current sky melting away to be replaced with black clouds. Everything was in negative black and white, Kakashi was tied to a cross, Itachi standing in front of him with a kunai in hand.

"_How long can you, someone who does not possess the Kekkei Genkai, deal with this_?" Itachi asked, before plunging his katana into Kakashi's stomach, the white blood running down his vest. He cried out in pain before blacking out.

When his eyes reopened, his wound was gone.

"_Genjutsu_?"

"_In the world of Tsukuyomi_," there were more Itachi's now, the one nearest stabbed him in the gut. "_I control space and time_," another stabbed him. "_And even the mass of objects_." Two more stabbed him. "_Starting now, I will stab you with a sword for seventy two hours_." He was stabbed repeatedly until he blacked out, only to awake and find copies of him, two Itachi's to each copy.

"_They're_…"

"_In the world of Tsukuyomi_…" Stab. "_I control space and time_…" Stab. "_Even the mass of objects_…" He spoke calmly, ignoring Kakashi's screams.

'_Calm down, this is a Genjutsu…'_

"_You should not underestimate this just because it's an illusion. This pain is not fake. This pain does not differ from one created via an illusion though._" Stabbed again, again, again… _"How long will your mind be able to withstand this?"_

"_Shikkari shite Kashi_…"

'_I don't like seeing the people I care about in pain Kashi. You're important to me.'_

'_It's strange. Every blow that hit you caused her pain.'_

'_Kari no… Please say she can't feel this… Please say she can't hear this…'_

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, there were countless replicas of him, but they melted away so he was surrounded by copies of Itachi.

"_Shikkari shite Kashi_…"

Every time he was about to pass out, he would hear her, distracting him slightly from his pain, reminding him that this was a Genjutsu and would eventually end.

"_71 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds left."_

"_Only… Only a second from all that?"_ Katana's came from every angle, piercing him over and over, his screams echoing in the dark emptiness. In the pauses, she would speak to him and occasionally he would see her wandering through the strange world, dazed, unable to reach him. Near the end, he felt her cold hands touch his face.

"_Shikkari shite Kashi_…"

Stab.

"_Shikkari shite Kashi_…"

Stab.

"_Shikkari shite Kashi_…"

Stab.

"_Shinpai na, watashiha kokoyo."_

Stab. Stab. Stab.

"_Watashiha anata no mamare masen."_

Was she a part of the illusion too? Itachi was either ignoring her, or couldn't see her. Was her attachment to him keeping her lost in this world? Was she trapped here, until it ended?

"_Yamete…_"

Stab. Stab. Stab.

"_Onegai…_"

Stab. Stab. Stab.

"_Okiru_…"

Stab.

"_Okiru onegai_…"

Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab.

"_Mou ii…_"

She was crying now, crying as the blades embedded themselves into him for the millionth time.

_---x---_

All he could remember was a blur of pain in that world as the colours came back, slightly blinding him. He panted, weak and exhausted and fell forward but was caught.

"Doushita Kakashi? Do you still want us to keep our eyes closed?" Kurenai cried.

"Not yet, don't open them yet…"

"What happened? You suddenly fell down when he stopped talking! Did someone else arrive?" Asuma asked, sensing the additional Chakra.

"Kari…" Kakashi murmured, realising she was the one supporting him. _'Three days in that world and less than a second passed here… But… why did he not kill me? He could've if he tried.'_

"Oh? Is this the girl?" Kisame asked, appearing beside Itachi. "You didn't experience a mental collapse after going through that?" Kisame sneered. "But Itachi-san, it's dangerous to use those eyes too much."

"Is Sasuke what you're looking for?" Kakashi managed to cough out.

"Iie. We're after the Fourth's legacy, and the Tenshi's sacrifice." Itachi replied.

"Nan de…?" Kurenai said confused.

"Naruto and Kari…" Kakashi murmured, tightening his hold on the trembling kunoichi, a low growl emitting from her throat.

_---x---_

"_How long has it been since you last visited the village?" Kakashi asked, having met with Jiraiya, who was looking over a quiet part of the town._

"_Kakashi," Jiraiya said, cutting to the chase. "I'm going to take care of Naruto, and Kari when possible. She's not the type to leave those she's grown attached to." Jiraiya smirked as Kakashi looked surprised. "I believe the Sandaime was wise to put them in your care, but you may not be able to deal with some things at the level your at."_

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked.

"_After Orochimaru left this village, I monitored him. It was clear he was going to come back to this village one day. Anyway, I kept an eye on him."_

_"But?"_

_"He joined a certain organisation."_

_"Organisation?" Kakashi repeated. "Any details about that organisation?"_

"_I do not know the details, but it's called Akatsuki and consists of nine shinobi. They have not done anything big until recently, they have just been gathering information. But the problem is the members. Most of them are sly S-rank criminals in the bingo book. And Itachi is one of the members. It's hard to believe the nine of them are doing volunteer work. You should know where I'm going with this now." He took Kakashi's silence as agreement and continued. "Orochimaru left the organisation recently, and right about that time, the organisation split into teams of two and began travelling all over the place, collecting techniques and other things."_

"_Do you have any evidence that one of the things they're looking for is the Kyuubi?" Kakashi asked._

"_It's a possibility," Jiraiya replied. "That thing is one of the Bijuu that possess the ultimate chakra."_

"_And Kari?"_

"_I doubt they know of Kari yet, the Torai-Kenshi is still widely believed to be a myth." Jiraiya said, knowing what Kakashi meant. "And messing with the Torai-Kenshi could upset the balance of the world. They were sealed inside a human so that they're conflicts wouldn't cause destruction. If they were to be set free or tried to be controlled…"_

"It would be a disaster."

"_Exactly. Kakashi, they will have to begin watching their backs sooner or later. That's the fate they carry." Jiraiya straightened up a bit. "You take care of Sasuke for now, teach him how to use his Sharingan as well. Train Kari so she has wider use of the elements, so she can reach her full potential. I will raise Naruto for a while, and keep a close eye on Kari."_

"_You just want a young girl's affection," Kakashi said, smiling behind his mask._

"_You make me sound like a hentai."_

"_Naruto certainly thinks so."_

"_Gaki."_

_---x---_

"Are you after the Kyuubi inside Naruto?" Kakashi demanded. "And the Torai-Kenshi?" Kurenai gasped from behind him. "I know that you two aren't the only one's moving around. The name of your organisation was Akatsuki wasn't it?"

"Akatsuki?" Asuma repeated.

"Kisame, we're going to take Kakashi," Itachi stated, causing Kari to hiss violently, baring sharp canines.

"Over my dead body!"

"Kari…" Kakashi said weakly, feeling her chakra prickle at his skin, her rage rolling off her in waves.

"Make the other two disappear, we may as well take Kari first," Itachi instructed, holding her gaze, unperturbed by the glowing ruby irises. Kisame charged, swinging his Samehada behind him, preparing to strike.

"Konoha Senpuu!!" Gai's kick sent Kisame flying back to Itachi's side. It seemed to happen in slow motion in Kakashi's exhausted state. Gai had appeared, sending Kisame back with a powerful kick, and then the feel of Kari by his side vanished, the warmth and support shot forwards, taking a second to dawn on him what had happened.

"Kari! Iie!!"

She shot forward, pulling out her katana. Kisame saw her at the last second and brought his Samehada to block. Her katana seemed to leave no damage on the large sword, but she was too wound up to care, she dodged both swipes, darting from side to side and then jumped up slamming her katana down on the top of his sword.

"You got guts kid, but that won't get you far," Kisame said grinning at her obvious anger.

"Don't underestimate her Kisame, if you push her too far the devil dogs wrath won't be easy to escape," Itachi said to his cocky partner. He hadn't planned on her showing up so soon. Her eyes snapped to him and she kicked off of the sword, and shot at Itachi instead, he jumped back, avoiding her furious swipe with ease.

"Behind you!"

Kakashi's warning was a second too late, and she felt the sharp ragged scales tear through her back. It had been aimed at her head, but with her defence still not as good as her offence she suffered a lot of damage. She was painfully aware she couldn't turn her back on either of them and sheathed her katana shooting forward and aiming a kick at Itachi's side. He easily blocked and avoided her Meiken style attacks, landing a few heavy blows on her. He grabbed a handful of hair at the back of her head and pulled, forcing her face to tilt up, capturing her eyes with his.

"Kuso," Kakashi hissed seeing her freeze and tense her eyes widening. He was powerless to help her, and knew full well that Genjutsu was her weak point. To his surprise, as the Genjutsu began, she acted on impulse and leant back, before lurching forwards and smacking her head on the lower part of his hitai-ate succeeding in getting him to drop her. She pulled out a kunai, but he quickly twisted her hands behind her back, holding a kunai to her throat.

"Calm down," Itachi said, his breath hitting her ear. She growled, her burning eyes unable to see him. She furiously stamped tying to get his feet, and was turned around, hands still pinned behind her back, he used her hair to tilt her face towards his and her eyes locked on his Sharingan reflecting the spinning tomoe. "You'll see us again soon Kari…" She didn't have time to think before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped in a dead faint.

"Kari-hime!" Gai cried in alarm, as Itachi caught her limp body, lifting it off the water with one arm with ease.

"Who are you?" Kisame asked rudely, having forgotten Gai had arrived.

"Konoha's noble beast, Maito Gai!" Gai cried with a grin.

"Look at yourself before you speak, perhaps you meant to say dodo…" Kisame said unimpressed.

"Do not underestimate him," Itachi warned, hoisting Kari up so she rested against his side, her head against his shoulder.

'_Yappari… It's Itachi'_ Gai thought. "Unhand Kari-hime!"

"K-Kari…" Kakashi murmured before falling forwards, passing out. Gai hoisted him onto his shoulder before his rival drowned in the river.

"He hurt Kakashi this much, and defeated Kari-hime with such ease," Gai said.

"Don't look into Itachi's eyes Gai, you're going to fall into his Genjutsu!" Asuma warned.

"I already know that. In the measures I developed to fight Kakashi I took into consideration how to counter his Sharingan. Open your eyes you two!" Gai commanded.

"D-demo…" Kurenai hesitated.

"When you fight a Sharingan user, you just don't have to look into their eyes. Keep your eyes on their feet, predict their moves, and counter accordingly," Gai explained.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem logical," Kurenai said as she opened her ruby eyes.

"But you're about the only guy that can do that," Asuma pointed out.

"Right. There's a trick you have to learn to grasp the enemy's moves from his foot movement alone. But we have no other choice in this emergency. Anyway, get used to it, now," Gai said.

"What should we do?" Asuma asked.

"Kurenai, you take Kakashi to a medical squad," Gai instructed. "Asuma you cover me. We're going to rescue Kari-hime. Now, until the ANBU reinforcements I've arranged for arrive, we will fight them."

"Interesting. You're quite daring," Kisame commented with a smirk.

"Kisame. Yamero," Itachi commanded. "We didn't come here to start a war. Unfortunately, fighting anymore is nonsense. We're leaving."

"I was just starting to get excited… Are we taking the girl?" Kisame asked.

"Iie. From her temperature, breathing pattern and her movements while she fought, she's in bad shape. She's not up for a journey. And a rescue mission will be conducted for her," Itachi explained. "We'll get her some other time."

"Will she even remember anything?"

"No. The Genjutsu should have wiped the battle from her memory."

"Very well," Kisame sighed. They both disappeared, leaving Gai to dart forward and catch Kari as she was left to fall.

"Kari-hime…" Gai said, hoisting up her limp form. "Your youthful nature never ceases to amaze me." Her eyes fluttered open, and she drowsily looked up in search of the noise. She screamed when she saw Gai was holding her and jumped out of his hold, shouting something along the lines of '_what the hell Sasuke?!_'

"Eeto…" Asuma said as Gai sniffled despite the situation. "Obviously her short term memory was wiped…"

_---x---_

"Yosh!" Naruto said confidently, lifting hitai-ate the tiniest bit with his thumb. Kita wagged her tail happily as Naruto struggled to move. "Let's go!"

"I can see you got overexcited…" Jiraiya commented, looking tat the bag that was larger than Naruto himself and filled to he absolute brim, Kita sitting on top looking amused. "We're not going to confine ourselves to a mountain to train, and even if Kari-chan is a girl I doubt she needs _that _much."

"Kari-chan said she'd catch up, her stuff is still at Sasuke's," Naruto cried over his straining. _If he had dragged it all the way to the gate, he could drag it the rest of the way!!_ "Kita-chan will tell her where to find us!"

"Go pack a smaller bag or I'm not taking you."

_---x---_

"Ne! Ne! Ne! Ne! Ero-senniiin!" Naruto cried, skipping along with his lighter bag. "What kind of technique are you going to teach me next? You taught me the walk on water jutsu last time, so will it be the walk on fire jutsu this time? Or walk on air? Teach me the next one! Ne Ero-sennin!"

"_Ero-sennin, Ero-sennin_… You don't know I'm a great person do you?" Jiraiya asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh? Sugoii Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked thickly.

"Arghh...! Listen carefully!" Jiraiya cried, running to the top of the small bridge. He hopped sideways. "The title 'Gama-sennin' is merely a disguise…!" he slammed his foot down. "I will tell you my true identity…!" he spun his torso, making his long white hair swirl in a circle. "The man who has no enemies in the North, South, East and West…! Not even in the heavens! I am one of the Sannin! The white-haired frog tamer! Even a crying baby would stare in awe, the great Jiraiya-sama!!" He finished slightly dizzy.

"Mm…" Naruto stared unimpressed and then simply walked past him.

"Jiraiya-sama must have spent a long time rehearsing that," Kita said happily. A crow flew over, crowing out something that sounded awfully like 'Ahou'.

_---x---_

"Aa… Atafuku City, its 10km from here dattebayou," Naruto read.

"It's Otafuku City," Jiraiya corrected.

"Ha? Ano sa, ano sa! Ano sa, ano sa Ero-sennin!!" Naruto cried, Kita skipping after him.

"I've told you its _**Jiraiya**_, geez…" Jiraiya grumbled.

"Since a great Ero-sennin like you chose me to be your companion, that means… I have a great talent within me right?" Naruto cried joyously with the biggest grin he could possibly do. He cheered and ran excitedly in a circle, Kita chasing after him. "Ne, ne, ne, ne! Why did you chose me?!"

"The Yondaime was once my apprentice, and your very similar to the Yondaime Hokage. That's the only reason," Jiraiya said simply.

"Ore wa… Yondaime, ne?" Naruto repeated softly, wide baby blue eyes shining and a light blush colouring his tan cheeks. "_YOSHAAAAA!! TA TA TA_!!!" Naruto cheered zooming past Jiraiya in a happy sprint.

"Na-nan de?" Jiraiya said in shock.

"YOSHAAA!! If I'm similar to the Yondaime that means that I have the same talent as him right dattebayou?! I'm going to be Hokage after all!! YOSHA!" If it was possible for someone to explode from excited joy… Naruto was coming pretty darn close jumping around like that. "YATTA!!" He did an extra big jump but stopped abruptly when he was coming to land. "D-d-d—Matte!!" Naruto cried making a hand sign. But whatever jutsu Naruto was planning, it didn't work and his foot landed in the squelchy dog dropping. "AA! I stepped in dog crap!! Kita-chaaaaan!!"

"That was not Kita-chan!!" Kita cried offended. "Kita-chan goes in bushes!"

"The only thing similar between you and Yondaime is your blonde hair and stubbornness!" Jiraiya cried accusingly.

"Nan de sute baka Ero-sennin?!" Naruto shouted, stepping forward, only to stand in the same dog poo with his other foot. "Not again!!" he whined.

_---x---_

"Sakura! Come here."

"Hai!" Sakura replied, abandoning her cleaning. Everyone was working hard on restoring the village and she wanted to do her bit, knowing her team-mates were probably off training, or hopefully resting.

"Take this Ohagi to Ino-chan's place," Sakura walked in to see the covered rice cakes neatly stacked into a box.

"Ino's place?" Sakura asked. "These?"

"Sou. Don't stay there too long, everyone's busy right now."

"I know, Ittekimasu!"

Sakura placed a lid on the box and wrapped it in a cloth so she could carry it, she then walked out and started heading to Ino's. She paused as a thought struck her.

"I know! I'll take some for Sasuke-kun too," Sakura said smiling. "Does he like sweets? I know Kari-chan does, so Kita probably would like some too. And some for Naruto, he'd probably eat anything…"

_---x---_

"_Ne, Kakashi-sensei. Teach me how to do Chidori too," Naruto asked enthusiastically._

"_Teach you how?" Kakashi repeated. "It's not that simple."_

"_Nani? I object to that! Teach me!" Naruto demanded. Sasuke, Sakura and Kari watched, the blonde kunoichi giggling at her best friends antics while Kita snoozed in her arms._

"_Sasuke-kun, arigatou," Sakura said. Kari shot her a sly smirk and took some discreet sidesteps to give them a little privacy. "You saved us from the Suna again, right?"_

"_Iie," Sasuke said bluntly._

"_Hm?"_

"_Try gathering Chakra in your hand first…" Kakashi relented, half-heartedly giving Naruto an instruction._

"_Ha! Yosh…" Naruto cried holding his wrist as he pulled a constipated face, causing Kari to giggle again._

"_Naruto saved you, with Kari's help," Sasuke finished. Sakura looked at Naruto, who was squatting, much to Kari's humour._

"_Now, now Sasuke-kun, you don't have to be modest," Sakura said smiling. "It's true Naruto's gotten stronger, but Kari-chan was hurt in her fight and Naruto can't…"_

"_It's true," Sasuke interrupted. "They fought with everything they had to save you. He even showed powers he's never shown before."_

"_He did?" Sakura repeated surprised. "For me?"_

"_Chidoriiiii!" Naruto shrieked straining, causing Kari's giggles to increase. Sakura smiled in gratitude. "Chidori!!!"_

_---x---_

"Yosh, I'll bring some for Naruto too!" Sakura cried happily, skipping off towards Ino's house. She really did have a great team, and she truly was thankful.

* * *

**_Translations_**

**Irrashaimase** - _Welcome - shop owners say this to greet customers_

**Shikashi** - H_owever, but (polite)_

**Shikkari shite** - H_ang in there_

**Shinpai na, watashiha kokoyo** _- Don't worry, I'm here_

**Watashiha anata no mamare masen** _- I'll protect you_

**Okiru**_ - Wake up_

**Mou ii**_ - No more / that's enough_

**Yappari** - A_s I expected_

**Ahou**_ - Moron_

**Ittekimasu**_ - I'm leaving now_

**Nan de sute?**_ - What did you say?_

* * *


	57. Aniki

**A/N:** Wai! I manage to get this out (even though I have a two day art exam in... less than ten hours and i still need to sleep despite my insomnia T.T) I've got worse hayfever than usual, and feel like I have a summer cold. Bleh. Anyway, thank you for your reviews, I hope this doesn't disappoint you!

Disclaimer: No, Naruto and all associate are not mine. Not even the Uchiha brothers.

Claimer: But I do own Kari-chan and all things not int the original Naruto manga or anime by Masashi Kishimoto-san.

* * *

**Aniki**

**_Brother_**

_-----x-----_

Sharingan locked on Sharingan

They regarded each other not as brothers

But as a nuisance

And a murderous traitor

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

Sasuke sighed deeply as he came close to the end of warming up. Kari had run off saying she had to do something and left him as they were heading to the training grounds. Like before, she was extremely respectful to his old home and his family's graves though seemed to get a little awkward and jumpy now and then.

He scowled when he glanced at the Sun, realising he had been stretching out his warm up waiting for her to return. He really was too used to her. She'd probably gone to see someone; she was overly friendly with quite a few of the sensei and Konoha Genin around her age. Especially the boys… Sasuke's scowl deepened. _'Tch.'_

His attention was caught when he sensed Kari's familiar chakra, stating that she was approaching. He got up and looked in the direction he sensed her, slightly embarrassed that she didn't find him caught up in his intense training. To his annoyance, she wasn't going at her normal speed, but was walking rather slowly, so he started walking towards her impatiently.

"Baka, where did you—Kari?" Sasuke stopped halfway through realising she was staggering and pale.

"Hey Sasu," she greeted with a wave, before slumping forward. He hastily rushed forward in time to catch her and held her steady while she looked at him with glazed eyes.

"Doushita?" Sasuke asked confused. _'She was fine this morning, is her fever back? Did her cold get worse?'_

"I have a _**really**_ bad migraine," Kari said, her voice croaky as she touched her forehead. "Why did you leave me with Gai?"

"_You_ ran off saying you had something to do," Sasuke said.

"I did?"

"Hn," Sasuke rolled his eyes irritated with her stupidity.

"Maybe I fell over and bumped my head?" Kari wondered. "My back kind of hurts so it makes sense."

"You klutz, you're meant to be resting, it's probably your bruising from when you were fighting Gaara and the other Suna-nin. You probably reopened your stab wounds baka, lift your shirt," Sasuke commanded. He had only helped her wrap them this morning; he really didn't want to do it again.

"Mm? Oh ok…" she said dumbly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. '_No refusal, no tantrum, no bright red face, no rules on what not to touch? What's wrong with her?'_ Sasuke thought confused. She turned round, and didn't even have a chance to grab the bottom of her shirt when Sasuke cursed and grabbed her shoulders.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Sasuke hissed, seeing the back of her shirt and the bandages all torn up, as well as tears along her skin, dry blood sticking to her back. His stomach churned when he thought he caught a glimpse of some bone.

"I don't… remember…" Kari said slowly. Grumbling Sasuke got the supply of bandages he had brought, with Kari being clumsy with such poor defence he brought some with him so he was prepared. He just hoped he had enough.

Once wrapped, she seemed happier and more comfortable; stretching despite the fact she still had a terrible headache. She grimaced when the torn skin on her back would stretch but ignored it, becoming somewhat used to being in pain. She needed a vacation, a month or two where she could fully heal and get back up to full strength. But inside she knew she loved the adrenaline rush of battle after battle, the excitement, strength and freedom she felt when she fought. It was like when she ran or the few times she flew.

She sat against the rock and heaved a contented sigh, waiting for Sasuke to perform his Chidori so she could advise or criticise. It was amazing how differently they used the same jutsu. It even sounded different. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her skull. It was like a little hyperactive Lee was hammering inside her head.

Her ears twitched at the sound of chirping and her eyes shot open to see Chidori heading her direction. She squeaked in panic and ducked as it thrust into the rock, a little above where her head had been.

"Sasukeee!!" Kari hissed. He wasn't listening to her, more caught up in his own thoughts.

'_Ore wa… I couldn't do anything!'_

"_I never want to see an important friend die in front of me ever again."_

"_I swear… I will protect everyone dattebayou! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"_

"_Kuchiyose no jutsu!"_

'_Naruto's getting stronger and stronger. Compared to him… ore wa…'_

Sasuke's thoughts were cut off when arms wrapped around his shoulders and he was pulled into a hug.

"Baka! Nani—?"

"Urusai Sasu," she mumbled, burying her face into his shoulder. He finally relented, relaxing in her hold.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"Perhaps you can fight him evenly, but I cannot, he's to strong…" Kisame said as they watched Sasuke and Kari.

"Hai, if we both fought him we would both be killed. Or in a good case we might kill him, but we'd die along with him," Itachi agreed. "Even if we had more men, the result would not change."

"His caretaker is a legendary _Sannin_, Konoha's Uchiha-clan and Kiri's Shichi Shinobi-gatana seem petty before his name."

"Aa, shikashi… All strong opponents have a weakness," Itachi concluded, and stood, the wind blowing through his hair and ruffling his cloak.

"We should have taken her before," Kisame said.

"She'll come on her own, she has our scent now."

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

Naruto grinned as he rang the two bells, practically swinging off them. Kita sat beside Jiraiya who was getting annoyed by the noise.

"Cut that out," he grumbled, pulling out something to eat.

"Ne, ne, Ero-sennin," Naruto called. Jiraiya looked round to see four Naruto's, two on the others shoulders. "What kind of student was Yondaime?"

"It wouldn't be an over statement to say he became strong thanks to my tutelage and since you, Kita and Kari-chan are going to receive my teaching you're super lucky," Jiraiya said simply.

"Eeeeehhhh??" the Naruto's said in disbelieving synchronisation.

"You don't believe me? A good teacher raises a good apprentice. That's common sense. Look at Kita for example, under Kari's care and teaching she's able to speak, use chakra, handle kunai, travel at the same speed as a shinobi and even use a small selection of jutsu." Kita puffed her chest out, swelling in pride.

"Then, then, who taught you Ero-sennin dattebayou?" Naruto asked.

"Me? I learned from Sandaime," Jiraiya said with a grin.

"Sandaime?"

"Yep, when Sandaime was still young," Jiraiya said.

"Sandaime? Young?"

"I was young too," Jiraiya said, grinning wider.

"Young?!" the Naruto's cried in disbelief losing balance and tugging on one of the bells causing it to fall. Naruto quickly dispelled the clones and caught the bell, but wasn't counting on the other one falling on his head. He fell over, and in turn fell down the steps, Kita darting after him as he fell screaming and then landed with a thud at the end. "I got tangled dattebayou!" Naruto whined, tied up by the long ribbons as Kita pounced on one of the bells.

"You deserved that," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "Since Kakashi taught you stuff, you went through that bell training right?"

"Eh? Aa! I did dattebayou!" Naruto cried in remembrance. "I was the one tied to the log, that sucked," Naruto grumbled, while Kita was battling against the bell that was bigger than her. The bell was easily winning.

"Hontou? Omae mo ka?"

"Too? What do you mean _'too'_?!"

"Forget it. Get up and put that back" Jiraiya said.

"Even if I wanted too… I cant, this is tangled…dattebayou!" Naruto cried. Naruto finally untangled himself with Kita's help and put them back up while Jiraiya was lost in his memories.

"Nani? Nani? What's so funny Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked.

"Just that a good teacher raises a good apprentice," Jiraiya said ruffling Naruto's hair.

"I don't understand dattebayou…" Naruto mumbled, his blonde mane a mess.

"We're leaving now, did you fix it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yosh dattebayou," Naruto replied, turning back to the shrine so he could pray, Kita mimicking him as best she could. She hoped her Okaasan could come soon, she said she wanted to finish training with Sasuke, she must be busy…

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"Sasu?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" Sasuke grumbled.

"As many as you like, because I won't listen to you," Kari replied simply.

"Do you remember what happened yet?" Sasuke asked. He knew those injuries weren't just from a fall, and he hadn't been able to feel a bump on her head. It didn't add up.

"Just that Naruto wants me to go on a mission with him and Jiraiya, and that I need to get my stuff and catch up to them," Kari replied.

"Mission?" Sasuke repeated.

"Yeah, Kita said it might take a while, so you take care of yourself when I'm gone ne?" Kari said simply.

"How long do you mean? Days? Weeks?" Sasuke pressed, not letting the subject drop.

"Could be months from the sound of it," Kari said, not missing Sasuke's scowl.

"Hn, you should be worrying more about yourself, look at the state of you," Sasuke said, pointing at her torso. Kari blushed and lightly slapped his hand away.

"I'll be fine, and I'll hurry back as soon as I can. I would leave Kita with you, but I haven't trained her in a while and she didn't see me most of the training coming up to the Chuunin exams," Kari said. Sasuke didn't reply. "I'm sorry Sasu, but it's not like you'll miss me ne?"

"Hn."

Ignoring his bad mood she wrapped her arms around his middle, ignoring how he tensed in her hold. Even if he found it amusing to tease her, it didn't mean he liked it when people touched him. He'd learnt to live with her affection, but preferred it when he'd started it.

"Even if you won't miss me, I'll miss having you there to insult me and wake me up at unhealthy hours," she said smiling. "But I'll have to take care of myself this time, ne? I'm a big girl now."

"Iie, you're still chiisai."

"Can't I get a nice goodbye?" Kari whined. "I'll miss you too Kari, I wont go through your stuff Kari, I wont sex Sakura in the house Kari, I'll look after the house and keep myself well fed and hygienic Kari, is that too much too ask?!"

"Hn."

"And I won't miss your hning!" she said, letting go of him and folding her arms. He turned and smirked at her. When she turned her back on him, determined to give him the cold shoulder, he put his hand on her shoulder, spun her round and crashed his lips against hers.

"Mmmm!!" she complained, but he ignored her and wrapped his arms around her. _'I have my own way of showing I care, and that's through actions and not words. Maybe I will miss fighting for the cover, forcing you to eat breakfast, carrying you around when you get hurt, wrapping your injuries, teasing you, seeing you first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and the warmth I feel when you're close to me. But just a bit. You're still an annoying baka and I'll enjoy the peace.' _He pulled away from her and smirked at her darkened cheeks.

"Have you even told Kakashi yet?"

"Anou…"

"Baka."

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

The Jounin sat at various points in Kakashi's room. They had removed his vest and hitai-ate and tucked him into bed. The room was reasonably plain, just three pictures above his bed. His old team when Kakashi was a genin, his current team with Kari and Kita added in. And finally a picture of the Jounin and Kari, where they both looked incredibly happy, with a sibling like affection clear in their faces.

"Based on how they're acting, they haven't found Naruto yet, and they want to capture him first before they get Kari," Gai said, sitting on a small stool he had found.

"About that… isn't something funny?" Asuma asked, sitting on the desk. He was about to pull out a cigarette but thought better of it and put it back. "They were already in the village, it's easy to find Naruto in this village. Itachi also knows Naruto's face…"

"Shh!" Gai cried, hearing footsteps approach.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke said opening the door. Kari's ears pricked when she noticed Kakashi lying on the bed and shot to his side. Her forehead pressing against his, as her hands were so cold. Her ears drooped as she was clearly distressed by him seemingly ill. "Why's Kakashi asleep? And why are Jounin gathered here?"

Kari was oblivious to the calculating stares analysing her. _'She's clearly still disorientated, but at least her wounds are wrapped. From her reaction to Kakashi her memory must not have returned yet…'_ Gai concluded. Sasuke took a few steps into the room seeming suspicious.

"What happened?" Sasuke demanded. _'Was this why Kari isn't feeling right, because Kakashi's hurt?'_

"Who hurt him?" Kari mumbled lowly. Her eyes turned to Gai, a ruby glow starting to taint them.

"Nothing much happened," Gai said simply, but was interrupted when someone barged into the room.

"Is it true _**the**_ Itachi came back?!" he cried. Gai turned to him and glared. "And he's after Naruto and that Kari girl?!" The man looked surprised at Sasuke. "Oh?"

"Baka," Kurenai grumbled as Gai slapped his palm to his forehead. Kari's eye dilated and she felt cold and clammy. _'Naruto…?!'_ She could feel the tension rolling off Sasuke and looked at him, unsure what to do.

"Kari…" Sasuke said quietly and she darted to his side. He grasped her hand and shot out the door, barging past the idiotic Jounin.

"Why did things turn out like this?!" Gai complained.

Sasuke jumped from roof to roof and then jumped down to the ground, sprinting at full speed. _'He's back in the village and he's after Naruto and Kari? What's going on?' _He glanced back at Kari noticing her eyes were still dimmer than usual. _'Was he the one who hurt her?'_ He tightened his grip and they jumped up towards Naruto's apartment skidding to a stop (Kari almost going into the wall) and Sasuke wrenched open the door, almost causing Sakura, who had been on the other side, to fall over.

"Sasuke-kun…?"

"Where's Naruto?!" Sasuke shouted.

"Well that was polite…" Kari sighed, the pounding in her head growing.

"I just got here—" Sakura replied but Sasuke had already shot off, dragging Kari along behind him. "I wanted to give Naruto some Ohagi...."

'_If he gets caught by Itachi, Naruto's dead! Which means…'_ Sasuke glanced at Kari, who was luckily able to keep up. _'If Naruto dies, she'll die too… I won't let that happen!'_ Again he skidded to an abrupt stop outside Ichiraku, causing a still slightly out of it Kari to collide into his less than soft side.

"Old man! Naruto should've come here!" Sasuke shouted, while Kari tried to get her balance back, ignoring the little Naruto's prancing around her head.

"Do you know where he went after he left Teuchi-ojisan?" Kari asked, rubbing her thudding head.

"Oh, Naruto. Let's see. He came here with Kita-chan and talked about Kari-chan as usual. Jiraiya-san came here about noon, they had some ramen together. Then they said they were going to go somewhere…"

"Doku ka?!" Sasuke cried.

"I think the lodging town is a little away from the village and he left with Jiraiya and Kita-chan, saying he wanted to see Kari-chan," Teuchi replied.

"Jiraiya?" Sasuke asked.

"Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, one of the three genius ninja!" Teuchi explained.

"Ero-sennin…" Kari added.

"He just looks like a big white haired old man though," Teuchi described causing Kari to inwardly snort.

"Big and white-haired…" Sasuke repeated before turning and jumping off, Kari giving a cry of '_arigatou!!_' as she was dragged away.

"Oi! Geez, your supposed to eat a bowl to show your appreciation you know…" Teuchi said huffily.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"This is a strange city," Naruto said, looking around at all the activity as Kita laid on his shoulder. This was a busy place and she didn't want to get stepped on. Finally, Jiraiya seemed to find a hotel he liked and booked them in.

"Naruto. We're going to stay here tonight."

"Eh?? I can still walk! And Kita-chan isn't tired either dattebayou!"

"An apprentice must follow his teachers orders," Jiraiya said.

"I just want to learn the new technique!" Naruto complained.

"And that what makes you my apprentice! It only has two beds so if Kari arrives tonight you'll just have to sleep on the floor," Jiraiya said simply.

"We've slept in the same bed before dattebayou!" Naruto cried defensively. Jiraiya smirked mischievously but decided to push the thought aside.

"Hm?" Jiraiya said looking up in surprise to see a gorgeous black-haired woman with a curvy body walk in. She wore a short, tight dark blue dress that sent Jiraiya's mind reeling. She turned towards master and apprentice, flicking her hair and looking at them with flirty brown eyes. The boys blushed and squealed while Kita looked repulsed.

'_What stupid creatures the male population are…'_

"Naruto!" Jiraiya squealed. "Here are the keys. Go to the room, mould some Chakra, train and go to sleep. If Kari arrives say I said hi ne?"

"EHHH??!!" Naruto shrieked. "Are you trying to say that from here on out is the world of adults?! No fair Ero-sennin!!"

"Feh, Okaasan is way more pretty than that weird lady," Kita huffed, thinking again about the idiocy of men.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"It's that lodging town, it's not that far!" Sasuke cried, tightening his grip on Kari's loosening hand. Her head felt just about ready to explode and her eyes burned like no tomorrow. She wanted to collapse and sleep. But the strange thing was that when she asked the Torai-Kenshi what was going on, she received no answer…

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"When… whenever I'm with Ero-sennin it's always like this!" Naruto grumbled as he sat on the bed and moulded his Chakra, Kita napping beside him. "Baka Sasuke, making Kari-chan train with him and delaying her. She could've been here by now! Baka Sasuke!"

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

Sasuke stopped at the top of the steps looking down at the busy city. How was he going to find Naruto here?

"Kari! Can you find Naruto or Kita?" Sasuke asked. "Kari answer me—Oi!" He quickly caught her as her legs buckled underneath her. "Doushita? We don't have time for this!"

"My head… I can't think straight…" Kari mumbled pressing her palm to her forehead, as if she could fight the pain inside it. "I can't communicate telepathically when my heads about to fall off, and my senses are all mixed up, I'm seeing double…" she panted, looking at the two Sasuke's glaring angrily at her.

"Then I'll carry you—"

"No, if I go to sleep I don't think I'll wake up… At least not for a while…" Kari said, thinking back to Kakashi.

"Well I can't leave you, he's after you too baka!" Sasuke shouted, causing her to wince at the volume.

"He's gone after Naruto first, if he was in the village he would've found me and taken me wouldn't he…" Kari said. Sasuke didn't reply, but his face said it all.

'_I think he already got to you…'_

"Let's start with the hotels, they might have checked in already… Ji-sama is pretty lazy…" Kari said, closing her eyes for a moment, but she could feel the ground sway beneath her and quickly reopened her eyes feeling sick.

"Can you keep up?" Sasuke asked, still holding her steady.

"Sort of, but I can't stop…" Kari said, realising her breaking had involved crashing into Sasuke.

"Don't let go," Sasuke said, gripping her hand tightly and shooting forward, the sound of her footsteps alien to his ears, she usually was such a silent light-footed runner.

"We'll have to check all of the stores too," Sasuke said, stopping and remaining steady when she crashed into him.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"Is he serious about supervising my training?" Naruto grumbled, now with multiple clones to help mould Chakra.

"I think Okaasan is on her way!" Kita piped up.

"Finally!"

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

They darted from store to store, Kari's stomach churning and her body beginning to ache from crashing into Sasuke.

"Is a blonde kid with a stupid face about my age, a white puppy, and a big white-haired man staying here?" Sasuke said in a rush.

"Our inn is for women only," the woman replied. Kari whined slightly as Sasuke dragged her back out and towards the next place.

"I'm looking for someone. Is a stupid, blonde kid about my age, a white puppy, and a big white-haired man staying here?" Sasuke demanded.

"We only have the seniors staying here today."

They ran across the road to the next place, Kari at the end of her tether and about to give in and collapse.

"Is a blonde kid with a stupid face about my age, a white puppy, and a big white-haired man staying here?" Sasuke asked.

"Hm? White hair?"

"Is he here?!" Sasuke demanded.

"I might have seen one when I was about to change shifts. Ah! A blonde kid and a white-haired old man."

"Are they here?! What room?!"

"Eeto… Second floor, end of the hall, room one."

They both flew up the stairs and ran to the end of the corridor. Sasuke quickly knocked the door.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"Oi, why are you all asleep?" Naruto asked, looking around at the sleeping clones. He looked up when he heard a knocking at the door and dispelled his clones. "What? He's already dumped and decided to come back? I can tell when it's Kari-chan and that's not her Chakra…"

Kita got up and followed him towards the door. They continued to knock. "Wakatta dattebayou!"

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"Naruto!!" Sasuke shouted, throwing open the unlocked door to see two people that were definitely not Naruto and Jiraiya, though the kid did look dumb… and was looking at Kari's chest... "It's not them…" Sasuke said in shock.

A pained thud in Kari's heart alerted her to trouble and her eyes widened.

"Iie…" she whispered. Her vision swirled as she turned and ran down the swaying corridor, Sasuke hot on her heels.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

Naruto opened the door and looked up in shock, realising it was someone he didn't know. The person's red eyes seemed to paralyse him, making him feel cold…

'_Sasuke? No who is he?'_ Naruto thought, looking up at the strange man. _'The same Sharingan as Sasuke…'_

"To think this little boy holds the Kyuubi…" Itachi mused.

'_How does he know about the Kyuubi, dattebayou?'_ Naruto thought shocked.

"Not half as surprising as the girl with the three spirits of balance," Kisame stated, thinking back to the small, fragile looking kunoichi from before. "I still think we should've brought her first."

'_Three…? Kari-chan?'_

"Naruto-kun, you're coming with us."

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

Kari was in a frenzy of panic, she crashed into the wall, unable to turn and tripped on her way down the stairs. With the adrenaline pumping through her she was still able to run at a decent speed, meaning Sasuke wasn't able to help her as she stumbled. She rushed into the street looking around wildly, only seeing blurs of colour.

"Kari calm down!" Sasuke hissed. He was just as worried as she was, but something had scared her and now she was freaking out. He couldn't deal with this right now.

She span around as the blurs seemed to grow, his scent was all around, the headache growing worse, the pressure increasing. Her breathing escalated as she looked around, trying desperately to make something out that would help her. _'I have to get to Naruto! I HAVE TO GET TO NARUTO!!'_

"Kuso, Kari you're hyperventilating!" Sasuke cursed grabbing hold of her and shaking her. She wasn't calming down and just seemed to get more confused.

"Who? W-what? N-Naruto! I need to find Naruto!" she said in a frantic whisper, grabbing hold of his shirt. "Where is he?! Where's Naruto?!"

"Kari doushita?!" Sasuke said, shaking her slightly. Kari reached up with shaking hands and brushed her fingertips along his face.

"S-Sasuke?" she asked shakily.

"Who else would it be?!" Sasuke snapped.

"I can't see you…" she said horrified. "Everything's blurred!" Her heart seemed to pick up its pace even more. "I can't find him! His scents everywhere but I can't find him!!" People were starting to stare at the near hysterical girl, the blurs slowing, confusing Kari even more.

"Kari listen to me, you need to calm down," Sasuke said the desperation to find his brother overpowered by the sudden fear for her. Her eyes were a dark blank grey, and rimmed in red, a sign she was close to tears. Her chest heaved at a fast pace, cold sweat glistening on her skin. He pulled her close to him, trying to contain her trembling, standing against her thrashing and desperate mumbles of '_Have to find Naruto! I have to find Naruto!'_

"Let go, please let go!"

"We'll find Naruto okay, just calm down. Don't let go of my hand and I'll guide you through the streets," Sasuke said, trying his best to soothe her.

"Why can't I see? Why are my senses mixed up Sasuke?" Kari asked.

"I don't know…" Sasuke replied, taking hold of her hand. She didn't look at him, but looked ahead, only able to see a black blur where he stood. She gripped his hand tightly and he shot forward. _'Genjutsu muddles the senses… But she must be under a pretty complex Genjutsu if she's still able to understand what's going on outside it… Did he do this to her?'_

"Sasuke…" Kari said quietly. "Stop slowing down, I can keep up." She'd calmed down for the most part, but he was still unnerved by how glazed and blank her eyes were.

'_That guy… he's near by. That guy…'_

Kari made a soft gasp as she was pulled into Sasuke's memories, her vision becoming crisp and clear in the vision. Her senses normal.

* * *

_-----**Sasuke's Memories**----- _

* * *

"_Oniisan," the young Sasuke called, watching his older brother put on his ninja sandals. "Can you help me with my shuriken training today after school?"_

"_I'm busy, ask father," Itachi replied simply, looking back at Sasuke._

"_But he said you're better with shuriken, and I think that too," little Sasuke mumbled with a small frown. "You always treat me like I'm a nuisance Oniisan." Itachi turned and beckoned Sasuke closer wit a small wave of his hand. Sasuke eagerly stepped forward, only to be poked in the forehead. "Ite-e!"_

"_Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe another time…" Itachi said. Sasuke frowned, trying to look up and see if he had a bruise on his forehead, but unfortunately, his onyx orbs wouldn't let him see. Itachi seemed sad… no angry? He got up. "I have no time to help you today."_

"_You always say 'forgive me Sasuke' and hit my forehead," Sasuke said, rubbing the sore point on his head. "And you don't ever help me out, not just today." Itachi didn't reply and simply slid the door open and walked out, causing the young boy to smile._

_-x-_

"_Otousan, does Oniisan not care about me?" Sasuke asked his father as they sat at the low table._

"_He's… a bit different, he doesn't like interacting with people," Fugaku said carefully._

"_Nande?" Sasuke asked curiously._

"_I don't know," Fugaku replied. "Even I, his father can't understand him."_

"_Hai! Sasuke, your lunch!" Mikoto said happily, holding up a wrapped bento for him. "If you want to practice with your shuriken I'll help you when you get back."_

"_It's not practice, it's __**training**__," Sasuke corrected huffily, taking his lunch from his mother._

"_Ittekimasu!"_

_-x-_

_Sasuke sighed, walking down the main road of the Uchiha compound._

"_Sasuke-chan, are you heading to school?" a middle-aged woman asked as he passed her, sweeping outside._

"_Mm!" Sasuke replied, turning to her._

"_I saw Itachi-chan a while ago. My, he has grown up. He's become an excellent shinobi. He graduated at the academy at the age of seven with top grades and he moved up to Chuunin at ten, right?"_

"_He was able to use his Sharingan when he was eight," Sasuke added._

"_Yes, I'm proud that he's part of the Uchiha clan," she said with a smile. "Oh yes, how old are you now Sasuke-chan?" Sasuke looked down awkwardly._

'I'm the same age as brother when he graduated… But I…'

"_Doushita no?" she asked kindly._

"_Oi! Stop talking about those stupid things," a man said good naturedly, coming to stand beside her._

"_Hey koi," she said with a smile._

"_Sasuke, you and Itachi are both of the Uchiha clan, a noble family in the village of Konoha. Be confident about yourself, you can become a great shinobi like Itachi someday." Sasuke smiled and nodded._

"_Ittekimasu!"_

"_Be sure to study hard!"_

_-x-_

_Sasuke studied hard, carefully reading in class. '_Hai, I'm a part of the Uchiha clan like Oniisan.' _He flung shuriken at the post in front of him, practicing his technique as the sun warmed the colours of the sky as it began to sink. _'I won't lose to Oniisan!'

_-x-_

"_I've stayed out for a while," Sasuke cried as he raced through the dark Uchiha compound. He paused and looked up at the tall telephone post, the large full moon behind it. '_What was that? I thought someone was there…_' His eyes widened as a thought struck him. "The lights are out… it's not time to sleep yet." He started running again and went to turn but stopped and stared in horror. The lanterns were torn, cracks in the walls and on the ground, weapons embedded in stone and flesh, blood… there was blood! People lying still on the ground!_

"_W-what is this?" Sasuke whispered in shock. He sped past the bodies, running as fast as he could. _'What's going on?'_ He stopped and slowed to a walk, seeing two familiar bodies holding onto each other, lying still. The woman and man from earlier that morning… "Shizu-obasan…" Sasuke gasped, looking up. "Otousan… Okaasan…!" He rushed home and slid open the door to find the house dark and silent._

"_Otousan? Okaasan?" Sasuke asked, slowly walking inside. "Are you here?" he asked, taking off his shoes and bag. He walked into two rooms but found them empty and dark. He jumped slightly at the sound of a crash and thud. He gasped and ran, finally stopping in front of two double doors. '_Someone's in there…' _His legs shook underneath him as he desperately took silent pants of air. _'Move… Move… Move!' _He stepped forward and grasped the door handles, his heart beating wildly, like a wild bird suddenly caged._

_He slowly opened the doors, afraid to what he would find inside. The door creaked eerily, the noise seeming to echo in his brain. The room was dark apart from a patch of light from the lone window, the moon bathing the two motionless people in light. Blood was splattered around them, the man laying over the woman, as though he had died protecting her._

"_Otousan! Okaasan!" Sasuke cried, rushing in. The doors closed behind him and he gasped, seeing a movement in the shadows behind his parents. The floorboards creaked as the killer slowly approached. Sasuke stumbled backwards, feeling the closed doors behind him. Finally the person stepped into the light, letting himself be seen._

"_Oniisan!" Sasuke cried, as Itachi's Sharingan eyes turned to him. "Oniisan! Otousan and Okaasan were…Nande? Nande? Who did this?--!" His eyes widened as a shuriken shot towards him, embedding itself in the door behind him. He winced, feeling his shoulder rip open, blood spurting out of the shallow wound. "Oniisan… Nani?" Itachi's face remained blank, devoid of emotion. "What are you doing Oniisan?" Sasuke cried, grasping his shoulder._

"_Orokana otouto." Itachi closed his eyes as if bracing himself, before slowly opening them again. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"_

_The sky turned red and the black clouds raced across the sky. Everything was in negative black and white, even Sasuke himself. There was only black and white, no shade of grey. Sasuke gasped as people fell one by one in front of him. People he recognised as the dead family he passed on his way to see if his parents were alright._

"_My legs…!" Sasuke gasped realising he couldn't move. He cried out as the bodies fell closer to him, practically falling on top of him. Shuriken shot out of nowhere, and blood covered his vision, dragging a scream from his lungs._

"_AAAAAAH!! YAMETE!! ONIISAN!! DON'T SHOW ME THIS!!" Sasuke screamed, clutching his head and screaming in agony. But it didn't stop, and people continued to fall dead before his eyes._

"_Why… Why did you do this Oniisan?" Sasuke sobbed, looking at Itachi who stood unphased despite the dead people around him. People shot towards Itachi, but he stood still, just staring at Sasuke. "Iie… iie…" Sasuke cried, trying to warn them. They were thrown away easily, one landing in front of Sasuke causing him to scream. "Ojisan Obasan!" Sasuke cried, but they both fell dead in front of him, making him scream in terror._

"_Otousan! Okaasan!" Sasuke cried, seeing his parents sitting with Itachi behind them, katana raised. "Yamete Oniisan!! Don't do that to Otousan and Okaasan!" But his pleas went unheard as Itachi cut straight through his and Sasuke's parents, causing blood to splash around them and Sasuke to let out his loudest scream…_

_He fell to his knees, the Genjutsu over, leaving him sobbing and shaking, clutching his head in psychological agony. Itachi's eyes faded back to onyx as Sasuke fell forward panting harshly. Saliva ran out of his open mouth, a hairs width away from mixing with his parents blood, which had pooled between the floorboards and stretched out, almost like a road towards them._

"_Why… Why did you…Oniisan…?" Sasuke whispered._

"_To see what I was capable of," Itachi replied, without a shred of emotion._

"_What… you were capable of?" Sasuke repeated. "That was it? You killed everyone for that reason?"_

"_It is important," Itachi stated._

"_What the hell…" Sasuke started dragging himself up. With the last of his strength he shot forward. "Don't screw around!!" he screamed but was easily stopped when Itachi's fist shot into his gut, causing saliva to spill out of his mouth and for him to crash to the floor. He looked up to see his fathers dead face opposite him and his wide eyes filled with tears and spilt down his face._

'Kowai… Kowai!!'

_With a scream, Sasuke got up and ran away, desperate to get as far as he could from Itachi. He ran past the dead bodies stumbling as he went._

"_Don't kill me!!" Sasuke screamed desperately. He stopped and stared in horror when Itachi appeared a few metres in front of him. "Don't kill me…" Sasuke begged._

"_You are not even worth killing, otokana otouto. If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me and survive in an unsightly way. Nigete, run and cling to life…"_

_

* * *

_

-----**End of Sasuke's Memories**-----

* * *

Sasuke picked up his pace, Sharingan activated by rage, motivation fuelled by his painful memories. Kari hiccoughed slightly, feeling thick sticky red tears on her face.

"You could see it?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai…" she replied weakly.

"Stop crying," Sasuke demanded.

"No." He stopped to catch his breath and looked back at her, red streaks fresh on her pale face. "I can't…"

"You're looking at me…"

"You're only slightly blurred now", Kari agreed with a slight sniffle.

"Stop with the pity and your vision should clear," Sasuke snapped, realising after he said it he was being too harsh to her.

"You're too stubborn to cry," she murmured. "So I cry for you." She furiously rubbed her eyes, feeling the sting of burst blood vessels. She gripped his hand and looked around, still a little disorientated, but her sight a lot better.

"I don't want you to end up like them…" Sasuke said, unable to stop himself. She looked at him slightly confused. "You're a stupid, emotional, annoying girl… Yet, I don't feel so alone when you're there. I don't want you to be taken away from me…"

"Now I want to cry again," she sniffled, embracing him.

"Stupid, emotional, annoying… Try and point out a direction," Sasuke said, calming down slightly with her there.

Her eyes shot open, and she shot to the right, dragging him along as she ran at full speed, pumping some chakra to support her jelly-like legs.

* * *

_-----x-----_

* * *

"Let's go outside," Itachi requested, his gaze never wavering.

'_These guys aren't just chumps…' _Naruto thought stepping out, Kita pressed against the side of his head, her rapid heartbeat against his jaw.

"Itachi-san, it would be annoying if he moved around… Perhaps we should cut off a leg or two," Kisame said, causing Kita to grow lowly. When he Itachi didn't answer, Kisame reached up and gripped the handle of his blade. "Then I shall." He took slow steps towards Naruto, each step echoing in Naruto's mind as he felt Kita quiver slightly.

"It's been a long time…" Itachi mused. "Sasuke."

"Uchiha Itachi," Sasuke said darkly.

"Uchiha Itachi?" Naruto repeated. _'An Uchiha like Sasuke?' _Kari's eyes darted to him and Kita, giving them a once over and deeming them alright. If they _did _happen to have even a scratch… she was going to flip.

"Oh? You were right, the girl did come to us," Kisame said glancing at Kari, who shot him a glare, noticing how close he was to Naruto. She felt Sasuke step forward slightly, so he was slightly shielding her, his Sharingan blazing. "The Sharingan… and he's very similar to you. Who is he?" Kisame asked.

"Ore wa, otouto da," Itachi replied, still not turning to face Sasuke.

"I heard the entire Uchiha clan was killed… by you," Kisame said, clearly trying to wind Sasuke up.

"Uchiha Itachi, I'm going to kill you!" Sasuke growled. Naruto gasped, remembering on the rooftop with Kakashi, when they were sorted into teams.

"_And to kill a certain man."_

"_That man… I promised I wouldn't die until I killed him."_

'_This guy is the guy Sasuke wants to kill?'_

Finally Itachi looked round, and Sharingan met Sharingan.

"Like you said, I hated you, detested you… And just to kill you I've… I've survived!" Sasuke shouted, Chidori sparking in his palm.

"Chidori?" Itachi said his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm going to kill you!" Sasuke shouted, slamming his Chidori into the wall and hurtling towards his brother.

"Mou… I really hope we don't have to pay for that…" Kari said, momentarily distracted.

"DIE!!" Sasuke shouted, going to strike, there was a bang and when the dust settled, there was a huge whole in the wall, and Itachi was holding Sasuke's wrist.

"Sasuke!" Kari cried in alarm. The grip was so tight it was cutting off the blood flow and Kari could feel her fingers start to go numb. She winced, knowing that if her arm was damaged she would only have Taijutsu in the style of kicks and one hand, Ninjutsu impossible without both her hands.

'_What happened dattebayou? Sasuke's jutsu was easily avoided! Not… good I have to do something!'_ Naruto made a hand sign and his and Kyuubi's Chakra flared. Kari gasped in pain, and fell to her knees clutching her head.

"His Chakra is filling up the space… Sou ka, this is the Kyuubi's Chakra," Kisame said. "It seems you succeeded in blocking most of her Bijuu Chakra, and she hasn't recovered from the Genjutsu," Kisame added, glancing at Kari, whose skull felt like it was slitting in half, the fragments embedding into her brain.

"Why you…!" Sasuke snarled.

"You're a bother." Itachi stated, and with hardly effort, broke Sasuke's wrist, causing him to scream. Kari clenched her hair with one hand as the other dropped useless at her side. Her eyes kept rolling to the back of her head as a white hot pain speared her in the middle of her forehead.

"Sasuke! KARI-CHAN!!" Naruto cried in alarm as Sasuke collapsed to the floor clutching his wrist. "Chikusho!" He bit his thumb and made hurried hand signs. _'Ninpou, Kuchiyose no—'_

"Too slow," Kisame said simply, slicing straight through Naruto's Chakra with his Samehada.

'_I don't feel the Chakra!'_ Naruto thought in alarm. _'Kuso! Kuso! Nande, dattebayou?!_'

"My Samehada can shave and devour Chakra," Kisame explained. "It would be a shame if he used his petty techniques."

'_Genjutsu… Itachi used a Genjutsu on Kari which is why she's so messed up and can't remember this morning. That guy said shave… It must have been him that hurt Kari's back…'_ Sasuke thought, glancing at her as he struggled against the pain of his broken wrist.

"Perhaps we should cut off his arms before doing it to his legs," Kisame said.

"Naruto!" Kita cried in alarm.

"And then I'll skin that little rodent…" Kisame added, glancing at Kita, making her hackles rise.

'_Why isn't it coming out dattebayou?!'_ Naruto thought desperately struggling to force out Chakra.

"Futile," Kisame scoffed, raising his blade. He swung it down and gasped when it hit something solid. "Nani?"

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried. She'd pulled out her right katana, using her left forearm to support it, trying to ignore the searing pain in her wrist.

"Heh, guts wont help you here," Kisame said with a smirk, pressing more weight down, forcing her legs to bend and slide apart. She flinched at the pain in her arm feeling tired and weak.

"Naruto… Get back…" she panted, her katana being pressed down.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto said worriedly, easily able to see how she was struggling.

"I can't… hold…" Her legs gave in but a cloud of smoke surrounded them.

"Nani?" Kisame asked. An armoured toad was blocking his blade.

"You two… don't know me very well." There was a puff of smoke behind Naruto. "The man Jiraiya… Is better at winning a girl… then at being seduced by one." Jiraiya said, with a (in Kari's opinion) half naked woman over his shoulder. "I would never let a women seduce me with her beauty. When you become great like me, women will go crazy over your own beauty!"

"Urusai," Kari grumbled. "I have a huge headache Jiraiya-sama stop making it worse…"

"Yeah right! You were excited over a single wink from that woman!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his mentor. "I don't think you should be showing off like that right now dattebayou, Ero-sennin!!"

"Come on now, don't call me that in front of people," Jiraiya said simply, seemingly awkward.

"Urusai dattebayou!! More importantly, these guys aren't just chumps Ero-sennin!" Naruto cried, pointing at Kisame and Itachi. "Ne! Ero-sennin!!"

"Stop calling me Ero-sennin!!" Jiraiya half screamed.

"He is the great Jiraiya who is praised as one of the legendary Sannin after all," Kisame said with a chuckle. "Even if you are an extreme lover of women… I knew that we couldn't hold you off that easily."

"You hired… a prostitute…" Kari grumbled from her position of leaning against the undestroyed wall.

"EHH?! They know Ero-sennin's true identity!!" Naruto cried in alarm. _Did he completely miss that speech Jiraiya gave?_

"Well, that's not really my true identity or whatnot…

"It seems like you have dispelled the Genjutsu from that woman," Kisame mused.

"Or put a Genjutsu on a random woman to make her a whore… Geez…" Kari weakly scoffed, cradling her broken wrist slightly.

"You're a disgrace to all men, using your eye to hypnotise a woman to separate me from Naruto," Jiraiya stated, setting the woman down against the wall. It was further down from Kari, on the side Sasuke had half destroyed with Chidori.

'_Separate? But why dattebayou?' _Naruto thought.

"So you're after Naruto after all," Jiraiya said lowly. He didn't miss Kisame's glance towards Kari. "And after Kari as well…"

"No wonder Kakashi-san knew. I see now. You were the source," Itachi stated. "It is an urgent order by our organisation the Akatsuki to take Naruto-kun and Kari with us."

'_What's going on dattebayou?'_ Naruto thought taking a step back. Kari glanced at him but when she tried to move the room span, making her feel dizzy. The armoured toad disappeared in a poof of smoke.

" I can't hand Naruto or Kari over to you," Jiraiya said sternly.

"We'll see about that," Itachi said simply.

"Very well, I will get rid of you two here," Jiraiya said simply.

"Don't interfere!" Sasuke hissed as he forced himself to stand.

"Sasu…" Kari mumbled, his figure blurring slightly, before she blinked, clearing her vision.

"The one who's going to kill him… is me!"

"I have no interest in you right now," Itachi stated emotionlessly.

"Urusai!!" Sasuke shouted, charging forward, clenching his right hand into a fist. Itachi countered with a swift kick and sent him flying into the far wall.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried in alarm while Kari growled, eyes sparking red before a pain shot between her temples. "Chikusho!" Naruto cried, going to rush to Sasuke's aid.

"Naruto! I told you not to interfere!" Sasuke shouted causing Naruto to stop. He forced himself back up, using the wall for support. "I told you before… I've lived up until now… for this moment… for this day!" His Sharingan reactivated as images of his dead parents with Itachi standing over their bodies flashed in his mind. He shot forward again and went to punch Itachi in the face. It was effortlessly blocked, and then countered with a backhand to the face, bringing out blood and sending Sasuke flying back into the far wall, causing him to spit out blood when he collided with the hard surface.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said in horror.

"I'm not through yet…" Sasuke choked out, his wrist twitching slightly, sending shots of pain through Kari's whole arm. "This is my battle…"

"Very well," Itachi said. Jiraiya went to step forward but Kisame stopped him.

"You heard him, this is a battle between those two. Let's not interfere."

Itachi took a step forward, but was interrupted by a low threatening hiss from Kari.

"Kari," Sasuke warned, shooting a look at her. Itachi stopped and looked around at her. His eyes narrowed slightly, seeing blood dripping down her chin and her limp left arm.

"Interesting," Itachi said, turning and taking a step towards her.

"No!" Sasuke shouted, a little desperation slipping into his voice. "This is our battle, leave her out of it!" Itachi paid no heed to his brother's words and continued walking towards Kari, who's growling and hissing got steadily louder until she was bearing her canines. She was backed up against the wall, but showed no other outer sign of fear.

He bent down slightly, extending his hand to grasp the front of her shirt, lifting her exhausted body and slamming it against the wall. She flinched slightly, at the pain in her back but otherwise glared him straight in the eye, her growl a low rumble in her throat.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm, Kita shaking slightly in fear.

"Let her go!" Sasuke shouted, afraid to move, afraid to stay and watch. _'Not her too, don't take her too, please not her, not her…!'_

"You still don't remember the events of earlier today?" Itachi asked lowly, though the thick silence meant everyone could hear him. "Then I'll have to refresh your memory won't I?"


	58. Watashiha Tsuyokunaru

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**_

_**A/N:**_ I'm glad (and quite surprised) I managed to get this done quickly :) I even got the fanart up (link on my profile). The new Naruto Shippuuden movie is out but my computer wont let me watch it!! (-sits in a depressed little corner-) But my reviews keep me happy and sane, so thank you again to those that support me and keep a critical eye out :) Arghhh! The whole story kept going centered D:(

**Disclaimer:** Masashi Kishimoto allowed a slight SasuHina moment in the movie (from the tiny amount I managed to see) and I absolutely love him for it. He owns Naruto and all associated.

**Claimer:** All things not related to the Naruto manga/anime belong to me.

**_Warning!_**

Some scenes are slightly violent, please read at own risk. My sense of violence is pretty bad as I wach too many horror films :)

* * *

**_Watashiha Tsuyokunaru_**

_**I Will Get Stronger!**_

_-----**x**----- _

_They would train, so they would no longer be afraid,_

_And so when the time came they would have the strength _

_To protect themselves, each other, and those precious to them_

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

"Don't hurt her!" Sasuke hollered, his hands in tight fists. With his eyes wide in anxiety you could clearly see how he was still a thirteen year old boy.

"Memory…?" Kari repeated cautiously. Itachi's Sharingan seemed to gleam before what felt like a static charge ran through her brain causing her to choke on her breath. Images flashed in her mind, of _that place_. She was a ghost there, able to see, able to be seen, but powerless to _do _anything.

"Kari-chan?" Naruto asked, seeing her freeze.

"Kashi…" Kari whispered, her throat becoming tight and her eyes beginning to sting.

"With such a fragile heart, you can never be a shinobi," Itachi said. It held no emotion, it was simply a statement.

"If she's not worth it leave her be! I'm your opponent!" Sasuke said coldly. He couldn't shout, not after seeing her expression. A horrified sorrow, where she looked like a lost little girl that no one would help.

"You seem… attached to her," Itachi said, not taking his eyes off Kari's as she viciously fought back her tears. Sasuke felt his heart constrict in terror. His older brother seemed to be regarding her, taking her in and deciding his opinions on her. "Bonds are foolish."

Kari watched as the three tomoe in his Sharingan span once, making her feel drowsy, her body heavy. What he did next… caused a piece of Sasuke to decay and die. His eyes locked on hers, hypnotising her, he moved forward and captured her mouth with his. Even dazed and hypnotised he felt her body stiffen, and grasped her unbroken wrist when he noticed it twitch violently out of his peripheral vision. To make his point clear, he added pressure to her wrist, distracting her, before forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Jiraiya stood speechless, Naruto gave a muffled roar behind Jiraiya's large hand and even Kisame, Itachi's partner, seemed shocked, the tip of his Samehada crashing to the ground due to his loosened grip. Sasuke had too many emotions of pain and anger to comprehend, but knew without being told, that Itachi's actions were a direct stab at him. He was taunting Sasuke for being soft, for getting too close to Kari. He was stronger than her, and made her seem weak and pathetic.

Meanwhile, the sudden pressure in her mouth seemed to shock Kari to her senses. Her eyes widened before they narrowed and she realised she was being used to hurt Sasuke. So she did what her instinct told her to do, she bit down on the foreign object invading her mouth. She felt a slight shudder run through Itachi at the sudden unexpected pain. He drew back, but she still bit down on his tongue, a metal taste covering her tongue. It was different to the taste of her own blood, and sent chills through her whole body.

Sasuke sat speechless. Kari had just _bitten_ his bother. But he felt relieved and a slight pride that she had fought back, that she had realised what he was doing and had stopped him. He added pressure to her wrist, making it feel like it too would break, and her mouth opened to breathe through the pain, releasing his tongue. Releasing her wrist he went to grab her throat, but she reacted entirely on instinct and bit into his arm.

With a flick of his wrist that caught Kari off guard he threw her into the wall Sasuke was leaning against. Blood spurted out her mouth and she crumpled to the floor, wincing at the pain that shot through her. Sasuke went to go to her, but was distracted by the sound of Itachi's feet against the floor, and watched as his brother came closer.

"Bring it on then!!" Sasuke shouted enraged, jumping up and preparing to attack, but Itachi's knee collided with his torso, winding him and forcing another mouthful of blood to rise up his throat. As he doubled over, an elbow struck the back of his neck and the same knee as before struck him under his chin, sending him up, his feet leaving the ground. He felt numerous punches collide with his gut before he felt the wall behind his back, Itachi's fist feeling as though it would go straight through his stomach and into the wall behind him.

'_Why…? The difference between us has not shrunk since then… What is this difference?' _Sasuke collapsed to the ground, wincing at the bruises spreading across his body.

"You're not going easy on him at all," Kisame said smirking.

'_What have I been doing up until now?'_ Sasuke asked himself as he lay at Itachi's feet. _'What have I…?_' He turned his face to the floor in shame. Itachi pulled him up by his collar and slammed him up against the wall, holding him by his throat. Sasuke looked to the side, now able to see Kari. _'I failed to protect you again…'_ He could see her body twitching as she tried to move, her fingers painting streaks through the small puddle of blood as she tried to force herself up. Her stab wounds seemed to have been torn open, and she had tears sliding across her face and onto the floor. He knew those tears were for him, because she so desperately wanted to help him, but she couldn't.

"You are weak," Itachi said simply. "Why are you weak? Because you lack…" he bent closer to Sasuke to whisper in his ear. "_Hatred_." He pulled away slightly activating his Sharingan.

"Not again…!" Kari choked out.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

_Everything was black and white negative, Sasuke could see a reflection of himself at a different angle, but other than that, it was a vast black emptiness. '_Where am I?_' Then he was falling, falling and falling, spinning faster and faster._

_Then there was red, the sky was red, the black clouds racing across it, too thin to cover the moon. Sasuke looked round to see he was in that room again… that room where…_

"_Is this… Could it be…" and he was a child again, he was the same eight year old boy he was back then. He brought his hand close to his chest as he shivered with fear._

"_That's correct." Sasuke looked up at the sound of his brothers voice to see his parents sitting together, his father facing him, his mother facing to the left. "This is our house."_

"_Otousan! Okaasan!!" Sasuke shouted. He gasped seeing Itachi's figure behind them._

"_You are weak…" Itachi's voice said from behind him. "For the next 24 hours…" _

"Yamete…"

"…_You will wander around hopelessly within that day."_

"_YAMETEEE!!!" Sasuke screamed grabbing hold of his head as the thirteen year old Itachi's katana came down on his parents, blood splattering across the floor._

"_She'll be forced to watch helplessly. And whenever she tries to help you…"_

"_Sasuke!!" he could hear Kari's voice, but he couldn't tell where from._

"_Kari?! KARI!!"_

"_I'll take her away." Sasuke saw Kari running towards him, but then Itachi appeared behind her, a katana in hand._

"_IIE!!! KARI!!!" Sasuke screamed as the end of Itachi's katana appeared out the front of her chest. White blood running down her body and flooding out of her mouth. Her knees collapsed underneath her and she fell forward, just like his parents into a pool of her own blood, her eyes lifeless. "KARI!! YAMETE!! YEMETEEE!!!"_

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

Naruto's eyes widened in horror as simultaneously screams erupted from Sasuke and Kari. Kita whimpered in terror at hearing her mother's pain.

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

_Bodies fell all around Sasuke's small form, almost falling on top of him._

"_Ojisan, Obasan!!" Sasuke cried before his aunt and uncle were both cut down._

"_You are not even worth killing…" Itachi said as he stood over the bodies of his dead parents. "Otokana otouto… __If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me and survive in an unsightly way. Nigete, nigete and cling to life…" Kari appeared in front of him, staring blankly at Sasuke as she was pulled into a standing position by her hair. Itachi's katana pierced her collarbone, a disgusting crack following the sound of metal cutting through flesh before the katana ripped down, slowly cutting her in half…_

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__----- _

* * *

"Being cruel as usual," Kisame mused through Sasuke's and Kari's screams. "He used Tsukuyomi on his otouto, which seemed to have triggered Kari to be put under it as well."

Jiraiya could feel Naruto's tears dripping down his hand. To see someone strong and cocky, someone you admire yet strive to beat, your comrade, your rival breaking down and screaming it was… it was terrible… And Kari… in Jiraiya's opinion, there was nothing worse to hear than the screaming of a young girl. Naruto was half screaming himself, almost replying to Kari's screams as she writhed in a state of half consciousness, clutching her head and crying her eyes out.

The Sannin was horrified, someone so strong willed, that refused to show physical pain, was reduced to screaming her heart out in whatever nightmare her mind was showing her. Finally, Sasuke's screams died and he fell limp. Kari's screams also silenced, but she stayed awake, eyes wide in horror, heavily bloodshot as she trembled, causing slight ripples in the red puddle beside her.

"Cut it you already you temee!!" Naruto hollered, pulling Jiraiya's hand away from his mouth and shooting forward, Kisame racing after him. Jiraiya quickly made hand signs. Both Naruto and Kisame stopped as the walls ceiling and floor were covered by some strange, reddish substance. "Nan de, dattebayou?"

"Ninpou, Gamaguchi Shibari," Jiraiya said. Sasuke sank slightly into the wall, and Itachi let go of him. Kisame looked down as his foot began to sink. "You're out of luck, Itachi, Kisame. You're inside my stomach now. I summoned the oesophagus of a giant frog from the Myouboku Mountain's rock inn. You two are wanted criminals anyway, I'll turn you into food for this rock frog." Kita squeaked and jumped on Jiraiya's head for safety.

"What is this dattebayou?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"Naruto! You stay still," Jiraiya ordered. "Don't worry, this is my technique."

"Kisame, koi," Itachi instructed. Kisame broke free and rushed towards Itachi.

"It's useless!" Jiraiya shouted. "No one has ever escaped from this before!" They paid no attention to him and simply ran.

"The wall of meat is closing in on us," Kisame said as the wall began to catch up, extending past them. "The wall is faster than us. At this rate…" Itachi activated his eyes.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Nani?" Jiraiya cried as a loud bang was heard. He got up and raced in the direction Itachi and Kisame had gone.

"Eh? Ero-sennin!" Naruto cried, rushing after him.

"Doushita, dattebayou!" Naruto cried, skidding round the corner to see a massive hole, which the S-class criminals had obviously escaped through. "They're gone…"

'_I can't believe they broke through these walls…'_ Jiraiya thought seriously.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Why must we retreat?" Kisame asked as he and Itachi raced across the water in large leaps. "You could've…"

"There is no hurry with Naruto at his current level. And when we do get Naruto, Kari will follow," Itachi replied. "Also, I must rest myself somewhere for a while. I had to use Tsukuyomi, and was even forced to use Amaterasu." His eyes narrowed as he felt his Sharingan deactivate, his eyes turning onyx.

"I still can't believe you kissed that kid… You're practically a paedophile," Kisame said.

"It was necessary to show Sasuke his weakness," Itachi stated emotionlessly.

"And you got bit," Kisame couldn't hold in all off his laugh and let out a small chuckle. Itachi didn't reply, and simply increased his speed.

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__-----_

* * *

"What's this fire?" Naruto asked, having approached the hole to investigate. "It's black…"

"Don't go near it!!" Jiraiya shouted. causing Naruto to take a huge leap back with a slight squeal. _'How did they escape? Also… What is that black flame? A rock frog breathes fire, but its internal organ was burned._' The Sannin wondered. He pulled out a scroll and quickly drew a seal. "Fuuinjutsu Fuukahouin!" Chakra came out of the scroll and surrounded the fire before returning to the scroll, the fire having become a part of the Chakra. Jiraiya rolled up the scroll and tied it securely, putting it inside his haori. "Yosh, this should do for now. Now we have to look at Sasuke and Kari-chan."

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried, rushing back around the corner, Kita quickly jumping off Jiraiya's head and following his lead. Jiraiya followed, and felt his heartstrings pull tightly. Kari had somehow managed to crawl over to Sasuke and pull him out of the wall. She had pulled him to her, his head resting in the crook of her neck and her unbroken arm wrapped across his stomach, the other laying limp behind him. Her head was against his chest, looking blank and still terribly upset. Sasuke's eyes were open and looking blankly ahead, his body completely limp. Naruto crouched beside Kari, gently reaching out to her, but she flinched and he sadly put his hand back to his side. Jiraiya walked around and stood in front of them. He was surprised when a kunai flew in front of him.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!!" Gai cried as Jiraiya turned.

"Gai?" the Sannin managed to ask before Gai's large foot embedded itself in Jiraiya's face. Gai grinned at his direct hit and then his face fell realising it was Jiraiya. Jiraiya shoved a tissue up his bleeding nose, his eye twitching violently, causing the bruise on the side of his face to throb unpleasantly.

"I'm sorry I hit you… I was in a hurry and forgot my mirror," Gai said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, grinning all the while. "I used my hitai-ate as a mirror but it was blurry, and I mistook your rugged face as that of an enemy, and I let my burning youthful spirit take over and I carelessly… Sumimasen!"

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" Jiraiya seethed.

"I'm not good with words…" Gai explained embarrassed.

"Forget about that for now, take Sasuke to a medical squad," Jiraiya said. "Kari's accepted a mission with me, so we'll take her from here. Sasuke's arm and ribs are broken. Also, he took a psychological attack from a doujutsu and was knocked unconscious."

'_So he suffered from that technique too?'_ Gai thought looking down at Sasuke. _'That means Kari-hime's had two doses…'_

"But they're eyes are open, aren't they awake?" Kita asked.

"Ero-sennin, are they going to be ok?" Naruto asked worriedly, his arm along Kari's back.

"It looks like they've taken heavy psychological damage," Jiraiya said as gently as he could. Naruto looked down as the beatings were replayed in his head. He'd never known them to be in so much pain… Sasuke and Kari were amongst the strongest people he knew and that guy had practically broken them…

"Chikusho… What the hell…?" Naruto thought as he shook, fists clenched. He wrapped his arms around Kari, careful not to hurt her. "What the hell did that guy do to Sasuke and Kari-chan, Ero-sennin?!" Naruto demanded. "We have a change of plans… I was scared back there, but I'm going to find those black coat guys and beat them to a pulp this time!!" Naruto shouted. "They want me, right?! Then I'll go to them!"

"Hn, if you go to them now, you're just going to get killed, and from what Kakashi's told me, that means Kari-chan will also die," Jiraiya said knowing that Kari was a very important, sensitive topic with Naruto. "Their level and yours are too different. I barely managed to get them away from you back there."

"Are you suggesting we run and hide from them?! You want me to shiver in fear everyday?!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up!" Jiraiya shouted, causing Naruto to fall silent. "You are weak." Naruto rested his head on Kari's other shoulder, feeling like a failure. "I'm sorry Gai. I thought I was taking his feelings into consideration, but I should've helped him earlier."

"Kakashi was affected by the same technique and he is unconscious now. We don't know when he will regain consciousness. Kurenai believes Kari sensed Kakashi's distress and rushed to his aid and then attacked the criminals when I arrived. Kisame injured her back with his sword. She was knocked out for a few minutes with a mild Genjutsu which made her lose her memory of the fight. With Sasuke and Kakashi, that was Kari-hime's second attack with that jutsu," Gai said grimly.

"Kakashi-sensei ka?!"

"When a student is injured… From the bottom of my heart, I wish… that she, the medical specialist were still here," Gai said sadly.

"That's why we're going to look for her," Jiraiya replied.

"Eh? Her?" Gai said shocked. "Are you talking about…"

"Sou, I'm talking about her," Jiraiya said with a smirk. "A Sannin like me, the healing specialist and slug tamer… The woman with the word '_gamble_' on her back… Tsunade-hime."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"We're off now Gai, take care of Sasuke for me," Jiraiya said, as they stood at the gate for Konoha. Gai had piggybacked Sasuke, while Naruto had happily piggybacked Kari, despite Jiraiya offering to carry her. The Sannin got abuse hurled at him from his student about how he was a pervert. Kita reappeared, Kari's bag in her mouth. Naruto flung it over his shoulder, and shifted Kari so he was comfortable. Kita then jumped onto Jiraiya's broad shoulder, making herself comfortable.

"Jiraiya-sama, please find Tsunade-sama and bring her back," Gai said with a smile.

"We'll find her and bring her back here for sure dattebayou!" Naruto cried. Jiraiya chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Naruto-kun, I like kids with guts like you, you're a lot like Kari-hime," Gai said. "I have a gift for you. Lee became strong with this."

"Eh? Nani? Nani?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"This!!" Gai cried, pulling out a green latex outfit, identical to the ones he and Lee wore. Jiraiya looked horrified, Kita looked puzzled and Naruto looked amazed. "It's splendid at maintaining moisture and allowing air to pass through, it is also designed for maximum movement, is perfect in form and has beautiful curves!" Gai cried, waving the latex clothing about. "Wear it during your training and you'll be able to tell the difference right away! And you'll become addicted to it; you'll wear it all the time like Lee. I wear it all the time as well! I gave one to Kari-hime but she never wears it! It's probably just that phase girls go through, but I know she'll come around eventually!"

Jiraiya watched depressed as Gai and Naruto gave each other a thumbs up and grinned, teeth sparkling. He was going to have nightmares… _'If you carry something like that with you all the time, carry a mirror too baka!'_ they waved good bye to Gai, Naruto happily holding his gift.

"Will it look good on me? I'll have to ask Kari-chan when she wakes up!" Naruto said happily.

"Don't. Look at the guy in front of you," Jiraiya said pointing at Gai's backside, where the material was a little saggy. "It looks really crappy." Gai turned round and grinned at them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

They walked quietly down the dirt path, lost in their own thoughts. Naruto looked at the ground, trying to make sense of the earlier events. Kita, was dozing, half asleep but still aware of her surroundings.

"_So you're after Naruto after all… And after Kari as well…"_

"_It is an urgent order by our organisation, Akatsuki, to take Naruto-kun and Kari with us."_

"Doushita?" Jiraiya asked, noticing Naruto had stopped. "Is Kari-chan getting heavy?"

"Na, Ero-sennin… Why did they come after me and Kari-chan?" Naruto asked. "You know, right, Ero-sennin?"

"They're not really after you… they're after the thing inside you."

"What is this thing anyway?" Naruto asked. "This guy is the one who attacked Konoha right? That's why everyone fears it… So why do they want such a thing?"

"It's true that the Kyuubi has appeared periodically in history; a mystic beat that destroys everything in its path. That's why people in the past thought of the Kyuubi as a natural disaster. I'm not sure exactly what they're planning to do with the Kyuubi, but as long as the Kyuubi is sealed inside you, perhaps they wish to put its power under their control. It may be cruel to have those guys after you, but that's fate. Maa, I'll protect you so don't worr—"

"I need to be stronger then to protect me and Kari-chan!" Naruto interrupted. "Yosha! Let's find this Tsunade person, have her heal Kari-chan and Sasuke and start training!"

'_I expected to hear something like that from him,' _Jiraiya thought with a chuckle.

"Hmm…" Naruto said as they resumed walking.

"What is it?"

"Is that really beautiful person you want to see, that Tsunade person?" Naruto asked.

"Oho! You're pretty sharp!" Jiraiya said with a grin. "What about it?"

"She's one of those Sannin things that you're a part of right, Ero-sennin?"

"So what about it?" Jiraiya asked.

"How old is she?" Naruto asked.

"Same as me," Jiraiya said happily_._

'_She's an old lady then…'_ Naruto thought grimacing. "So what kind of person is this Tsunade person?" Naruto asked.

"Hm? Interested?"

"Mm."

"Let's see… In a word she's unpleasant. And she likes to gamble a lot, and is well known in various countries."

"Then we can find her easily since she's famous!" Naruto said happily.

"It's true that she's famous, since she's the legendary… sucker. But even if she's the legendary sucker, we probably can't find her immediately."

"Nande dattebayou?" Naruto said grumpily.

"She doesn't like aging so she has probably changed her appearance with some kid of technique," Jiraiya explained. "She's in her fifties, but she likes to look around twenty or so. On top of that, according to some rumours she changes her appearance to look in her teens, twenties, thirties, forties depending on the situation to run away from moneylenders."

"What's up with that? Sounds horrible," Naruto said.

"Tsunade has liked to gamble ever since she was young," Jiraiya said. "But her luck and skills just plain suck. She's known by that name since she's been duped out of money her by everyone. So she borrows money and runs." Jiraiya stopped, chuckling and shaking his head. "That brings back memories."

"Oi! Stop enjoying your old memories!" Naruto cried. "So how are we supposed to find her dattebayou?"

"I'm not sure," Jiraiya said simply. "We'll probably have to take things slowly, but there are many ways of doing it."

"Then we don't know how long it will take!" Naruto whined.

"Heh, you just don't want to lag Kari-chan along for a long time," Jiraiya said with a grin.

"Kari-chan is light and I like carrying her dattebayou!" Naruto said defensively. To be honest, he really did like carrying her while she rested, it made him feel helpful, and warm… really warm.

"The time won't be wasted though," Jiraiya continued, starting to walk again. "I'll use my time on you as we travel."

"On me?"

"The time to make you strong… Training!" Jiraiya declared.

"Yosh!!" Naruto grinned and slipped off his bag, trying not to disturb Kari. After a bit of rummaging with one hand (the other keeping Kari steady) he pulled out the green latex thing Gai had given him.

"Matte, matte, matte, don't wear that, come on…" Jiraiya mumbled, crouching in front of Naruto, Kita jumping sleepily onto Jiraiya's head and making a nest out of his spiky white hair. "I don't want to walk with a guy wearing something like that…" Naruto felt Kari stir and was immediately distracted.

"Kari-chan!" Jiraiya took this opportunity to snatch the horrible green latex and shove it into Naruto's bag, zipping up and out of sight.

"She's awake?" Jiraiya asked, as Naruto set her down, Kita jumping sown and rushing to Kari's side.

"Kari-chan daijoubu ka, dattebayou?" Naruto asked quietly. She didn't answer and just stared directly in front of her. After a long minute she blinked.

"Where's Sasuke?" she asked, her voice croaky. She looked up at Jiraiya and then slowly round at Naruto, her eyes dim and dark.

"We're going to find this Tsunade lady and she's going to make you both better!" Naruto cried while Kita nodded.

"Sou ka…" she placed her hands on the ground to push herself up but was stopped by sharp pains.

"You didn't wrap her?" Jiraiya scolded.

"You didn't tell me to! You're the adult dattebayou!" Naruto retorted.

"If I'd tried to I would've been accused of being a pervert wouldn't I!" Jiraiya snapped back.

"Turn around Ero-sennin!" Naruto demanded, pointing behind Jiraiya. The Sannin grumbled and walked a little ways away, sitting on a rock and sulking like a child.

"Gaki." Jiraiya scoffed, Kita bounding after him to console the upset man.

"This might hurt a little Kari-chan, Ero-sennin said your arm and ribs are broken and Gai-sensei said you'd hurt your back," Naruto said gently, rummaging in his bag and pulling out a large roll of bandages. He pulled off her gloves and carefully wrapped her arm, upset by the dark bruising that spread from her wrist which had swollen to twice its size. He could see where each of Itachi's fingers had been on Sasuke's wrist. With that done, he lifted her shirt and wrapped her from the waist up to her collarbone, Kari not making a sound.

"Are you done yet?" Jiraiya called, not turning round.

"Urusai!" Naruto retorted. "Does anything else hurt Kari-chan?" Naruto asked eying the bruises around her throat. She shook her head, and though he didn't believe her, he let it drop, knowing she was very fragile right now. He pulled his bag back on and lifted her onto his back, trudging towards his grumpy sensei.

"Arigatou… Naruto…" Those simple words cheered him up slightly, but his heart stung at how sad her voice was.

_

* * *

_

-----**x**----

"Ne, ne, Ero-sennin dattebayou! Let's start training dattebayou!" Naruto said to his sensei.

"Don't be so hasty, give Kari-chan a chance to rest a little more before you train," Jiraiya said simply. "This journey will be pointless if we don't ask around for information on Tsunade as we train."

"Ask around for information?"

"At his city," Jiraiya said as Naruto ran over to the fence.

"Woaaaah! Look Kari-chan!!" he cried looking down at all the people. He grinned at her and she managed a weak smile. She reached into her bag and pulled out the ribbon the Hokage had given her, wrapping it around her ears. They wasted no time heading into the city, Naruto looking around at everything. "Wow I've never been to a place like this before!" Kita looked around amazed from the top of Jiraiya's head.

"Playing is important too. Get plenty of rest and then we can move on to training," Jiraiya said with a grin. "The festival is going to last a while, so we're going to stay here while it goes on. We're going to do our training here too. Maybe get Kari a kimono so she'll be more comfortable, you know how girls love that sort of stuff."

"Yatta!" Naruto cried in delight, pulling off his bag and pulling out his frog… purse. He was a guy… with a purse. Only Naruto could get away with that…

"Oho! You're pretty rich!" Jiraiya cried pointing at the very fat frog. "You're as rich as a millionaire!"

"I have a lot of money since I saved up little by little with my missions," Naruto said looking at his purse adoringly. "Ja mata!"

"Matte! Naruto!" Jiraiya cried, grabbing hold of him, careful not to hurt Kari.

"Eh?! Na! Na! What are you doing dattebayou!" Naruto cried, trying to grab it back. "You can use this much."

"Nani?! Only 300 ryou?! You said I could buy Kari-chan a kimono!!" Naruto whined.

"Fine, here's some for the kimono. And don't 'Naniiii?!' me! You know there's something called the three taboos of a ninja right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Three taboo's of a ninja? What are those?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"You don't know? The three taboos of the ninja are the three desires that make ninja go bad. The three desires are alcohol, money and women." Kari shot him an offended look.

"Then it doesn't have much to do with me!" Naruto cried. "I'm not twenty, so I can't drink alcohol. And I'm not really sure about this desire for women." Kari smiled, finding his innocence adorable. "And it took a lot of effort to save up that money, I don't want to use a lot of it."

"Baka! Don't take the desire for money lightly!" Jiraiya scolded. "Once you start using it, you'll begin to use more! The magical power of money is quite scary. The person we're looking for, Tsunade, has nearly ruined her life because of it."

"You're easily tempted by the desire for women Ero-sennin," Naruto said grumpily.

"I'm going to go ask around now, here take my pack," He gave Naruto his bag. "Even if you get lost, a pursuing-purpose frog summon will follow my scent. Or you can use Kita." Naruto huffed and stuck his tongue out. Kari got down from his back and Naruto grabbed her hand running off, Kita quickly following.

'_Ha, they're still kids,'_ Jiraiya thought fondly. _'You might not know much about the desire of women Naruto, but I think you'll realise it with Kari-chan in the future…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne, what do you want to do first Kari-chan?" Naruto asked excitedly. The buzz of the festival seemed to have cheered her up, for the most part.

"I don't know, I've never been to a festival before. Whatever you want to do," Kari said simply, looking around at everything.

"Let's go get your kimono then, give you a real festival experience!" Naruto said with a grin.

"You don't have to—Wah! Naru!" Kari cried as she was dragged into a shop.

"Obachan! I need a pretty kimono for my friend here!" Naruto cried to the lady at the desk. The middle age woman peered at Kari through her glasses and then beamed quite scarily.

"Yosh! Please follow me!" the lady cried, grabbing Kari's unbroken wrist and dragging her along. Kari was horrified as she was stripped of her outer clothes and shoved onto a stool. She felt like she was getting a freaking wedding dress! "You're awfully lucky having a boyfriend that wants to buy you a nice kimono," the lady said, making conversation as she held up various colours.

"Naru?" Kari asked, before giggling (and slightly wheezing due to her ribs). "Wait I have an idea!"

"Yes dear?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kari-chan! Look! Look!" Naruto cried, rushing over to her in his orange and black male kimono. The member of staff behind him was grumbling about the orange.

"You look great Naru," Kari said, ruffling his hair fondly.

"You look pretty too dattebayou, Kari-chan," Naruto said, blushing slightly. She smiled embarrassed, her rosy cheeks darkening. She wore a sky blue kimono with a sunny yellow obi, the blue material with some slightly darker swirls in it.

"It matches you see, the blue for your eyes, and the yellow for your blonde hair," Kari said causing Naruto to grin.

"It really brings out the blue in her eyes don't you think young man? Yet at the same time brings out the green and grey shades, and the colours work so well don't you think?" the woman asked, her slightly scary smile back in place. They both nodded so not to upset her and paid for the others kimono and the sandals they needed to go with it.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"It feels like a real festival now, ne Kari-chan?" Naruto said happily. Their hitai-ate were in their bags for the festival, Kita trotting along behind them taking in the sights.

"Hai, you didn't have to pay for my kimono though," Kari replied, still embarrassed yet touched by the gesture.

"It's your first festival, it has to be special! And I'm your first date, to your first festival dattebayou!" Naruto said with a grin. "When I'm Hokage I'm going to make a festival just for you."

"Naruto, you can't do that!" Kari said blushing.

"I can and I will," Naruto said with a wider grin. Luckily, Kari was saved by a growl from Naruto's stomach. "Next up, food!!" Kari giggled and Kita's ears perked. He ran up to the nearest stall, dragging her by the hand, Kita quickly following after them, being rather hungry herself. "Ojiichan! Three takiyaki please!" Naruto darted to the next place, ordering three of everything. "Potato with butter!" He darted to the next place. "I want a chocolate coated banana!" Naruto cried. Kari go chocolate coated strawberries (she hated bananas) and Kita didn't have any, as she was a small pup and doubted she'd be able to eat that with everything else. "Three loads of apricot candy!" And finally they reached the last place. "Three Okonomiyaki!" Wait, no Naruto found another place. "Ojiichan! Three big yakisoba!"

"Yosh! You seem to have bought a lot there kiddo, you're not going to eat all that between the three of you are you?"

"Hm? Yeah we're going to eat it all ourselves," Naruto said, not seeing the problem with the large amount of food he and Kari were carrying.

"Here you go," the man said simply. Naruto grabbed it and shoved it in his bag. He thanked the man and took Kari's hand again. They found a field with a slight hill.

"Let's have a picnic dattebayou!" Naruto cried in delight.

"Yosha!" Kari and Kita cried in delight as they all sat down and dug in to their food with a happy 'Ittadekimasu!!'

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ughh, I think I ate too much," Naruto said, holding his round belly. It was a good thing they had their kimonos on…

Kari leaned against his shoulder. She too had over indulged and was slightly bloated, which was surprising due to her usually very small appetite (not including sweet stuff of course) but when she slowed down, Naruto protested and picked up some of his own food with his chopsticks, feeding her himself. She had giggled and they ended up feeding each other most of the rest of their meal, feeding Kita too. Kari couldn't help but find it absolutely adorable how round Kita's tummy currently was. She was lying on her back, her front paws resting on her bloated stomach.

"I wonder how everyone's doing…" Kari said, her expression saddening. She felt bad that she was having a wonderful time without them. As if by instinct, Naruto wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to his side.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, Sakura-chan… I'm going to train everyday and come home strong!" Naruto declared.

"Me too," Kari said with a slight smile, resting her head on his chest.

"But before that, I have to work off the food," Naruto said with a grin. "How can you eat all that and stay skinny Kari-chan?"

"Ninja have fast metabolisms, you don't seem to put on any weight either," Kari said with a giggle.

"Let's go play games!!"

"But your so comfy…" Kari whined.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yosha!! Perfect!" Kari and Naruto cried as they hit their targets dead on. They grinned as the people watching them applauded. Shuriken training made these games pretty easy.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Haaa! Kid you suck!" the man said as Naruto once again failed to catch a fish, breaking the net each time. Kita watched amazed as the little fish swam about, determined to escape capture.

"You just watch!" Naruto cried quickly making hand signs but the man stopped him and pointed to a sign. "To ninja's… The use of ninja techniques is prohibited?"

"Leave it to me Naru," Kari said confidently. "So kiddo, which one was it you wanted?" Kari asked to the little girl crouched beside her. She smiled and plumped to a plump fish, with black, orange and white splotches. With a swift dip of the paper net, she caught the fish with ease causing her to be applauded. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her and she giggled handing the girl her fish.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne! Ne! Let's get masks!" Naruto cried happily. He ran over to the man and bought three masks, immediately, putting his on. Kari put Kita's round her neck, so it sat at the side and wasn't uncomfortable. Kari put her to the side of her head so she could still see. Naruto started walking and tripped over a rock, falling flat on his face.

"You shouldn't walk with the mask on," the man said simply.

"Ite-e, Naruto grumbled, putting the mask to the side of his head before looking up. His eyes widened as he noticed a book lying in front of him. "It's Ero-sennin's check book…" Naruto said picking it up, Kari crouching beside him to see if he was hurt. "One, ten, hundred, thousand… There are a lot of zero's dattebayou!!" Naruto squeaked his mouth falling open. "He could've treated us to something if he had this much! Cheapskate!"

"Naruto-kun, you shouldn't look through Jiraiya-sama's stuff, it could scar you," Kari scolded, poking him in the side of the head as he put everything back in the bag. They stood up and Naruto dug into his pocket.

"I only have a little left… I guess the next stand will be our last…" Naruto sighed. Kari had paid for half of everything, but he didn't want her to pay for him. Naruto grinned and ran up to a stand.

"Me and Kita can't eat anything else Naru, we're stuffed," Kari said grinning awkwardly.

"Ojiichan! Give me two grilled squids, and make one a large adult size!" Naruto cried.

"Kid, buying something for your parents? Good boy!" the man cried. "I'll give you th kid size for free!"

"Arigatou Ojiichan! You're great!" Naruto cried in delight.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Kari said from next to him.

"Yosh! Fifty percent off the adult one too!"

"Thank you!!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Geez, where did he go?" Naruto grumbled as they looked around, Kari carrying Kita who was snoring lightly. They heard a deep slightly insane laugh. "Is that Ero-sennin?" They lifted the flap and went inside.

"Ha ha! I just love the young girls!" Jiraiya chuckled in delight, a pretty woman either side of him. "Oh? Naruto, Kari-chan? You've enjoyed all the festival already?" Jiraiya asked taking a sip of sake. Naruto looked down depressed at his completely empty frog purse.

"Say the three taboos of the ninja to yourself again dattebayou!!" Naruto screeched in Jiraiya's face as Kari let Kita down and padded over to the table, lifting up the sake. She sniffed it and cringed. She wondered what it tasted like… "You broke all three in one go!! BAKA!!" The girls squealed and ran away from the angry boy.

"Matte, Naruto!" Jiraiya cried.

"I'm not going to wait dattebayou!! You spent all the money I worked so hard to save!!" Naruto cried, pounding Jiraiya on the head while Kari decided to give into her curiosity and try the sake. "Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka, baka, baka!! You made my frog wallet flat!!"

"Yamete! I'll pay you back!" Jiraiya whined. Naruto was so busy pounding him he didn't realise a grilled squid flew out of his hand.

"What the hell?! Whatcha doing, fool?!" a man cried causing Kari to snigger before hiccoughing.

"Eh?" Naruto asked looking around.

"You put a stain on Bro's brand-name suit!" the hysterical man cried beside his stony looking boss. "Pay for it! Get 100,000 ryou!!"

"HA?! Clothes like that cost 100,000 ryou?!" Naruto screeched.

"That stupid looking thing costs 100,000? That's a little on the high side don't you think?" Jiraiya asked, causing Kari to giggle again.

"What are you trying to pick a fight? You shouldn't for your own sake," the one that seemed to be the boss said.

"Bro is a former Chuunin from the Hidden village of Rock, he's the killer ninja who was feared as a legendary Yaminin!" the other man piped up.

"Heh? Legendary? What?" Jiraiya scoffed.

"It looks like you wanna get hurt!" the boss cried angrily. He glanced at Kari, who was still giggling. "If you don't want to die, hand over that girl as payment!" Kari scoffed and then giggled madly. Jiraiya stood up.

"Naruto, Kari. This is a good opportunity to show you a technique," Jiraiya said.

"Can't I zap –hic- 'em?" Kari asked.

"EH?! Did you drink that sake?!" Jiraiya squeaked. Kari shrugged and Jiraiya turned his attention back to the men. "Watch carefully." Jiraiya held his hand out and a swirling ball of Chakra formed in his hand.

"BASTARD!" the man shouted, lunging at Jiraiya. The Sannin thrust his hand into the mans middle sending him spinning backwards like a windmill into the other man, out the shop and into an old mans stall.

"Sugoii!!" Naruto cried.

"I went easy on you, but you guys sure are weak," Jiraiya said, looking at the two men lying on the ruined stall. The man gasped, struggling to sit up.

"A-are you the legendary…?!" the man choked out.

"I'm sorry I broke your stall," Jiraiya apologised.

"Take this for repairs…" the boss man said, handing Jiraiya his wallet before collapsing again.

"Oyaji, I'm going to take all the water balloons and regular ones too, is that okay with you?" Jiraiya said, handing the puzzled man the money.

"I don't mind," the man replied warily.

"That wasn't just a palm thrust… What was that technique dattebayou?" Naruto said slowly to Kari, eying the boss mans wound which was like a swirl.

"It was pretty…" Kari said thoughtfully and then giggled.

"Daijoubu ka?" Naruto asked while Kita tilted her head at her mothers perculiar behaviour.

"Hai! But I can't use my arm, so you'll have to hold this hand!" Kari said grabbing his hand while smiling rather dopily.

"Eh… she had some sake, and that was pretty strong stuff…" Jiraiya said awkwardly as Kari simply grinned at him. "Come on you three, we're going to train."

"Hai!" they all cried.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yosh! We're finally in training mode dattebayou!" Naruto cried in delight.

"Here's a water balloon," Jiraiya said, handing one to both Naruto and Kari. Kita fished one out the bag and started pushing it with her nose and paws.

"What about it, dattebayou?" Naruto asked as Kari looked at hers happily, throwing it in the air and catching it with her right hand.

"You watched that technique carefully right?" Jiraiya asked. Both nodded as Kita chased the escaping water balloon. "What kind of technique did it look like?"

"Hm, I think the enemy was rotating a lot…" Naruto said puzzled.

'_He wasn't looking at the right place…'_ Jiraiya thought with a strained grin. _'But I guess that's good enough.'_

"Hai, rotation is involved," Jiraiya said, holding up his own water balloon where it was like the water was trying to push through it, making the balloon look like it was quickly growing and retracting spikes.

'_He's making the water in the balloon rotate without moving his hand?'_ Naruto thought balloon exploded causing Naruto to gasp.

"With the tree climbing exercise, you accumulated and maintained Chakra in one specific area. With the water walk exercise, you released a constant amount of Chakra. You did those two previously correct? Oi! Kari-chan stop looking at butterflies!" Jiraiya said with a slight whine, noticing Kari was distracted by the brightly coloured insect. He sighed as she giggled and turned her attention back to him. He should have watched his sake…

"You were saying?" Kari prompted.

"This time, for the water balloon exercise, you're going to create a flow with Chakra. Simply put, a rotation." Jiraiya said.

"A flow with Chakra?" Naruto asked.

"I'll tell you the details of the technique once you're able to complete the basics," Jiraiya said. "First, you accumulate and maintain Chakra in your hand, like you did in the tree climbing exercise. Next, you release a constant amount of Chakra like in the water walk exercise. Finally, you push and rotate the water inside the balloon. These are the things you must do in this exercise."

"Wakatta dattebayou!" Naruto cried happily and Kari just grinned, "This training is to create a fast rotation inside the balloon and make it pop, right?"

"You're getting sharper," Jiraiya complimented. Kita yelped when her balloon exploded, covering her in cold water. She shook herself off and dove into Jiraiya's bag for another one. "Yosh! We're going to train until night!"

"Yes sir!!"

And their training began.

* * *


	59. Watashino Kangaedeha

**A/N:** Gomenasai minna-san! I've been away for a while, but I have an RE, English, Maths and Biology exam to blame for that. And I've still got all the rest to do -sits in a depressed little corner- but I did go iceskating for the first time Saturday and didn't fall over! I screamed a lot and the wall was my best friend :) It was hot today and I didn't tan -sighs- I still look like a vampire. Ack, I want to get Tsunade into the fic so they can all go back to Konoha, I actually want to write Shippuuden but thats not until the sequel... Oh and I think the fanfiction Document editer thing hates me, I put in line breaks and everything will go centered, italicised or bold u.u

Disclaimer: If you don't know who Masashi Kishimoto-san is, you cannot call yourself a lover of Naruto.

Claimer: All things not in the original Naruto plot belong to me.

* * *

_**Watashino Kangaedeha**_

_**In My Thoughts**_

_Despite the distance,_

_He lingered in her thoughts,_

_And she worried about him,_

_Hating herself for being absent from his side._

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**-----_

* * *

"Yatta!! It's rotating dattebayou!" Naruto declared joyously. Kari grumbled and stared at her balloon. "I think I'll be able to pop this easier than I thought dattebayou!"

"Then I'll rest for a while until you pop it," Jiraiya said simply, sitting against a tree and allowing Kita to fall asleep on his knee. "With this to accompany me," Jiraiya said pulling out an oddly shaped bottle.

"Oi! What is that?!" Naruto cried.

"I need it to kill time. Then I'll take a nap… Are?" Jiraiya looked to his hand to see the bottle gone. "Kari!!" he cried, snatching it back from her while she sniffed it curiously.

"Heh! At this rate you won't even have a chance to nap!" Naruto said confidently.

"Do you really think so? Wake me up when you pop it then," Jiraiya said simply. "Take it easy Kari-chan, you're still recovering from pretty nasty injuries."

"Che!"

"You just wait! I might be able to master the move today if I can keep this up," Naruto said, while Kari glared at her balloon, feeling it begin to spin.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Hours later, they were bathed in a golden glow as the sun came to the end of setting, just peeking out from behind the city. Jiraiya was snoring away three bottles on the ground, Kita fast asleep on his chest, having found the vibrations of his snoring funny. Kari and Naruto were exhausted, and had failed to pop the water balloons.

"Aah… Mou… WHY DOESN'T IT POP, DATTEBAYOU?!" Naruto shrieked.

"Huh? Oh? You were able to do it?" Jiraiya asked, waking up with a jolt and sitting up, Kita rolling back down to his knee.

"Eh… Well, how should I explain…? I didn't quite do it, demo…" Naruto said sheepishly.

"Well, looks like I had a nice long sleep instead of a short nap," Jiraiya said simply.

"Ano sa, ano sa! How do I do this so it will pop?" Naruto asked as Kari simply glared at her balloon, deciding her annoyance could pop it.

"I told you that I can't give you any details until the balloon pops!" Jiraiya reminded. "Heh, okay. Usually you're meant to find out the trick by trying different methods over and over and master the know-how of this technique on your own. But I'll give you a little tip for this technique. Try rotating the water."

"Hai!" Naruto cried, immediately following the instruction, Kari watching interested.

"Clockwise or counter clockwise? Which direction did you imagine rotating the water?

"Huh? Anou… Counter clockwise?"

"Come here for a second," Jiraiya said, grabbing Naruto's head and looking down at his head. "Yappari."

"Nani?" Naruto grumbled.

"You're a clockwise rotation type," Jiraiya said simply.

"Clockwise?"

"To mould Chakra you need to mix two energies, so everyone unconsciously rotates those energies and moulds Chakra. During that process, the direction of the rotation, clockwise or counter clockwise, differs amongst people. So, for this exercise, if you imagine the rotational direction opposite of what is within you inside the water balloon, the flow of Chakra will branch and repel, so the rotation doesn't speed up. You're supposed to figure that out from your senses normally."

"Demo sa, demo sa, how did you find out I was a clockwise type?" Naruto asked.

"The whorl of hair on your head!" Jiraiya said matter-of-factly. "If your whorl is clockwise, then you're a clockwise type, if it's counter clockwise you're a counter clockwise type. Easy, isn't it?"

"So my whorl is clockwise?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah! So when you imagine a rotation, imagine a clockwise rotation."

"I was never concerned about such a thing before, so…" Naruto said defensively.

"But this technique is very suited to you, you don't have to form any seals, you only need Chakra. So there's no need to remember any tedious seal formations. Even a baka can do this," Jiraiya said grinning.

"I'm not a baka, dattebayou!!" Naruto shouted offended. "I'm the man who's going to become Hokage someday! This is going to be easy now I know the trick! I can master this technique in three days now dattebayou!

"Three days eh?"

"This is a ninja technique that the Yondaime Hokage left. It took him three whole years for Yondaime to complete this technique. This technique's difficulty is ranked second highest out of six levels. It's an A-rank super-high ninja technique level. To master this technique you need to go through a three step training regimen. This water balloon popping exercise is the first step."

'_The genius ninja, Yondaime, took… three years?'_ Naruto thought.

"But then again there's no point explaining any more to a guy who can't even complete the first step. You try on your own now, I'll go back to the city. I have to gather some information. What will you three do?" Jiraiya asked.

'_A-rank difficulty to master… The ninja technique the Yondaime left…'_ Naruto thought. He grinned. "I won't go back yet!" Naruto cried.

"I'll come back when he does," Kari said, picking up her balloon again.

"Ja ne, don't overwork yourself. Especially you Kari-chan."

It was much, much later when they finally returned to their hotel room, Jiraiya having not come back yet. They changed and Naruto immediately snuggled up to her and fell asleep. But Kari lay awake, looking out the window.

'_Kashi… Sasuke… Do you still hurt as much as I do?'_

That thought haunted her, and chased sleep away. She lay drowning in guilt that she wasn't there for them, staring ahead, as she tried to chase images from that jutsu out of her mind. It proved useless however, and she couldn't keep back her silent tears.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Naruto yawned and reached out so that he could pull Kari to him. He was met by bed sheets however and sat up groggily, looking around for her. Kita looked up sleepily, jumping onto Naruto's shoulder.

"Ohayo Naru, gomen I was in the shower," Kari said, she was still in her sleeping clothes of a tank top and shorts, not wanting to make noise searching for her clothes and wake up Naruto. Naruto nodded sleepily, his sleeping cap bobbing with the movement of his head. "Want to go get breakfast?" he perked up and stood, going to the door.

"Nya!" they were greeted by a tubby white and brown cat that curled itself around Kari's ankles before she picked it up.

"Oi! Shun! We're meant to be going down," A lady scolded the cat, which was making itself comfortable in Kari's arms. Kita huffed, slightly offended.

"Ne, ne, where's the toilet?" Naruto asked.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"We don't have time to waste three years," Naruto said. They had head out to the clearing they had trained in yesterday as soon as they were clean, fed and changed. "Yosha! I'm going to work hard on my training today!" Naruto cried.

"Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!!" Naruto cried, making the water rotate inside the balloon. Kari concentrated on her own balloon, saying in her mind what Naruto was saying out loud. "Why isn't it popping dattebayou?" Naruto asked with a sigh as Kari glared at her balloon.

* * *

_-----__**x**-----_

* * *

"Kuso! It's been three days already since we heard the trick from Ero-sennin. The rubber is stretching out a lot but why isn't it popping!" Naruto said through his pants. Kari had tried rotating it both ways, but couldn't really tell a difference, so decided to just stick with clockwise. "What am I doing differently than Ero-sennin dattebayou?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari sighed silently, Jiraiya's snores filling the room. Their futons were all together in h small room, but Naruto was adamant that he slept between Kari and Jiraiya to 'protect' her. Kita usually slept on Jiraiya's chest. Kari had yet to sleep and would simply lay awake with Naruto tangled up to her, sleeping soundly with her near him. He would always either curl around her, or just curl up to her. He'd either sleep with his head on her chest, or sleep with her head on his chest, the top of her head under his jaw. But his arms would always be around her. That particular night, Naruto had slept on his back and pulled Kari partially on top of him, her head resting in the crook of his neck. There arms were around each other, Naruto peacefully in his dreams, while Kari's guilt and insomnia plagued her.

With a snore and a grunt, Jiraiya's arm stretched and landed on Naruto's gut startling him awake.

"Ugh… smells like alcohol," Naruto mumbled, sitting up and covering his nose. Kari sighed softly, having been brought into a sitting position when Naruto had moved. "You still look tired Kari-chan," Naruto said surprised.

"I'm fine," Kari said softly. "I'm going for a shower."

* * *

_-----**x**-----_

_

* * *

_

After their morning ritual of showering and dressing, Kari first, then Naruto, they woke Kita and headed to breakfast.

"Ittadekimasu!" Naruto said happily going to digging in. But when he tried to lift his chopsticks, his hand stiffened and he dropped them. "Are?" He tried twice more, unable to use them. "AA! Mou!!" Naruto whined. "Kuso, nande dattebayou?!" he looked up when Kari held out rice on chopsticks for him. Her hand was shaking but she'd managed to pick up her chopsticks. She supposed it was because she used her hands more.

"Eat up Naru-kun, I don't think I can hold them long," Kari said smiling. He opened his mouth and she placed the food in his mouth before drawing back and taking a mouthful of her own. Naruto glanced at her, seeing how her bowl was still on the table, her wrist still sore. His expression saddened and then lit with determination. _'We'll find that old doctor lady Kari-chan, and then you won't hurt anymore…'_

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__-----_

* * *

After breakfast both headed to separate toilets, Kari coming out first and waiting patiently outside. She watched Shun the cat play with one of Naruto's water balloons.

"Hey that's not one of your toys," Naruto said to the cat that was rolling the balloon between its front paws. It meowed in alarm when the balloon burst shooting up into Kari's arms for protection. Kita huffed at the stupid cat, annoyed that it was bothering her mother. "That's it!" Naruto cried. Kari looked at him confused. "Listen Kari-chan, this is how you do it…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"It's time to wake up. Oi, Ero-sennin," Naruto cried to the snoring man. "Good… good timing, bring me some water…"

"Mizu?" Naruto asked smirking. He pulled out a balloon and made it pop, the water splashing onto Jiraiya's face. "We've cleared the first step dattebayou."

"Cleared? Then show me," Jiraiya said sleepily, rubbing his face dry with a towel.

"Yosh, watch closely!" Naruto cried, holding the balloon out in front of him. Kari nodded and pulled out her own balloon and concentrated on it.

'_He's using his left hand?'_ Jiraiya thought to himself unimpressed. Preparing Chakra with his right hand, Naruto then rapidly pawed at the balloon like the cat had done, making the rubber stretch in all directions before bursting. Kari was restricted to using one hand due to her healing left wrist, but she too managed to make it stretch before bursting.

"See?! See?!" Naruto cried in delight looking over at his sensei. "AAH?! He's sleeping?!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sumimasen, sumimasen, I'm tired from the information gathering I've been doing these last few days and nights."

'_That's really doubtful, he still smells like alcohol,'_ Naruto thought.

'_But I'm surprised he came up with the idea of holding the water balloon in his left hand and hitting it with his right hand multiple times to rotate the water inside. It's a weird idea, but interesting. Kari managed to do it too, but in the original way.'_ Jiraiya thought with an impressed smile.

"Yes, yes… Good job for coming up with the idea. It's all thanks to me," Jiraiya said simply.

"It's thanks to him actually!" Naruto said as Shun the cat jumped onto Kari's lap next to Kita. The wolf eyed him sceptically but was taken by surprise when shun rubbed his face against hers purring. "I saw him playing with the water balloon and noticed something. Since he hit it with his front legs so many times, the water inside was rotating in multiple directions. Then an idea struck me."

"What kind of idea?" Jiraiya asked.

"I remembered that when you first popped the balloon for me, the balloon had a lot of bumps on it. Until now, I've been rotating the water in only one direction. I realised that your water balloon became bumpy because you were rotating the water inside in many directions, Ero-sennin. So after thinking up some ideas, me and Kari-chan got it to pop!" Naruto cried slinging an arm around her shoulders in a one-armed hug.

'_It looks like he still can't make his Chakra rotate randomly with one hand, but Kari can. But he came up with a good idea.'_

"We rule, dattebayou," Naruto said grinning.

"You've both completed the first step for now," Jiraiya congratulated.

"Yosha!" Naruto cried jumping to his feet. "Do you want me to show you again? Again?" Naruto paused and winced, Kari flinching as well.

'_Overuse of Chakra must be hurting their Chakra circulatory system now. But the next step won't be so easy…'_ Jiraiya thought.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Okay, now we'll start with the second step," Jiraiya said unenthusiastically. After he'd eaten his breakfast and dressed, an impatient Naruto dragged him out to begin training, Kari and Kita following behind.

"Yatta! Finally some real training dattebayou!" Naruto cheered.

"Here," Jiraiya said tossing them a rubber ball each. Kita immediately started playing with it, absolutely fascinated. It was so much better than those exploding water balloons.

"A rubber ball?" Naruto asked. "Uhh! Another boring exercise?"

"This time, you have to pop this," Jiraiya said, holding up his own rubber ball while Kari turned hers in her hands trying to figure out how thick the rubber was. Jiraiya easily burst it. "it's about a hundred times tougher than the water balloon," Jiraiya explained making Kari's eye twitch in annoyance. Both she and Naruto immediately tried out the techniques they'd used on the water balloon but found it barely stretched out at all.

"It is tough…" Naruto murmured.

"The first step is emphasised rotation, the second step is emphasised power, since there's no water inside, it's difficult to imagine the rotation of Chakra so it's difficult to rotate your Chakra," Jiraiya explained. "So keep that in mind."

"We have to find out the trick for it again?" Naruto mumbled to himself while Kari sighed slightly. The sleepless nights were really taking their toll.

"Now then, I'll go gather some information!" Jiraiya said perkily, turning to leave.

"Ha?! Matte, matte, matte!" Naruto cried. "Let's train together dattebayou, we haven't done that in a while! You can take a nap here!"

"Don't demand attention like that" Jiraiya said rather coldly. "Maybe you have the wrong idea here, I said I would teach you a technique, but I have no obligation to teach you one on one. If you can't do it yourself, that's it for you. Stop acting like a kid, and act more like a professional ninja!"

"Then… Then… Can you at least teach me the trick like you did before?" Naruto asked.

"Money," Jiraiya said, holding his hand out.

"'_Act more like a professional ninja_'?!" Naruto shrieked. "You're just a dirty and greedy grown-up yourself! You're not a professional ninja at all!!" Kari dissolved into fits of hysterical giggles as Jiraiya walked off in a huff.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Night fell and neither Naruto nor Kari had managed to pop the ball. Both were exhausted, hands aching. Kita was fast asleep having been tossing the ball about and practicing hitting it with various points of her body like her tail. Kari sighed slightly, wishing she could use her other hand, but her wrist was still sore, even if the swelling had gone down for the most part.

"This is way harder than when we did it with the water balloon," Naruto said watching as Kari nodded in agreement. "My hands and arms hurt…" Naruto said in frustration unable to lift them.

"Me too Naru," Kari admitted. "Me too…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Two full days passed, and still they had no success. Kita had improved her reaction speed and her paw-eye co-ordination. Naruto dropped his ball and fell backwards into a sitting position.

"Chikusho, how many days have we been doing the same thing, over and over?" Naruto asked through his heavy breathing.

"Too many…" Kari replied, struggling to hold onto the ball with her shaking hand.

'_This technique's difficulty is ranked second highest out of six levels.'_

'_Don't demand attention like that. Maybe you have the wrong idea here.'_

"Kuso," Naruto grunted, standing back up.

"Oi, Naruto, Kari, Kita!" Jiraiya greeted.

"What do you want?" Naruto grumbled.

"Go buy me some food down at the city," Jiraiya said simply.

"Eh? Nande ore wa?" Naruto asked annoyed.

"You're trainees learning a technique from me, you know," Jiraiya reminded.

"Hmph!" Naruto scoffed while Kari sighed and tied the ribbon around her ears.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Here you go!"

"Arigatou Ojiichan," Naruto said grumpily. Kita had stayed behind with Jiraiya and Kari had come along with Naruto.

"He teaches us nothing but he acts like a teacher at times like this," Naruto mumbled. Kari smiled sadly and looped her arm with his.

"Otouchan, Otouchan please buy me ice-cream!" The little boys request caught Naruto's attention. "I want this one, the one that breaks in two!" Naruto felt the familiar pang of loneliness as he watched the scene, that ever constant reminder that he was an orphan.

"Here," the father said, breaking it in half and handing his son half of it.

"Eh? I can eat all of it!" The boy insisted.

"No, Okaasan is waiting at home with the meal she made," the father reminded.

"Hai!" they held hands and walked away talking and laughing happily. Kari looked sadly at Naruto, seeing he was upset. Her hand found his and their fingers laced together. Her head rested against his and she smiled softly.

"We've got each other Naru-kun," she reminded gently, causing him to grip her hand and smile slightly.

"And we always will."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ano sa, Ero-sennin," Naruto asked when they got back with Jiraiya's food. Kita was asleep under the shade of a tree. "Can you supervise our training, just a bit today?"

"I don't have time for that, I have to head for the city right after this," Jiraiya said, taking his food. "If you can't think and grasp the trick on your own you'll never master this." Kari looked down, knowing Naruto was hurt. She knew that she meant a lot to him, but she couldn't fill the empty space of a father. A sister perhaps, maybe on some occasions a mother somewhat. But she could never be a father. "I told you before; don't seek attention like a kid. You're a ninja." Kari was about to speak up and tell Jiraiya just how much of a selfish ignorant pig he was being but Naruto gave her hand a light squeeze and forced out a laugh.

"I don't need you to remind me I already know dattebayou! I just asked on a whim! Leave already, Ero-sennin" Naruto said in fake cheeriness. And seeing him have to pretend to be happy, it hurt Kari more than she could explain… He shouldn't have to pretend…

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

When Jiraiya got back, it was to find Naruto's arms wrapped in cold, wet towels, grimacing in pain as he slept. He wasn't able to hold Kari as his arms hurt so much, and it seemed to make him uneasy in his sleep. Kari was still awake and obviously sore, though did nothing for her own arms. She was holding Naruto gently, her arms wrapped around him. There was a bowl with two more towels not too far from the bed. No doubt she'd been taking care of him. She didn't look up as Jiraiya walked over, but then again she usually didn't. She always pretended she was sleeping. He guessed she was still bothered by the psychological attack on Sasuke and Kakashi, and that was why she couldn't sleep.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Damn it! It won't pop no matter how hard I try!" Naruto cried, the ball once again on the floor as he fell to his knees next to it. Kari's arms were extremely stiff and sore, from a lack of taking care of her self and could barely curl her hand around the ball. She'd been trying with her fractured arm, but wasn't getting far. Kita had been noticing their frustration lately, and felt down because she couldn't help. Her Okaasan was also clearly depressed, especially at night when she thought no one knew. But if Kita would wake in the night, which she sometimes would, she couldn't ignore the moonlight catching on her Okaasan's wet eyes. "I'm only leaking out Chakra like this dattebayou!"

'_Also… the more Chakra I transfer into the ball, the more pain I feel,'_ Naruto thought staring at his shaking hands. _'Which just doubles Kari-chan's pain… All because of one of those stupid things inside of her.'_

"The thing won't pop unless I make my Chakra explode in the blink of an eye," Naruto said to himself. "I get it now!" Naruto cried jumping to his feet. "Kari-chan! I can tell how much Chakra is flowing because of the pain. Then I'll bear with the pain until it's unbearable and make it…" Kari looked at him and nodded as they both grasped a rubber ball. Both began to build up their Chakra, doing their best to ignore their pain.

"Not yet… Not yet… Not yet…" Naruto grit his teeth against his pain as Kari struggled against hers. "Build up the Chakra… NOW!" Both began rotating, Kari with one hand as Naruto pawed at the ball with one of his hands. "This hurts like hell!!" Naruto shouted but was distracted at the sound of air being released from the ball.

"Oh? Looks like you made some progress," Jiraiya commented.

"I only made a hole in it, and it didn't pop like a balloon!" Naruto said looking at the puncture. Kari's rubber ball had a large tear in it, but also hadn't popped like a balloon.

"Don't act so tough, here," Jiraiya said, handing Naruto one of those ice-creams that broke in two. "Good job coming this far on your own." Naruto broke his ice cream in half and handed one to Kari while Jiraiya lost against Kita's puppy eyes and broke his in half to share with her.

"This is good!" Naruto cried happily, eating his in an incredibly short amount of time. Kari giggled at him, and happily shared hers with him, being a rather slow eater. They accidentally bumped noses and both burst into laughter Jiraiya smiling at their innocence and placing a hand on Kita's head.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

The birds chirped as usual, making music and bringing life to the light breeze. Sakura sat loyally at Sasuke's bedside, her sinking heart becoming heavier with each passing second. He hadn't woken and she had been here, day after day, being with him at any possible opportunity.

He had stirred a few times, mumbling something about Naruto, but mostly Kari's name would pass through his lips and his fingers would twitch, before any consciousness would leave him and he'd return to being silent and still.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered, her eyes burning when he didn't respond. "Kari-chan will be back soon. She'll find a way to make you better…" Sakura had also been worried about the other kunoichi on her squad. She knew Kari well enough to know if Sasuke was hurt, she wouldn't be in much better shape. But she'd heard Kari had gone on a mission with Jiraiya, Naruto and Kita.

Sakura had never realised before how much she depended on her team. They had a bond, like a family and they always seemed to be there when she was in need. But now she felt so utterly alone she wanted to cry. Sasuke and Kakashi were in hospital unconscious, and Naruto, Kari and Kita were away on a mission for who knows how long. It was tiles like this she regretted pushing Ino away.

"Kari…" It could have been her tired mind playing tricks, but she could've sworn that Sasuke had called for Kari again. She smiled despite the increasing burn in her eyes. Kari really was a wonderful person, loyal, friendly, strong and normally positive. She had that childish innocence that most lost quickly on the path of the shinobi. Kari had a way of befriending people with her charming personality, innocent curiosity and fierce determination. She was like a toned down, more sensitive female Naruto in a way. No wonder she had been able to break through Sasuke's shell where others had failed. But she still wished it had been her that Sasuke had let in. Wished it was her that Sasuke trusted. Wished it was her that Sasuke cared for.

"She'll be back soon Sasuke-kun," Sakura reassured. '_I hope…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I know, let's try something," Jiraiya said once they'd finished.

"Eh? Nani? Nani?" Naruto asked.

"Show me your right hand," Jiraiya said, taking Naruto's hand and then Kari's hand and painting a comma in the middle of their chakra rotating palms.

"What's this?" Naruto asked curiously while also glancing at Kari's hand and the identical comma mark. It was funny how it looked so much bigger on her tiny hands. Jiraiya removed his hand guards to show them the same symbol painted on his own hand. "It's the same mark, but how's it going to help?"

"You're the type of guy who got scolded for not being able to concentrate right?" Jiraiya asked, looking pointedly at Naruto.

"That doesn't matter now," Naruto huffed while Kari smiled fondly at him, knowing Jiraiya was completely right.

"Look at this piece of paper," Jiraiya instructed pulling out a small, blank piece of paper.

"I looked at it," Naruto said puzzled.

"Look at it again," Jiraiya said, turning it over to show a comma mark in the middle.

"What about it?" Naruto asked.

"It's not something I should go to great lengths explaining, but when you glanced at the plain white piece of paper you just glanced at the entire sheet right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Probably," Naruto said uninterested.

"Then where did you look when I showed you this?" Jiraiya asked, holding the piece with the swirly comma shape on it. "You most likely stared at the dot there. When humans look at a plain white sheet, they don't know where to look and their eyes wander. But if you put a dot in the middle, a person concentrates on that area. It's called focusing on a dot. When a person concentrates on something his mind stabilizes and he is able to extract unimaginable power."

"That makes sense," Kari agreed.

"When you opened a hole in that rubber ball you should have been desperately accumulating as much Chakra as possible in your right hand," Jiraiya continued when Naruto and Kari both nodded. "When you concentrate, you extract more power. But it's hard to concentrate without some sort of mark. This is where this thing comes in. Listen up you two. When you try to accumulate Chakra in your palm try to concentrate your mind on that mark

"Concentrate… Yosh dattebayou!" Naruto cried confidently.

"Ne, Naru your tongues gone blue," Kari said surprised. Jiraiya was torn whether to be annoyed at the distraction or amused by how childish she was.

"Hontou?" Naruto asked surprised trying to look at his tongue. Kari giggled at his serious cross-eyed expression. "Kari-chan your tongues blue too!"

"It was the ice-cream…" Jiraiya said, but alas he was ignored. Kari pulled the same face as Naruto, but she too was unable to see her tongue. Naruto grinned and licked her tongue causing her to squeak and blush.

"You taste like that ice-cream!" Naruto cried and Kari's embarrassment was overridden by the intense need to laugh. Jiraiya grumbled realising they weren't listening to him and bid his goodbyes to Kita, who was also trying to see whether her tongue was blue.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Concentrate…!" Naruto cried focusing and grimacing through the pain but once again only managed to make a puncture. "This won't do dattebayou…" Naruto sighed while Kari inspected her own with multiple tears before grimacing, flinging it over her shoulder and grabbing another one, throwing one to Kita in the process who was doing her own training to build up stamina. "It needs to go 'pop'!" Naruto said before throwing it on top of Kari's discarded ball, punctured and torn rubber balls littering the clearing.

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__-----_

* * *

They finished late once again, sore and tired. Naruto immediately fell asleep, tangling his limbs with Kari and snuggling so close it was like they were the same person. Kita was asleep on Kari's other side, light puppy snores coming from her as she was laying on her back but it was nothing compared to Naruto's snores. Kari smiled, glad he was there and glad he was the way he was. Naruto was the only person she felt truly comfortable letting her weakness show in front of. But she always waited until he was asleep, not wanting to upset him. Just being close to him kept her tears behind her lashes and stopped them from being able to fall.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kuso…" Kari and Naruto both grumbled, picking up yet another rubber ball. They trained all day while Jiraiya went into the city to gather information. Kita would train hard, taking random naps through the day so not to overwork herself. Naruto tried again but still only managed a puncture. He fell to his behind as kari fell to her side, both exhausted.

"Ne, ne! Daijoubu ka?!" Kita cried in alarm when they collapsed but knew it was the way ninja's were, and they would be fine after a short rest. Both nodded and panted.

"It's not working…" Naruto said disappointed. Kari crawled over and flopped next to him, resting against him. He rested his head against hers, feeling a dull thud at the contact. He looked at his sore hands and sighed sadly. Kari threaded her fingers through his, offering her comfort despite the pain she felt just by moving her hands. "Your hands are bleeding," he pointed out gently, but she ignored him, knowing he was stubborn when it came to being concerned for her. She wished he wouldn't worry, but it was his nature, and she loved him for it. "Kuso… What does it mean to concentrate?"

"A headache," Kari answered as Kita stretched out on their laps, wanting to join in their short break.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I'll be going now, I have to go gather information again," Jiraiya said the next morning.

"But you just got here," Naruto pointed out.

"I don't have time to waste," Jiraiya replied, walking away.

"Oi! Oi! Isn't there going to be master apprentice bonding over a game of catchball?!" Naruto cried in frustration in Jiraiya's lack of interest. "Kuso!" Naruto cried picking up a ball and flinging it at his sensei. A gleam shone in Jiraiya's eye and he turned and caught the ball effortlessly… between his teeth. He laughed with the ball still in his mouth.

"Hahahahaaaa! Strike!" Jiraiya said and then spat the ball out. "There catchball is over, ja ne" Jiraiya said laughing and walking away again. Naruto and Kari looked at each other, then back to Jiraiya's retreating back.

"Hn, we'll just forget about Ero-sennin and work hard on our own!" Naruto said huffily. And so they did, without success. Naruto was laying on his front the ground hot and tired Kari's head leaning on his back. She sat up with a sigh and he followed suit. "We have to concentrate more…" They concentrated as hard as they could, and an image popped into their head. They glanced at each other, seeing if they were thinking the same thing and then burst into hysterical laughter, tears running down their faces as they held their stomachs.

_Strike!_

_Strike!_

_Strike!_

_Strike!_

The image of Jiraiya with a rubber ball in his mouth. It was… beyond hilarious.

"The baka ero face keeps coming up! I can't concentrate!!" Naruto shrieked through his mad laughter. Even Kita had dissolved into giggles, her laugh like that of a five year old girl. Naruto fell on his back kicking his legs as he cackled, Kari holding her sides.

"Strike!!" they both cried before laughing even harder.

They eventually stopped laughing, with sighs and chuckles at the end. They were laying on their backs looking up at the sky, waiting as their hears slowed to a steady pace once more.

"Ne, Kari-chan your tears are clear," Naruto said, brushing one away wit hisfingertips and glancing at his fingers to make sure.

"I guess it's because I'm happy," she said simply, smiling at him.

"Then I don't mind these tears," Naruto said with a big grin and Kari smile widened.

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__-----_

* * *

"We have to do this…" Naruto said after they'd flopped down from exhaustion again. He went to sit up. "Ite-e!" He cried falling to his side, Kari immediately catching him from where she sat. "Ite-e… I can't mould Chakra with this pain…" Naruto said his head resting against her shoulder, her cheek pressed into his golden hair.

"I hurt too Naru…" she said softly, feeling tears prickle her eyes knowing he was in as much pain as she was. She laid him back down and he pulled her into his side, pulling his hitai-ate off to cool himself down. The wind unhinged some leaves from the trees, making them dance through the air. Both Kari and Naruto closed their eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind on their warm skin. They closed their eyes, relaxing. A leaf landed on Naruto's head and he looked up at it surprised.

"Hey Kari-chan I just thought of something…" Naruto said, sitting up.

"Hm?" she answered.

"I should've listened to Iruka-sensei more…" Naruto said and Kari giggled and sat up so she was beside him. "I'm such an idiot, but reflecting on my actions wont get me anywhere." He licked his thumb and smudged the comma slightly, before taking Kari's hand and doing the same. The blinked seeing he had turned the comma into a leaf symbol similar to that on the plates of their hitai-ate's. "It reminded me of something Iruka-sensei told me. Yosh! Let's do this Kari-chan!

"Hai!" Kari cried with the same determination as they each picked up a ball. Sensing Jiraiya watching them, Kita bounded over to his hiding place to see what he was up to. Closing their eyes Naruto and Kari concentrated as hard as they could building up their Chakra. One point. Concentrate… Concentrate… Concentrate!

"NOW!" Naruto cried as she immediately began rotating their Chakra so fast both rubber balls began to glow white. With a BOOM! They both exploded sending Naruto and Kari flying backwards. Dust and rocks flew around them as they skidded across the ground leaving a furrow where they slid. Finally, something stopped their slide and Naruto looked round to see Jiraiya, Kita on his shoulder.

'_What kids… They accumulated their Chakra so much it burned their hands…' _Jiraiya thought looking at Naruto's hand. _'They're full of surprises…'_

"It popped," Naruto said with a smirk as he looked around.

"Okay, it looks like the second step is complete," Jiraiya said happily.

"Great, let's start the third step…" Naruto said tiredly.

"That will have to wait, we're going to meet Tsunade now," Jiraiya said firmly.

"Kari-chan…" Naruto said looking at her worriedly. She was in front of him, her back pressed into his stomach. Jiraiya frowned slightly as he remembered clearly how she had darted in front of Naruto to protect him from the explosion on the blast. He was amazed how quickly she'd moved considering she'd been concentrating on the jutsu. But from the look of it, she'd been knocked out, but he couldn't tell with her hair falling over her face.

"Come on kiddo, easy does it," Jiraiya said pulling both into a sitting position. Kari shuddered from the movement, that long skid must have hurt her still tender sides. Jiraiya took her small hand in his own, to see the damage and was surprised to see her burns were worse and she hat cuts along her palm. _'Her Chakra must be a lot more concentrated…'_ "We'll go back to the hotel so you can get your things, then we're heading out."

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yosh! Let's go!" Jiraiya said perkily, pointing at the city they'd walked all the way to. Both Naruto and Kari were still quite sore and Kita was happily on Jiraiya's broad shoulder.

"Don't act like a child shouting 'let's go!'" Naruto grumbled.

"Are? You seem in a bad mood," Jiraiya said looking back at him.

"Because, because… We're still in the middle of my training!" Naruto shouted. "There are three steps in the training right? Me and Kari-chan have only completed two dattebayou!"

"Heh! You can do the third step as we walk," Jiraiya said pulling something out of his yukata.

"Are? Hontou?!" Naruto cried excitedly but his expression fell when he saw Jiraiya blowing up two balloons. He threw a green one to Naruto and a red stripy one to Kari before blowing up a third balloon. "It's just a balloon…"

"The first step was rotation. The second step was power. And finally, the third step is this." Jiraiya explained holding the balloon.

"What do you mean by 'this' dattebayou?!" Naruto cried, losing patience after two minutes of nothing happening.

"It looks like im just holding the balloon, but…" Jiraiya said with a grin.

"But what?! Nothing's happening!" Naruto shrieked. Kari's eyes narrowed her ears detecting a whirring sound.

"Then I'll do the same thing with my left hand," Jiraiya said simply. "Let's see what's happening inside the balloon."

"Sugoii," Naruto and Kari both gasped while Kita looked on amazed. "The Chakra's rotating randomly and it's getting faster dattebayou. But it's retaining a nice spherical shape."

"It looks like a small typhoon doesn't it," Jiraiya said with a smirk, glad he was impressing them.

"So the same thing is happening in your right hand?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, that's what's happening!" Jiraiya said happily.

'_Sugoii… he's rotating that much Chakra but the balloon isn't moving at all,'_ Kari thought amazed.

'_There's more power than when I popped the rubber ball and the rotation is also incredibly fast dattebayou.'_ Naruto thought.

"Listen up. In this third step, you must use 100 percent of the ability you learnt in the first two steps and retain it. In other words, you have to keep your Chakra's power and rotation at a maximum, create a thin layer within the balloon and create an image that your compressing Chakra into that layer.

"Wakatta dattebayou!" Naruto cried happily. "So this exercise is to keep the power of the rotation we learnt in the other two steps and not pop the soft balloon right?"

"Oho! You're sharper than ever."

"Matte, but why do you have to do that?" Naruto asked looking puzzled. Jiraiya threw his balloon to Kita who jumped and caught it in her paws before toppling over and rolling around giggling.

"This is why. Watch," Jiraiya said walking up to a tree. "If you do this after you've only completed two steps…" swirling his chakra into his palm he thrust it into the tree leaving a spiral shaped cut about half an inch deep. "Now _this_ is what happens after you've mastered the third step." He rotated his chakra into his palm but a lot faster and stronger than before. When he thrust it into the tree trunk it acted like a drill, drilling into the thick trunk. He pulled back, leaving a huge whole, as if some gigantic caterpillar had taken a big bight out of it. "If you can retain this small typhoon in your hand the power will not disperse. The rotation will become faster and the effect will become more concentrated and its destructive powers will become ultimate." Jiraiya grinned. "And that's how it is."

'_Yosh! I can do this too dattebayou!'_ Naruto thought grinning. He focused his Chakra and then pawed rapidly at the balloon. _'I have to retain it now! Retain it… Retain!' _Naruto's balloon then popped, the Chakra leaking out.

"You can't holdback the power," Jiraiya said. "You have to use 100 percent of its power and rotation and maintain it."

_'You've got to be kidding. This is impossible unless I can control 100 percent of my power. I understand now… this third step is way more difficult than the others were…'_

"Kari you give it a go," Jiraiya said, nodding at her balloon. She immediately did so, controlling her chakra and forcing it to rotate while trying to compress it. She grimaced through the pain and then yelped when it blue up in her face. Jiraiya sighed shaking his head. "Your Chakra doesn't like being forced into such a small shape…"

"Mm," Kari smiled sheepishly and spat out her tongue..

"I told you both, this is an A-rank, super-high-level ninja technique that's difficult to master. Now, I'm done with the explanation. You can practice while we walk."

"Eh? Ano sa, ano sa!" Naruto cried. "You don't need to hurry like that. We can spend a little more time and…"

"Even if we wanted to we wasted a lot of time waiting for you to heal. There is no guarantee Tsunade is going to stay in that city much longer."

"Eh-Eh! But! But!" Naruto protested as Jiraiya started walking away.

"It's not like she's going to meet someone she knows and have a long talk about old times," Jiraiya said, not bothering to look back.

"Fine…" Naruto scoffed. Kari smiled and linked her arm with his giving him a tug so that he would follow Jiraiya and Kita.

"Don't worry Naru, we'll have that jutsu down in no time," Kari said encouragingly. He grinned at her, but didn't miss the darkness underneath her eyes, the paleness of her face, or the weight she'd slowly begin to lose.

'_She's worried dattebayou…'_

* * *

_-----**x**-----_

_

* * *

_

"Tsunade is short tempered and impatient you know," Jiraiya said as they looked up at the sign saying 'Tanzaku City'. Naruto tried to retain his Chakra but the balloon burst sending Naruto to his behind. "Oi Naruto, you don't have time to lie on the ground, we have to hurry or we won't know where that bad tempered woman is going to go," Jiraiya said while Kita giggled softly.

Kari sighed, she hoped they would find Tsunade here, she still had that strange bond, and until Kakashi and Sasuke were healed she would be in a weakened state and these headaches would continue to plague her.

"Oi! Ero-senin!" Naruto cried jumping to his feet and pointing accusingly at Jiraiya. "Is that appropriate to say to an apprentice that is working hard? Me and Kari-chan are training dattebayou!"

"Urusai, Tsunade comes first right now," Jiraiya said simply. "Kari, you should take a break, you look like the walking dead."

"Geez, what's up with him?" Naruto asked. "What kind of kunoichi is this Tsunade...? The Ero-sennin himself is trying to find her," Naruto mused looking to Kari who just shrugged. He blew up another balloon and Kari did the same, choosing to ignore Jiraiya's advice.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Aa, I know the woman," the man said as Jiraiya showed him the photo of Tsunade.

"Really?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah, she said she was going to head '_there_' to win back her losses," the man said.

"Rotation… power… use them to their fullest and retain them…" Naruto mumbled to himself, holding yet another balloon. Kari glared at hers, the edges of the balloon blurring and her head feeling heavy.

"Oi kid," Naruto and Kari looked round. "Do you want to play?" the man asked tossing a pair of dice up and down with one hand.

"What do you mean by _there_?" Jiraiya asked.

"Listen up," the man said shuffling over to Naruto and Kari. "If you add the numbers on the dice and it's even that's a Chou. If it's odd, that's a Han."

"Urusai na! I'm training right now dattebayou, don't bother me," Naruto grumbled.

"What are you talking about, this is a gambling place. Stop playing with that balloon and let's play with _these_."

"No! I don't have time to play with those dice dattebayou," Naruto said stubbornly.

"Che! What a boring kid!" the man complained.

"Han," Kari said figuring it was the only way to stop the man's whining.

"Hey, hey! Not bad kid!" the man said grinning.

"So where's this place?" Jiraiya asked.

"I can't give out free stuff in a gambling place you know," the man said with a smirk, holding up two dice. He put them in a pot and shuffled them before slamming the pot down. "Let's make a trade. I'll give you the information for free if you win. If you lose you have to pay 1,000 ryou for it. How about it?"

"Yosh!" Jiraiya cried confidently.

"Now then, choose Chou or Han."

"Yosh!" Jiraiya said. _'Right, I'm exactly fifty right now so…'_ "Chou!"

"I win if it's Han," the man reminded.

"You've gotta be cheating at this!"

"Han," Kari said in a bored voice as she forced her Chakra to rotate. The man lifted the pot causing Jiraiya to inwardly shriek.

'_Crap! It's a 2-5 Han!!'_

"Eep!" Kari cried as her balloon burst sending the man next to her toppling over and managing to make one of the dice roll over.

'_Nice Kari-chan!'_

"Hee hee! Looks like I win!" Jiraiya said with glee.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

But sadly their source ended up a dead end.

"Where am I supposed to look now?" Jiraiya grumbled as he came out of another gambling place, only this time with mainly pinball machines. They searched around town, a few more balloons being ruined along the way. "Geez, she isn't anywhere."

"Ara?" Kari said as she noticed an old woman beckoning her from a stall. Naruto looked around and pointed to them and then they both headed over, filled with curiosity.

"Adults and children love fortune slips," the old woman said chirpily. "There's one that tells you the result right away so how about it?"

"Hai! Ichi, ni, or san Kari-chan?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Hee hee! You're kawaii when your fat dattebayou!" Naruto said, rubbing his face against his frog wallet. "Kari-chan you're my lucky charm dattebayou!"

'_I didn't expect them to win on one slip…'_ Jiraiya thought irritated. _'Maybe they have some talent in this field… Naruto's talent for techniques isn't very good though… Forget about that for now. Where did Tsunade go? She shouldn't have been able to travel far guessing from the time. I guess I'm low on choices… I'll have to look from high ground. There should be a castle somewhere…'_

"This way you two!" Jiraiya called.

"Ano sa, ano sa, where's the castle?" Naruto asked looking around as they walked.

"It's not here…" Jiraiya said surprised.

Kari felt a shiver run through her, as the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. A slight growl rumbled in her throat as she caught the scent of something foul in the air.

* * *


	60. Tsunadehime

**A/N**: Wow, finally up to 60!! I can't believe I still have people reading after all this, it means a lot that you haven't got bored! Finally, we get to the interesting parts soon! Some people have asked if Sasuke is leaving, are their going to be love triangles such as NaruKariSasu or SasuKariNeji, but I'm not answering anything incase I spoil asurprise or change my mind XD So, do you want me to write out the Sannin fight (even though I really suck at fight scenes...) or would you prefer to skip it? Let me know! I'm sorry it took a while to get it out, I have another maths exam tomorrow, which I really should be studying for because its the worst parts of the subject. I only have two days left of school then I'm on study leave only coming in for exams! I'll try and write more then. I don't like this chapter, there's not much fluff! I love writing NaruKari fluff! Yosh, I'm in a really good mood because I watched the Exorcist until half two this morning, horrors are my addiction and I've been needing a fix.

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto-kun made me very happy with the last manga XD I would send him a love letter full of gratitude but I don't know his address :( But yesh, all rights regarding Naru to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Claimer**: All things missing from the original Naruto manga and anime are property of me. Including Kari-chan.

**

* * *

**

**Tsunade-hime**

"Konoha no Sato in all its wisdom has decided to name you the Godaime,

The fifth Hokage."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What happened here dattebayou?" Naruto asked, looking at the wreckage that had once been the castle. It was mere wreckage now, and had a foul scent lingering over it causing Kari to scowl slightly in disgust. Her ears pricked at the sound of screams heading towards them. A crowd of villagers ran past them with various shouts of 'Help!'

"Hi there!" Jiraiya called, managing to get one man out of the frantic dozen to stop. "What happened?"

"You should run too!" the man cried. "There's a monster up there!"

"Bakemono?" Naruto repeated.

"What kind of monster?" Jiraiya asked.

"A huge snake! It destroyed the castle instantly!" the man cried. Kari's eyes narrowed. _Hebi…_ The man decided he had jeopardised his safety enough by talking to them and ran after everyone else.

"Na! How big is this snake? I… I was attacked by a huge snake in my village a while back too!" Naruto cried, but the man ignored him and just kept running.

"We're going to hurry, Naruto, Kari, Kita," Jiraiya informed them, his voice strangely serious. "It's probably the same snake you saw." He didn't miss Kari's face darkening by the second, her eyes turning cold and deadly. She rushed off in the direction Jiraiya had been turning, ignoring his whine for her to slow down.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Looks like we were a bit late," Jiraiya said, jumping down from the roof and in front of a pile of rubble that had once been part of the wall.

"Did the snake do this too?" Naruto asked, looking at the loose rock.

"Let's keep moving you three," Jiraiya said, beginning to walk off. "Tsunade is no longer here."

"You've been telling us to move a lot…" Naruto grumbled. Kari wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell.

'_No doubt about it…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"She isn't anywhere!" Naruto announced, irritated from walking around all day to find nothing. Kari was still on edge after earlier but felt so exhausted she just wanted to crash to the floor in a dead faint. Kita was snoozing contentedly in her arms; the little wolf had been training a lot more than usual lately. "And you dragged us around all over the place and we still haven't found a clue eitheeer," Naruto complained.

"Mm, let's have dinner for now," Jiraiya said deciding to ignore Naruto. At the suggestion of food, Kari's stomach lurched uncomfortably. _'Uhhhh…'_

"Huh? AAH! This is a bar!" Naruto shouted. _'Oh… maybe a drink instead, that sake had been good…'_ Kari thought and her stomach seemed to agree.

"So?" Jiraiya asked.

"I've told you a million times I'm still a kid!" Naruto said pointing to himself.

"Baaaka. I'm not telling you to drink. Just munch on the appetizers." With that, Jiraiya walked promptly inside.

"We don't have to eat here then!" Naruto complained as he, Kari and Kita followed Jiraiya inside. "Let's go to a ramen shop instead!"

"You really are stupid! You get information from places like this… TSUNADE!!!" Jiraiya shrieked (causing Naruto to also scream and Kita to jump awake) pointing directly ahead of them.

"JIRAIYA?!" one of the two women sitting where Jiraiya was pointing shouted, jumping to her feet. "Why are you here?" Kari blinked in surprise. Jiraiya didn't lie when he said she was beautiful. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, had fair skin, honey brown eyes, pale blonde hair and… ah that's why Jiraiya liked her. She had a nicely toned body and an alarmingly large bust.

"I finally found you! Boy, am I tired," Jiraiya said, walking over to their booth and taking a seat. Naruto huffed, grabbed Kari's hand and dragged her along behind him. He took a seat next to Jiraiya and pulled Kari closely next to him. Kari looked at the other woman. She looked to be in her early twenties, she was pale and slender with short dark hair and dark eyes she had a young and friendly look about her. Sat on the other side of her, to Kita's amazement, was a small pig in a red waistcoat with purple beads around its neck.

"Here you go!" the bar owner said, setting some sardines down in front of Naruto. Just the smell made her queasy and ignoring everyone else, she swiped Jiraiya's dish filled with sake and downed it.

"What a day… seeing old acquaintances everywhere…" Tsunade said after downing her sake. She seemed tipsy, on the border of being drunk. From the amount of bottles she had she held her liquor quite well.

"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked and jumped slightly when he heard his old dish being smashed. He sighed and asked for two more. The dark haired woman looked surprised. "What happened?" Tsunade shot a glance at her apprentice that was staring at her intently.

"Nothing much," Tsunade said simply. "We just said hello." She pulled a deck of cards out of her grey sleeveless yukata and shuffled them, she then placed the deck in the middle of the table.

'_This chick is the female who can cure any wound? Hontou?'_ Naruto thought sceptically.

"What do you want from me?" Tsunade asked as Jiraiya reached out and picked up the deck and began to shuffle them himself.

"I'll get straight to the point," Jiraiya said, placing the reshuffled cards back down. "Tsunade, the village has requested that you become the Godaime Hokage."

The table froze, eyes widened, Naruto violently choked and the pig gave a quiet oink of surprise. Kari quickly started thumping Naruto's back, trying to clear his airway. Getting over her shock, Tsunade began dealing out cards to her and Jiraiya.

'_Godaime Hokage? That's sudden! What's going on here dattebayou?'_ Naruto thought after he had managed to swallow the small fish much to Kari's relief.

"Have you heard about the Sandaime?" Jiraiya asked, lifting his five cards and holding them so he could see them all. The dark haired woman's face fell, clearly she was upset by the news. A former Konoha citizen perhaps?

"Orochimaru killed him right?" Tsunade asked. "I heard from him directly."

'_Orochimaru killed him?'_ Naruto thought in shock.

"Orochimaru killed Sandaime-ojiisan?!" Naruto cried. "Who is this Orochimaru dattebayou?"

"The other Sannin," Jiraiya said.

"Nande?! Sannin are Konoha shinobi right? So nande?!" Naruto cried.

"Who is this kid?" Tsunade asked with an irritated look.

"Heh, Uzumaki Naruto," Jiraiya said.

"Chotto matte!" Naruto cried jumping to his feet and banging his fist on the table. "You haven't answered my question! Who is this Orochimaru guy who killed Hokage-ojiisan?! Na! He's one of the legendary Sannin right?! Then why aren't you doing anything about him Ero-sennin?! Also!" he thrust a finger in Tsunade's direction, "What do you mean about this person becoming the Godaime Hokage?!"

"Naruto, be quiet for a while," Jiraiya said.

"Demo!"

"Just be quiet," Jiraiya said seriously. Kari grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him down next to her. Jiraiya took three cards out of his hand and then grabbed three from the top of the deck. He smirked when he saw what he had picked up. "I'll say it again. The village has requested that you become the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade. So, what is your reply?" All eyes turned to her. "Will you accept the job? What's your answer Tsunade?"

"Uhhh! I don't know what's going on dattebayou?!" Naruto cried holding his head in frustration. Tsunade threw her cards on the table.

"Not possible. I refuse."

"I remember that line," Jiraiya said with a smile. "I asked you to date me a long time ago. You said the same thing when you turned me down."

"Aaah! What are you saying dattebayou?!" Naruto cried confused. "Ero-sennin you told me that we were gonna take this person to the village and have her heal Kari-chan, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei right?! But you're asking her to become Hokage? What the hell?! She even declined!" Naruto let out a frustrated scream.

"Don't panic, only Tsunade is capable of becoming the fifth. During the fierce war, she contributed greatly to Konoha's victory. Her combat and medical skills are still unrivalled. Also, Tsunade is the first Hokage's granddaughter. Combine that to her abilities and she is most suited to becoming the Godaime Hokage," Jiraiya explained. "If she does become Hokage, she will have to go back to the village and there she can heal Kari and the two you mentioned. Also, this is a decision made by Konoha's highest decision makers the advisors. It's not something a Genin like you should comment on." Naruto huffed and folded his arms grumpily. Kari held her hand out, motioning for a sake dish.

"Is the girl a ninja? She looks far too fragile," Tsunade asked glancing at Kari.

"Kari-chan? Ha! She's far from fragile," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "Doesn't she _remind _you of anyone?"

"No," Tsunade said after looking her over. Jiraiya sighed and with a tug, pulled the white ribbon off her head, setting her ears free. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "A Tasukaru?"

"Warmer," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Who else does she remind you of?" Kari was starting to get irritated with the stares and felt her cheeks began to warm. "It helps well you smile Kari!" Jiraiya said, trying to get the irritated look off her face. He handed her a sake dish and she smiled lightly.

"Impossible…" Tsunade said, her cards sliding slightly in her hand. "Kitome?"

"Yep," Jiraiya said grinning wider. "Kari, say hello to your great aunt."

Kari choked on her sake.

"What the hell Ero-sennin?! Kari-chan can't be related to her!" Naruto cried.

"Kitome's great-grandmother was Tsunade's grandmother and—"

"Jiraiya… Your new apprentice seems to be ruder, stupider and uglier than the previous one," Tsunade said cutting off Jiraiya and looking at Naruto with a smirk.

"What did you say?!" Naruto cried, while Kari's eyes hardened to a glare.

"It's hard for anyone to beat the Yondaime in those fields. His capabilities as a ninja were unrivalled in history. He was talented with techniques, incredibly smart and popular. He was also handsome like me," Jiraiya finished with a grin.

"But even the Yondaime died young. He threw his life away for the village. Life isn't like money. Only a baka bets his life so easily."

'_Baka?'_ Naruto thought his chopsticks breaking in his hand.

"Ojiisan and the Nidaime wished to end the war, but they wasted their lives before they could accomplish that," Tsunade said simply.

"You've changed Tsunade," Jiraiya said grimly.

"I'm in my fifties, even if I look like this," Tsunade said with a chuckle. "Time changes people. Sarutobi-sensei is the same. If an old man tries to act brave of course he'll die. The title of Hokage is a piece of crap, only a baka becomes one."

"YOU!" Naruto shouted jumping on the table and going to attack Tsunade, but Kari moved quickly, her arms threading underneath his holding her tight to her chest, his working legs not moving him an inch in her grip. "Let me go Kari-chan!"

"Stop, this is a bar," Jiraiya said.

"Urusai dattebayou!"

"Tsunade-sama," the woman said at Tsunade's scoff.

"Anyone who makes fun of the Yondaime or Ojiisan, I don't care if the person is a girl, they deserve a punch in the face!" Naruto shouted.

"You've got guts to say that to me. Step outside, gaki," Tsunade said, stepping up to Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Even though I look like this, I was one of the Sannin. There's no reason for me to get serious with a genin," Tsunade said. They had stepped out of the bar ad into the dimly lit street.

"What did you say?!" Naruto cried. Tsunade held up her index finger.

"A K.O notice?" Jiraiya asked.

"This doesn't mean one minute," Tsunade corrected. "One finger. One finger will do against you. Come on little boy," Tsunade mocked.

"Don't play with me dattebayou!" Naruto shouted, charging forward and flinging three Shuriken at her. She moved her head to the side, dodging effortlessly. When he went to attack with his kunai she leaned forward threading her finger through the loop at the end of the weapon, she span it around her finger and then quickly sliced up, knocking his hitai-ate off. He began to fell back but caught himself, only to be flicked in the forehead and sent flying back. Kari shot out and caught him, slowing his fall.

"A finger flick?" Naruto asked. "Temee…" He was about to move when his kunai landed in front of him, his hitai-ate falling a foot in front of it. _'She's strong…'_

"Oi, gaki!" Tsunade said. "Let me ask you one thing before you pass out. Why do you care so much about the name of Hokage?"

"Unlike you I'm going to take the title of Hokage for sure. Hokage wa… Being Hokage is my dream." Naruto said with a smirk. Tsunade looked down. _'What the? She let her guard down! I can't beat her head on… I'll have to use that jutsu.' _Kari immediately backed away, landing back next to Jiraiya. Chakra swirled in Naruto's palm, into a neat ball.

"Shimatta! Wha… that jutsu!" As Naruto was about to strike she slammed her finger into the ground causing a huge crack to form and Naruto's foot to fall straight through it, his attack smashed into the ground and he fell back falling into the crack and getting stuck. It took the combined efforts of Kari, Tsunade's apprentice and encouragement from Kita to free the squirming Naruto.

'_Even after all this time, Tsunade still has that monstrous strength… I remember the time she punched me and I flew about 100 metres backwards… But still, Naruto's move wasn't impressive…'_ Jiraiya thought.

"Daijoubu?" Tsunade's apprentice asked as Naruto coughed.

"Jiraiya are you the one who taught him the Rasengan?" Tsunade demanded.

'_Rasengan?'_

"I'm their teacher after all," Jiraiya replied.

"Only you and the Yondaime can use that technique. Are you acting like a teacher and teaching him something he can't master? That's why this kid likes to daydream that he's going to be Hokage one day. Don't give him any ideas!"

"I'm not daydreaming! Baka! Baka! I can master this move in three days!" Naruto cried.

"You said it, gaki. A man never takes back his words," Tsunade said with a smirk.

"I'm not going to take back my words. That's my way of the ninja." Naruto said confidently.

"Then lets make a bet," Tsunade said.

"A bet?" Naruto repeated.

"I'll give you one week. If you can master the move within that time then I'll acknowledge that you can become Hokage. I'll even give you this necklace," she said pointing at the green stone.

"Tsunade-sama! That's an important--!" Tsunade's apprentice began.

"I don't need a crappy necklace like that, Kari-chan can have it," Naruto said simply.

"Don't say that Naruto. That's a unique crystal that could buy about three mountains if you sold it. It used to belong to the first Hokage," Jiraiya explained. Naruto's jaw dropped at the thought of all that money.

"Well I guess that's fine," Naruto said after regaining his cool.

"Yosh, but if you can't master the move in a week, you lose. And I'll take all your money," Tsunade said, holding up Naruto's frog wallet.

"Gama-chan! When did she…!?" Naruto cried searching his pockets and patting himself over, searching for his wallet.

"Tsunade-sama, why? That necklace is…" Tsunade apprentice cried, trying to reason with her.

"He can't do it anyway, let's go Shizune," Tsunade said as she walked away.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Naruto and Kari returned to their hotel after that, Jiraiya saying he was going to wander the town some more. Kari had kissed his forehead seeing the bruise that was starting to show and he then put his hitai-ate back on. Kita was dozing, the excitement of today taking its toll on her young self. They were surprised when there was a knock at the door later that night.

"Who's that this late at night?" Naruto grumbled heading over to the door. "Hai, hai, hai, coming." He went to open the door but it was opened from the outside. Kari blinked realising it was Shizune.

"I'm sorry for the late night visit. Naruto-kun, Kari-chan, I need to speak with you."

"I need to get plenty of rest today and train tomorrow," Naruto grumbled.

"Naru," Kari scolded.

"Gomen, but I don't want you to get the wrong image of Tsunade-sama," Shizune said. "Also, I need to tell you about the necklace."

"Come in, Shizune-san," Kari offered while Naruto grumbled.

"Like I care about that old hag," Naruto scoffed.

"Tsunade-sama isn't the type of person you think she is!" Shizune cried. "Please don't talk about her like that when you know nothing about her!" Shizune's face saddened. "Gomen I shouted… A long time ago, she wasn't like that. She was a kind person who loved her village. But she has changed… Ever since that day.

"Ano hi?" Naruto repeated. "What do you mean?"

"The day she lost her love, her dream, and her hope. The only thing that's left is that necklace which is filled with many memories. To Tsunade-sama that thing is as important as her life. It's not something she should use in a bet," Shizune explained.

"I don't care dattebayou, she's the one who brought it up," Naruto said simply while Kari shot him a disapproving look.

"Also, that necklace isn't just a normal necklace you can wear," Shizune said grimly. "It only accepts Tsunade-sama. If another person tries to wear that necklace, that person will… die. She lost her little brother and the man she loved because of it. You understand now Naruto-kun? Ever since that day Tsunade-sama has lived in a state of confusion…" Naruto didn't answer, but Kari felt his fingers wrap around her hand and pull her past Shizune as he opened the door. "Naruto-kun?"

"We're going to train," he muttered. Kita got up and trotted after them, not wanting to be left alone.

"Go on ahead Naru, I'll catch up," Kari said softly as she disappeared into the wind disappearing elsewhere.

"Kari-chan…" Naruto said softly as Kita leapt onto his shoulder. "We have to win the bet Kita-chan and take that old lady back to the village…"

"Hai Naruto-kun," Kita replied.

"I don't want to see her hurting anymore."

_

* * *

_

-----_**x**__-----_

* * *

"You'll get cold if you stay here."

Tsunade jumped violently looking up to see Jiraiya's female apprentice sitting before her on the entrance gate to the city.

"You…" she said quickly rubbing her eyes to hide her tears.

"Naru's a little hot-headed at times, and a little oblivious at others," Kari said with a small smile. "But he doesn't mean any harm, he just fights for what he believes in. His dream is very important to him."

"What do you want?" Tsunade asked, putting her defences back up.

"For you not to trust whatever Orochimaru told you," Kari said, her face turning serious. Tsunade showed no outer sign of surprise.

"Did Jiraiya send you?" she asked, folding her arms over her large bust.

"No, my instinct did," Kari replied leaning back slightly. "If that snake can kill his own sensei without any remorse, what makes you think he'll stay loyal to you? He'll take what he wants and then will dispose of you."

"What would you know about him kid?" Tsunade asked sceptically. Kari smirked bitterly, her temper always becoming short when that snake was brought up.

"Enough not to trust him."

"And what has this got to do with me?" Tsunade asked. Kari tilted her head slightly.

"Absolutely nothing," Kari replied. "Just letting you know in case."

"I have no obligation to heal you if that's what you're after," Tsunade said sternly. She hadn't missed the strange angle of her left wrist, her pale feverish complexion, or the signs of extreme exhaustion.

"I can't be healed, foreign Chakra is rejected," Kari said with a soft smile. "And this is nothing after a Raikiri through the chest."

"Raikiri?" Tsunade repeated. Kari shrugged slightly and then stood and smiled and the female Sannin.

"Gomenasai, but I have a stubborn best friend and a young wolf cub to look after. I'll see you in a week Tsunade-sama."

"Matte," Tsunade said looking at her. "What's your dream kid?"

"To become a strong enough ninja so that I can protect those precious to me," Kari said simply. "And to help Naruto achieve his dream. That's my dream." With that, she disappeared into the wind.

Tsunade watched the patterns of wind fade away until the night air stilled.

"Kitome and Kaizo's child no doubt."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Naruto panted as the sun blazed high in the sky. His Rasengan had still only left a swirl and not drilled into the tree like he had expected. Kari seemed to be making more progress than him, except the force of her attack caused the bark to violently splinter and embed itself into her sensitive skin, leaving her to drag to splinters out.

"Kari-chan daijoubu dattebayou?" Naruto asked. Kari pulled out a large splinter with her teeth and then spat it out and with an angry huff burnt it to ashes.

"Hai." Kita was happily practicing on the surface of the river beside them, becoming somewhat of an expert of walking, running, jumping and other movements on water.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oh, drinking eh?"

"What do you want?" Tsunade asked looking around as Jiraiya lifted the flap and poked his head in.

"That's cold," Jiraiya said smile still in place. "Don't say that." Tsunade scoffed and turned away while she took another gulp of her drink.

"Jiraiya-sama," Shizune greeted.

"Shizune, Sumimasen but can you let us be alone? I want to drink with her." Shizune immediately gave up her seat and left the two alone. "Oyaji, sake. White radish too."

"Coming right up!"

"Oh this looks good!" Jiraiya said happily. He then spoke in a more serious manner. "I didn't know you still treasured that necklace. I thought that you'd have given it away in a bet. It's those two's keepsake right? Does it bother you?"

"Does what?" Tsunade replied.

"Naruto and Kari."

"Not really," Tsunade said simply.

"You acted too childishly towards a child for that to be true," Jiraiya said. "There's no way he can master that technique in a week. Kari might though, she mastered Chidori in less than a month."

"Chidori?" Tsunade asked, remembering the girl mentioning Raikiri.

"Yeah she's Kakashi's student, the guy adores her," Jiraiya said with a chuckle. "But she won't be able to do this in a week in the condition she's in, and there's no way Naruto can in a week it's not even a bet."

"Tch."

"Why are you frustrated?" Jiraiya asked.

"I'm not frustrated," Tsunade huffed.

"Are you meeting Orochimaru again? I could tell from the look on Shizune's face. I don't know what kind of deal he offered, but don't rush your answer," Jiraiya said.

"Your apprentice came and told me the same thing," Tsunade said simply.

"Also, let me tell you one thing. The previous Hokage's protected Konohagakure and the people living there. They dedicated their lives to the dream and ideal of ending the wars and making the village prosper. You should know what ideals the previous Hokage's held. If you dare to betray Konoha, I will kill you." Jiraiya said with the utmost certainty.

"That has nothing to do with me anymore," Tsunade said.

"Only a mass murderer feels nothing when someone close to them dies. You are different. You were most concerned for the safety of the villagers. Even that time when…"

"Stop lecturing me!" Tsunade interrupted. "Why did you bring those kids along?"

"They're similar aren't they, he's about the same age your brother was," Jiraiya said.

"That's not the only similarity..." Tsunade said. _'His dream… and his cheekiness too…'_

_

* * *

_

-----

_**x**__-----_

* * *

"It's not working… k'so, k'so…" Naruto hissed. He was laying flat on his back, sweat drenching his face. Spirals had been carved into most of the trees, a few to each bark. Kari had collapsed a minute or so before he did in a dead faint and he'd only just managed to crawl over to her. "We'll get it right tomorrow Kari-chan," Naruto promised before passing out, his head lulling to the side to rest against hers.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"My head hurts!" Jiraiya whined through his yawn. "I feel sick because of her …eh?" he looked to his right to see the bed folded neatly, untouched. "They didn't come back last night either… Kari's only going to get sicker at this rate…" He walked over to the window and opened it, breathing in the fresh air. "They're such baka's."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, looking at the small creature before her. Kita blinked and tilted her head, her tail wagging to show she was friendly. "Aren't you Kari's?"

"Hai!" Kita cried, her tail wagging again. Tsunade shook herself out of shock, she hadn't expected the little wolf to reply. "Why are you sad?"

"How would you know if I'm sad or not?"

"Okaasan can tell how people are feeling," Kita replied. "And she said that your sad."

"Shouldn't that kid be worrying about herself instead of someone she doesn't even know?" Tsunade asked, breathing heavily through her nose.

"Anou… I don't think Okaasan knows how," Kita said sheepishly. "She has to worry about Naruto-kun, Kita-chan, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-ojisan, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and everybody else."

"I see," Tsunade said as Kita shuffled slightly closer. "And why are you here?"

"Okaasan is worried about you because of that nasty Orochichimamaru," Kita replied, still getting tongue tied over the Sannin's name. "He's a bad man. He hurts lots of people."

"Hai," Tsunade said, looking over the town.

"They'll master Rasengan, Okaasan and Naruto-kun don't like letting people down," Kita said confidently. "Just wait and see."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"It's not working… k'so, k'so… I'll get it right next…" Naruto didn't even finish his sentence before he passed out. Kari watched him through half lidded eyes, her breaths coming out in short pants. She shuffled closer her body straining until she was against his side, so she could share her warmth with him as the night got cold. Her eyes closed wearily and she lost consciousness.

Tsunade watched a safe distance away where they wouldn't be able to see her. Kit's head lowered sadly.

"The jutsu hurts," Kita said in a soft whisper before rushing over to them and burying close to them, managing to find her place under Kari's arm. As the cloud passed over the moon, Tsunade left, plagued with her thoughts and a decision she must make.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_I know it in my head, but I can't retain 100 percent of my power into a perfect sphere'_ Naruto thought in frustration after another failed attempt. He prepared another one but fell to one knee. As Tsunade's doubts in him coursed through his head he forced himself up while Kari fell back down to her knees.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I can't… nande? I'm short on time… I won't make it in time like this… Kari-chan… are you still awake?" Naruto asked, reaching out and touching her hand. She managed to curl her hand around one of his fingers. "Are you hurt?" His eyes began to close ad he was aware he received no reply. "Gomen… Kari-chan…"

"Shizune-chan!" Kita cried, sensing the woman's presence. Kita ran over as she was about to come past the rock.

"What happened?!" Shizune gasped seeing the wreckage of the trees and the furrows along the ground. She ran over to Naruto and Kari, Kita hot on her heels. "Daijoubu?" she cried as she rushed over to them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Tsunade was lost in her memories when she got a knock at her hotel door. She answered it to see Jiraiya grinning.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"The moons out," he said happily. "Want to go get some drinks?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Tomorrow is the end of the week you gave Naruto and Kari," Jiraiya said once they were settled at the Oden shop. She ignored him and drank some of her sake. "I wonder what happened to them."

"I don't know," Tsunade grumbled, refilling her sake dish.

"I think I'll have something to eat, white radish please," Jiraiya asked the owner. He drank his sake, Tsunade quickly slipping something inside the bottle before offering it to him. He smiled and accepted drinking it without suspicion.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Tsunade walked back to her room after that. She was surprised to see Shizune outside the door.

"How are they?" Shizune asked as Tsunade looked them over.

"They've grown weak because of severe exhaustion and their right hands were burnt by Chakra. The girls got a fractured left wrist and broken ribs on top of that, and she's reaching the peak of a fever. In his condition he won't wake until the day after tomorrow, and she might not wake for days… It's just as Jiraiya said… I don't know why I made this ludicrous bet. Why did someone like me get so heated up? I feel stupid."

"Ashita… Please don't go tomorrow," Shizune said. Tsunade glanced at her. "Why won't you say anything? Tsunade-sama, please don't stay quiet like that, say something! If you are going to go…"

"What are you going to do?" Tsunade asked.

"I'll stop you, even if it costs me my life!"

"Shizune… do you know who you're talking to?!" Tsunade snapped. She strolled past Shizune, giving her a sharp hit to the stomach, knocking her out cold. Kita watched her go, the pig sitting beside her. They shared a sad look before Kita squeezed between Kari and Naruto, to await morning to come.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sir, it's already morning, please go home," the shop owner asked. "Geez…" He walked over to Jiraiya and began shaking his shoulder. "Come on wake up!" The shaking pushed Jiraiya off his stall causing him to fall hard to the ground. "Oi! Doushita na?!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"It would be troublesome if we were interrupted during out negotiations," Orochimaru said as he and Kabuto ran through the trees. "Kill Tsunade's attendant."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oi… Oi…" Shizune's eyes fluttered open, the blurry image of Naruto, Kari and kita coming into view.

"Kari-chan? Naruto-kun? Shimatta! What time is it now?! No, what day of the week is it?"

"Monday," Naruto said simply. Kari blushed slightly when she realised she didn't actually know.

"Your bodies are feeling okay already? You should've been asleep for two days and Kari-chan most of the week." Shizune said surprised.

"I recover from most injuries after a nights sleep, it's been like that ever since I was young and Kari-chan is tough dattebayou," Naruto said, unwrapping his hand.

'_Sou ka… This child is the Kyuubi, and Tsunade-sama said something once about how Kitome's child had the Torai-Kenshi sealed inside it but died in the womb…'_ Shizune thought.

"More importantly, where is that old hag? Today's the deadline for the bet dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"Then you were successful with the technique?" Shizune asked.

"Eh, it's not complete yet, but I can still hope I get it right in front of her!" Naruto said causing Kari to grin and ruffle his hair. Tsunade giggled slightly and then winced holding her side.

"Naruto-kun, Kari-chan you stay here!" Shizune cried, opening the window and preparing to jump out but was stopped by a kunai. "Nani?" Naruto and Kari quickly rushed over to the window, only to see an exhausted looking Jiraiya.

"Matte Shizune…" he croaked out. "Damn that Tsunade, she put something in my sake. I can't mould Chakra correctly, on top of that my body is numb and I can't throw kunai correctly." Shizune glanced at the kunai thrown at her.

"Totally uncool!" Naruto shouted. "You're always bragging about how great a ninja you are, did she deceive you with some sort of perverted trick you Ero-sennin?!"

"Urusai!!" Jiraiya shouted back. Kari sighed and shifted Kita in her lap. "She's still a medical specialist regardless of her current state. Only she can make a tasteless odourless drug that works against ninjas. I didn't expect her to find an opportunity to poison me, even if I was slightly drunk." Shizune got him some water, which he gulped down as if he had been living in a desert.

"Jiraiya-sama, how are you feeling?" Shizune asked.

"Better than I was at dawn. But then again I've only recovered about thirty percent do far." Kari's ears twitched at her eyes shot around looking for the origin of the sound. "Oi Shizune!" Jiraiya said having seen Kari's disturbance and seen the shadow that retreated. "You're going to tell me what you guys talked about with Orochimaru now."

"Orochimaru?" Naruto asked as Kari let out a low hiss. Shizune lowered her head.

"I wanted to believe in Tsunade-sama, so I couldn't say it before now. Demo… We're short on time, please follow me! I'll explain while we move!"

"Yosh!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Your answer?" Orochimaru asked as he approached Tsunade.

* * *

_-----__One week previously-----_

_

* * *

_

"_It's been a very long time, Orochimaru," Tsunade stated, never taking her eyes off her former comrade and his companion. Shizune shifted next to her as their pig, TonTon stood warily._

"_I've looked for you everywhere," Orochimaru said with a smirk._

"_What do you want with me?" Tsunade asked, her expression uncaring, blank almost. "Don't tell me you want to talk about old times."_

"_Well, I have a small request for you," Orochimaru said._

'His heartbeat is quick. Judging from his face he has a high fever. He's been fatigued for quite some time. Also, his arms…' _Tsunade analysed._

"_Tsunade-sama, by now you should have realised—"_

"Ask someone else. I quit medicine a long time ago," Tsunade said bluntly, interrupting Kabuto.

"_We can't do that. You should be able to tell how serious this wound is. No one else can cure these arms. The legendary Sannin who won her fame as the medical specialist; Tsunade-hime, only you can cure this," Kabuto said._

"_The wound affecting your arms isn't an ordinary one, is it?" Tsunade asked watching his arms that were shaking slightly. _'Is it some sort of special curse technique?'_ she wondered. "What did you do?"_

"Nothing much. I got wounded when I killed the Sandaime," Orochimaru stated. Tsunade eyes widened and Shizune let out a gasp.

"_You… Did you really?" Tsunade hissed._

"_You don't need to look that scary," Orochimaru said, his smirk seeming to mock her. "All things with form will eventually perish. That goes for people too." Tsunade's glare seemed to harden. "You should know what I'm talking about. Since you let two of your loved ones die." Orochimaru chucked darkly. "Yes… Their deaths were gruesome." _

"_Scum!!" Shizune cried, pulling up her sleeve in preparation to attack. The gun like device was loaded with five senbon, and like an archer, Shizune pulled back a string before letting go, the senbon shooting towards Orochimaru. Kabuto shot in front of his master, deflecting the thin pieces of metal with his curved ended kunai._

"_Doku… A hidden weapon I see…" Kabuto said, having caught one of the needles between his fingers. Shizune shot forwards. _'She's fast!'

"_Get out of the way!" Shizune shouted._

"_I won't let you!" Kabuto cried._

"_Calm down, Shizune." At Tsunade's words Shizune froze, a scalpel against the main vein in Kabuto's neck._

'This attendants good…'_ Kabuto thought. Both jumped back to their master's sides._

"_Orochimaru…" Tsunade said smirking. "You've been like that since the old days." Her smirk changed into a rather sweet smile. "You know what my personality's like right? Stop joking around." Her sweet smile turned sour and her fist slammed into the stone wall behind her, cracking and becoming dust from the huge impact._

'Sugoii…'_ Kabuto thought in amazement. _'…And scary. I bet she's single.'

"_We did not come here to fight," Kabuto said, never relaxing his stance. "We came to negotiate." _

"_Negotiate?" Tsunade repeated. "Don't make me laugh! I told you before, get out of my sight."_

"_We can't do that," Kabuto said, dropping his stance._

"_Get lost."_

"_Only you can cure Orochimaru-sama's arms," Kabuto cried._

"_Get lost," she repeated._

"_We're not asking that you do this for free, we'll make a trade," Kabuto said._

"_I'm going to count to five. Be gone before I'm done," she said, a clear threat in her words. "Otherwise, I'll get rid of you."_

"Please calm down. This isn't a bad deal for you," Kabuto tried to reason.

"_Go… yon... san… ni… ichi," Tsunade finished and Shizune immediately prepared to attack, but before she could, Orochimaru spoke up._

"_I'll revive your beloved and your otouto." Shizune froze and Kabuto smirked, Tsunade's eyes widening. "With a forbidden jutsu I developed." It was silent, the wind kicking up the dust at their feet, causing Orochimaru to smirk. "You haven't gotten rid of us yet, which means… you're thinking it over?" Tsunade was silent. "You don't want to see those two, Tsunade?" _

'Nawaki… Dan…'_ Tsunade's eyes dropped to the ground as their faces filled her mind. She looked back up warily._

"_What will you do if I cure your arms?" she asked._

"_I don't like to lie, so I'll tell you honestly. I'm going to take what I want and this time I'll crush Konoha for sure."_

"_Crush Konoha?" Shizune repeated angrily. She looked from the two smirking enemies to her depressed master._

"_What is your answer?" Kabuto asked._

"_Tsunade-sama! You mustn't trust them!" Shizune shouted, breaking Tsunade out of her thoughts. "Your otouto and my uncle do not wish for that!" She took a step towards her. "Their wish… More importantly your wish… Did you forget them?!" Seeing no response, Shizune tried a gentler approach. "I know how you feel… You're like this now, but you still… Please wake up!!"_

"_Be quiet Shizune!" Tsunade snapped harshly. Shizune fell silent, looking away._

"_You do not have to give us an answer now, but we would like one within the week," Kabuto said. "Also the forbidden technique requires sacrifices. Please have two ready on your side."_

"_Tsunade-sama, let's kill them both right here!" Shizune cried, reaching for her weapon. "It's a good chance; we can take them out in their current condition." She looked at her master and felt her courage fade at Tsunade's lost expression. Orochimaru slowly lifted one of his heavily damaged arms to bring his hand to his mouth. He bit down on one of his fingers and a blossoming red stain appeared, a drop of the crimson liquid hitting the ground. Tsunade's body began to shake violently, her eyes glue to the ground and her hands clasped together held close to her chest._

"_It's true that I am weak right now, but…" Orochimaru paused to chuckle. "We know Tsunade's weakness."_

'I forgot, he's a Sannin like Tsunade-sama… So he must know about '**it'**' _Shizune thought._

"_You still carry that fear… The fear of blood," Orochimaru mocked._

'Haemophobia?' _Kabuto thought surprised._

"_Let's get going now Kabuto," Orochimaru said simply. "Tsunade, I expect a nice answer from you." With that both he and Kabuto left._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Nani?!" Naruto cried. "Of course the answers going to be no dattebayou!" Naruto cried as they all headed as fast as they could towards the ruins of the castle. Jiraiya was struggling to keep up, but the pig amazingly seemed to have no trouble at all.

'_This may be bad. She still thinks of those two everyday… I may really have to kill Tsunade depending on the situation…'_ Jiraiya thought grimly.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I will cure your arms, but don't lay one finger on the village," Tsunade said.

"Very well. Saa," Orochimaru agreed. They walked towards one another, a tear running down Tsunade's face as Orochimaru's smirk widened.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Once his arms are cured, he plans to renew his attack on Konoha," Shizune cried.

"We need to stop him now or things will take a turn for the worst," Jiraiya said. "Kari! Slow down, I know you're anxious but stay with us. You can't fight them alone."

"I can slow them down," Kari said though slowed her pace. She and Naruto shared a look and then glared ahead, desperate to arrive in time.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Orochimaru lifted his arms as they twitched with pain. Tsunade created a glowing blue ball of Chakra and reached for his hands. Before they could touch, a kunai flew between them, sending them jumping apart. They looked up to see Kabuto. He flipped back and landed behind Orochimaru.

"What is the meaning of this?" Orochimaru asked with an angry hiss. "You've betrayed me at the very last minute… Tsunade!" She remained silent. "Tell me, how did you come up with your answer Tsunade-hime? You tried to kill me. And, Kabuto, I trust you deep down inside. Your loyalty and insight that saw through Tsunade's action impresses me."

"I do come from the medical squad like her after all," Kabuto said as he walked to stand not beside Orochimaru, but slightly behind being beside him. "Her Chakra was filled with the intent to kill."

"Tsunade, I really intended to revive those two," Orochimaru said with a disappointed sigh. "And I even made a promise not to crush Konoha."

"Orochimaru, I knew you were lying when you said you wouldn't touch the village. I knew yet I… wanted to see them again… Just once more I wanted to see them… Just once more I wanted to touch them… Just once more I wanted to see their smiles… Demo, when I felt that I could see Nawaki and Dan again, I realized something. I realized that I was a fool" Just remembering their faces, blinded my sight. I loved them… I really loved them, so I wanted to see them and hug them but I couldn't… Because of those two kids, I remembered what their dreams were. I tried to forget but…"

"_This village is Ojiichan's treasure. And I'm going to protect it! After all I'm the Grandson of the Shodaime who built Konohagakure no sato!"_

"_I love the village and villagers, that's why I want to protect them…"_

"_I'm going to be like Ojiichan one day and take the name of Hokage!" _Nawaki…

"_Unlike you, I'm going to take the name of Hokage for sure!"_ Naruto…

"_When my imouto died that feeling alone helped me, that's why I'm going to become Hokage. The one who protects everyone…" _Dan…

"It was an important dream they both dedicated their lives to. It was also my wish for their dream to come true," Tsunade said as more tears slid down her face.

"_To become a strong enough ninja so that I can protect those precious to me, and to help Naruto achieve his dream. That's my dream."_ Kari…

"All things with a form eventually perish. That's what you said. Demo… This feeling won't perish..."

"The negotiations have broken down then. I have no other choice. I will have to ask you by force now," Orochimaru said. Tsunade wiped her eyes and then looked up with a glare. She charged towards them jumping into the air and swinging her leg down, they quickly jumped out the way as the ground beneath them crumbled. They landed on the roof and looked down at her. She glared up at them, her brown eyes filled with intensity.

"Bring it on, Orochimaru!!"


	61. Kanojixyono Sentaku

A/N: So most of you want a Sannin showdown to read? Ah, I'll do my best. My parents went to the pub without me, I feel unloved T.T Thankyou all for your reviews :) They brighten up my day!

Claimer: All un-Naruto material belongs to me :)

Disclaimer: Kishimoto-chan! You CANNOT make me happy and then want to pulverise you, all the emotions can't be good for my health! Unfortunately, Naruto belongs to him, otherwise I would have agreed with Shikamaru's daddy.

* * *

**Kanojixyono Sentaku**

Her Choice

_"That's because I'm… Konoha no-sato's Godaime Hokage!!"_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Come to think of it, I've never fought you before," Orochimaru said. Tsunade tossed her green coat to the ground and charged forward.

"You're right!"

"I'm the one who's going to fight…" Kabuto murmured warily.

"I'm going to kill you worthless bastard's right here, right now!!" Tsunade shouted as she punched the wall they were standing on, destroying it.

"She still has that monstrous strength," Orochimaru said as they landed on a tree branch. "If you take a hit, it'll be the end for you."

"I can tell. This place is too compact to fight and keep enough distance between us," Kabuto said.

"Are you going to change locations?" Orochimaru asked.

"That seems best for now. A troublesome person was talking with Tsunade-sama's attendant. They might come to reinforce her," Kabuto said, when Tsunade's foot came hurtling towards them. Orochimaru leaned back dodging and then they both jumped out the way when Tsunade's foot smashed through the branch.

"Die!" she shouted.

"And who is this troublesome person?" Orochimaru asked as he and Kabuto began running.

"A Sannin just like you and Tsunade-sama," Kabuto replied. Orochimaru smirked.

"Jiraiya." They kept running as Tsunade destroyed another wall, picking up speed in order to stay ahead of her.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What the hell?" Naruto asked looking at the wreckage.

"Whoa! Looks like Tsunade-hime got a bit wild here," Jiraiya remarked looking at the large gaps in walls and cracks along the ground.

'_That means Tsunade-sama declined the deal!_' Shizune thought.

"Where did Tsunade no Obaachan go?" Naruto asked walking forwards. He looked down, having stepped on something. Shizune gasped seeing it was Tsunade's coat.

"Tonton which way?" Shizune asked as the pig sniffed the jacket, Kita did the same, remembering everything Pakkun told her about tracking.

"Kari, try and use your senses too," Jiraiya said, looking back at her. She'd been growling since they'd arrive, the scent of him was still fresh, and had her temper running high.

"Hai," Kari agreed, shooting left with Tonton and Kita either side of her. Naruto and Jiraiya ran after her, Shizune following after picking up Tsunade's coat.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Tsunade is running out of breath now," Orochimaru said as Kabuto landed on the rock near to his left, having dodged yet another strike. Small craters littered the ground from each of her punches or kicks. They had moved to a more open area, with many large rocks. "You've almost got her."

"I'm not very good at Taijutsu," Kabuto said reaching into his pouch and pulling out a food pill. He swallowed it quickly. He then made rapid hand signs, causing his hands to be surrounded by blue Chakra once he'd finished.

'_Those hand signs… This kid uses ninja medical techniques.'_ Tsunade thought. He disappeared burying into the ground and then shot up from underneath her. She jumped out the way and went to punch him but missed, as did her kick. She pushed off a boulder and shot back towards him, but he moved faster, hitting her arm and thigh. _'He got my muscles…'_

"I cut your bicep and your rectus femoris, you cant use your monstrous strength of yours anymore now," Kabuto said.

"A scalpel made of Chakra eh?" Tsunade observed. "Why did you not go for my artery?"

"It's true that with this scalpel, that I can cut blood vessels and muscles without injuring the surface, but during battle even I cannot create a scalpel that is long and fine enough to reach the artery and heart. Then again, there is no problem if I go for the vital organs!" He shot forwards, each punch blocked, but when Tsunade aimed a kick at him it did hardly any damage and he simply flipped back up and struck her in the chest causing her to cough violently and fall to her knees.

'_Shimatta, he got a subcostal muscle…I can't breathe… This guy isn't a normal medical ninja. His technique and sense surpass mine when I was in my prime.'_

"We can't let you die yet, so I won't attack your vital organs," he smirked adjusting his glasses. "But now, you can't move anymore--!" He was cut off when he felt a blow to the back of his neck. _'What a person. Usually you wouldn't be able to move because you're having difficulty breathing. It looks like I have to hurt her a bit more…but not enough to kill her,' _Kabuto thought as he struggled to sit up, Tsunade falling to her knees. Kabuto gasped. _'I'm trying to move my arm but my leg is moving. Could this be…?'_

"Temee!" Tsunade cried, punching him straight in the cheek. Kabuto struggled to get up, arms and legs moving uselessly.

"Sou ka," Orochimaru chuckled.

"This is not a muscle problem," Kabuto said as he seemed to spasm. "It's the nerves!"

"Looks like you've noticed. Yes, I attacked your nerves. I changed my Chakra to electricity, created an electrical field and jacked it into your nervous system."

_The brain and body communicate with each other via electricity. Tsunade must have confused all the electrical signals that run through the body at 360 km/hr.'_ Orochimaru thought.

'_She can still fight like this even though she stopped fighting for a long time. So this is what a legendary Sannin is like…'_ Kabuto thought. Tsunade's hand glowed green and she placed it over her chest.

'_Healing techniques consume too much Chakra, at this rate…'_ Tsunade thought.

'_When I try to move my right hand… my left leg moves. When I try to move my left ankle… my right shoulder moves. This is difficult, but I have an eighty percent idea of what moves when I try to move something. Thought you got me with a technique of this level?'_ Kabuto thought as he tried to move different parts of his body. He pulled out a kunai and charged forward.

"Don't underestimate me!"

'_Nani? He restored his body movement that quickly?'_ Tsunade thought shocked.

"You're afraid of blood right?! I'll show you plenty of that right now!" Kabuto shouted as he went to strike her, but a smoke bomb appeared between them forcing him to jump back. Shizune, Naruto, Kari and Jiraiya appeared in front of her, Jiraiya with Tonton and Kita on a shoulder each.

"It's been a long time Jiraiya," Orochimaru said with a smirk. "And I see you've brought my chiisai ookami along for a visit."

"Chiisai ookami?" Tsunade repeated and then became aware of the deep growl coming from Kari.

"Oho, you have evil looking eyes as usual," Jiraiya greeted.

"Aa?! Kabuto-san?" Naruto said pointing at Kabuto in surprise.

"Naruto-kun, Kari-chan," Kabuto said with a smirk, only to get an aggressive his from Kari.

"You know each other?" Jiraiya asked.

"We took the Chuunin exam together dattebayou," Naruto replied. "Why is Kabuto-san here?"

"Get out the way!" Tsunade cried, literally shoving Jiraiya out the way. "I'll defeat them!" Kabuto quickly ducked her kick, but she then kicked the kunai out of his hand. "Just because you can control your body now, doesn't mean you can move normally!" Tsunade cried, pushing him back with punches and kicks. "You're not getting away!" Kabuto grabbed the kunai that had been knocked out of his hand and stabbed his other hand, causing his blood to spurt out onto Tsunade.

"My body's finally starting to move normally," Kabuto said with a smirk.

"B-blood…" Tsunade whispered in horror.

"Dealing with two legendary Sannin will be too much trouble; I'll immobilize one for now!" Kabuto shouted, punching her in the face sending her flying backwards. Shizune managed to catch her.

"Tsunade-sama!"

"Ano sa, ano sa, what's going on dattebayou?" Naruto asked. "Why is Kabuto-san fighting Tsunade no Obaachan?"

"You're real slow noticing things Naruto-kun," Kabuto commented mockingly. "That's why you can't compete against Sasuke-kun."

"Temee!!" Kari hollered, her whole body shaking from the need to attack.

"Look closely at his hitai-ate, he's Orochimaru's subordinate," Jiraiya said pointing out the music note engraved on the plate.

"Hai, I was a spy from Otogakure no sato," Kabuto admitted.

"What are you talking about dattebayou?" Naruto asked. "Tell me you're lying Kabuto-san. You told us a lot of things and helped us out in the Chuunin exams, you carried Kari-chan when she was sick."

"I wanted to gather information about you guys too, Naruto-kun, I found something after I gathered some data on you." Kabuto said. "You have no talent as a shinobi. You're different from Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan." Naruto's eyes widened and then he scowled.

Shizune wrapped Tsunade's coat around her shoulders and gently started cleaning the blood off her face.

"Please don't be reckless, I'm your attendant after all," Shizune said softly.

'_Tsunade no Obaachan…'_ Naruto thought angrily, glaring at Kabuto.

"Even if you put that scary face on, you're still just a cute Genin who's out of place. It's true that we expected something from the monster inside of you, but with the legendary Sannin members around me you are insignificant to me." Kabuto said simply. "You look like a small bug to me right now, and if you interfere… I'll kill you." He glanced at Kari who looked about ready to tear his throat out. _'Naruto may have been no threat, but Kari's Taijutsu and speed is said to be amazing, she truly impressed Orochimaru-sama. She doesn't have Tsunade's strength and has weak defence, so a few good hits and she should be out.'_

"Why you!!" Naruto shouted shooting forwards, Kari immediately following.

"No Naruto, Kari!" Jiraiya cried but fell to one knee, his body still weak.

'_That hand, he can't use his right hand!'_ Naruto thought, noticing the blood dripping down Kabuto's fingers. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" three clones appeared next to him. '_I'll use four guys then strike his defenceless right side!'_ Kari darted to the side out of range of his attack, but ready to back him up. Each clone pulled out a kunai and lunged at Kabuto. He blocked the first, kicked the next two and then punched the last causing the three clones to poof into smoke and the real Naruto to land hard on his back. Sensing Naruto's disadvantage Kari immediately sprung into action.

He blocked her punch to his side and then shot a well aimed punch of his own. _'Ah, her ribs are broken, as is her left wrist.'_ He dodged her spinning kick and then grabbed hold of her wrist but she just clenched her right fist and smacked him in the jaw. He span and slammed his knee into her gut, smirking when he noticed her wince, she went to charge back at him. _'I need to slow her down!' _As she went to punch him he slammed his injured palm into her face, blood coating her delicate eyes. He smirked when she faltered, her eyes shut tight.

"Now what will you do Kari-chan?" he asked. She growled and shot towards him again. "Nani?"

"You forget her sensitive senses Kabuto," Orochimaru said with a smirk. He hadn't missed her weakness, intrigued by the fact she seemed to have some mental damage as well. Her perseverance always was amazing. Catching on to the fact she was locating him by sound, he managed to trick her by side stepping and with a hard kick, sent her flying back into Naruto, causing them both to fly back until Shizune caught them.

Shizune saw her chance and spat two well aimed needles at Kabuto. _'My reflexes are still too slow! I can't dodge,'_ Kabuto thought as the two needles shot towards him. He tilted his head and managed to deflect them with his glasses. He then jumped back to Orochimaru.

"Arigatou, oneechan," Naruto said as he tried to wipe the blood out of Kari's eyes, causing her to squirm slightly in discomfort. Shizune pulled out a cloth and helped him to get the blood out of her eyes. Kabuto pulled out a blood replenishment pill.

"So he's replenishing the blood he's lost," Jiraiya analysed.

"He's truly a medical ninja like me," Shizune said.

"You're bleeding well Kabuto," Orochimaru stated.

"Orochimaru-sama, please take off the bandage of your left arm," Kabuto requested. Orochimaru bit off the bandage, his eyes locked on Kari's, who were glaring fixedly at him.

"He's Orochimaru?" Naruto asked as Kari rubbed her itching eyes.

"So the boss is finally going to fight," Jiraiya mused. "Shizune, you fight the guy with glasses. I'll fight Orochimaru." Shizune nodded, glaring at Kabuto while Orochimaru just smirked. "But before we do that, I want Tsunade to do something about my body."

"The effects of that drug will most probably last for a while. Even I can't do anything about it," Shizune said regretfully.

"EH?! HONTOU?!" Jiraiya screeched. He huffed regaining his composure and smirked. "Fine I'll fight like this. Tsunade you use your healing abilities and rest."

"Then, then what about me?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"You guard Tsunade and that pig with Kita," Jiraiya said simply.

"Eh?! I want to fight too dattebayou!!"

"No! Even that glasses guy said it, you and Kari-chan are at a lower level. This guy is a Sannin like me, and he's also the guy that killed Sandaime. You need an eye for an eye, only I can fight him now. Also, that kid is as strong as Kakashi," He glanced at Kari, who was practically shaking with anger. _'I've never seen her so riled up, Kakashi said about the curse mark and Sasuke's too…'_ "Kari in the slight possibility that you're needed, you can be Shizune's back up. But other than that, stay with Naruto and calm down."

"Yosh! Kage Bu—" Naruto began but Jiraiya cut him off.

"Matte. Don't use Kage Bunshin it's meaningless," Jiraiya said.

"Eh?!"

"It won't even work as a nice decoy either, you'll simply be wasting Chakra against them," Jiraiya explained. "Kari has a chance against the guy with glasses if he's worn down by Shizune due to her speed, Taijutsu and the few high level Ninjutsu she has. This isn't a good fight for you. Now then, let's get started!"

Kabuto brushed his thumb against his wounded hand and pulled up Orochimaru's sleeve to reveal a black tattoo. At the same time, Jiraiya bit down on his thumb. Both Jiraiya and Kabuto made hand seals before slamming their hands onto the ground and shouting "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Smoke filled the clearing momentarily, two snake heads poking through, the right with Kabuto and Orochimaru standing on top. Jiraiya looked down at his summon.

"Yo! Long time no see!" Gamakichi cried.

"NANI?! What's this?! What happened?!" Jiraiya screeched at the small bright orange toad as Naruto joined in his scream. Kari sighed slightly and shook her head.

'_Jiraiya-sama can't mould his Chakra properly because of the drug,'_ Shizune thought.

"Looks like you're still the baka I remember," Orochimaru said with a mocking chuckle. "I know that you don't have talent, but _that_? Looks like Tsunade did something to you."

"Sacrifices were needed for that technique. She most likely poisoned him with a drug that suppresses his powers so that she could use him later on," Kabuto said.

"Use Jiraiya as a sacrifice? I guess that's very like Tsunade," Orochimaru commented.

'_Damn it they've already seen through my handicap,'_ Jiraiya thought grimly.

"You're unsightly as usual," Orochimaru said unimpressed.

'_Kuso, it makes me mad when they make fun of Ero-sennin dattebayou!_' Naruto thought biting his thumb. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

'_The Kyuubi gaki from the Chuunin exams,'_ Orochimaru remembered. "Maybe I should've killed him when I had the chance… I let him go since the Akatsuki wanted him alive. But only a Sannin or Sandaime can remove the five element seal."

"So that means Jiraiya-sama did it?" Kabuto asked.

"Most likely. If he is able to control the powers of the Kyuubi already…" Orochimaru began, but was distracted when the smoke cleared revealing Naruto's summon. Jiraiya's eyes widened. It was a fatter, yellow, dumb-looking, small frog in a waistcoat. "But it appears he can't."

"Heh, he wasn't blessed with any talents as a ninja after all," Kabuto said with a smirk.

"Nande?" Naruto asked.

'_Yappari… He's not quite there yet…'_ Jiraiya thought to himself.

"Nande dattebayou?!" Naruto shrieked in annoyance.

"Ehehe, konnichiwa desu," the yellow frog said slowly.

"Oi Gamatatsu! Why the hell did you come out?!" Gamakichi asked.

"Oh? Gamakichi-niisan. I've been summoned for the first time. Do you think I can be useful?" Gamatatsu asked happily.

"Ahou! Get a snack from them and go hide!"

"Eh? I can have a snack? Wai! Wai!"

"Let's go," Orochimaru said, as the snakes started to descend. "I'll deal with Jiraiya, you deal with the rest."

"That's a shame, I wanted to fight a Sannin like Jiraiya-sama too," Kabuto said as he stood on the other snake head.

"Shimatta! Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Kari cried biting her thumb and slamming her hand onto the ground. The serpents dove to the ground, smashing up the once smooth field. Shizune jumped away with Tsunade, but Kabuto appeared through the dust and punched her in the face. Naruto quickly jumped up, using the falling pieces of ground as leverage, only for a snake's jaws to rush towards him. Kari appeared, swinging him out of the way and then gripping him around the middle as wings shot out of her back. She clenched her teeth anxiously, she couldn't perform hand seals while she was holding Naruto.

"Naruto, Kari!!" Jiraiya shouted.

"You're dealing with me!" Orochimaru shouted, heading straight for Jiraiya. A jet of flame stopped him, allowing Jiraiya the necessary time to do a jutsu.

"Doton; Yumi Numa!" Jiraiya shouted. The snakes faltered, as the ground became soft and they sank into Jiraiya's swamp. "K'so, I can't submerge them completely with such a small swamp! The drug is still affecting me… But the snake can't move in that state."

"Ah, a ryuu," Orochimaru said with a smirk, watching the dragon glide through the sky, shooting fire at the other snake. "Your summon suits you Kari-hime."

Kabuto dodged Shizune's poisoned senbon, and then turned, striking her in the chest with his chakra filled palm. As she slid back she quickly performed another jutsu.

"Ninpou; Dokugiri!" Shizune cried, breathing out a huge dark purple fog to engulf Kabuto.

"Even a breath of this will be fatal!" Kabuto cried alarmed. Acting quickly, he burrowed into the ground, his hand shooting up from underneath Shizune and wrapping around her ankles. Kabuto came out of the ground as Shizune collapsed.

'_He got my leg tendons…'_

Kari struggled to avoid the snake's attacks, her summoned dragon shooting balls of flame at it. The snake hissed violently when the scorching heat struck its nose and lunged at the dragon, its jaws closing down on it. Kari grimaced as her summon disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm, but she didn't have time to react before a thick scaled tail slammed into her side, sending her and Naruto flying, their fall stopped by a hard boulder and then the ground near the edge of the swamp.

"Let's begin," Orochimaru said facing Jiraiya. The snake-nin shot forward, his neck elongating becoming like a snake itself. Acting quickly, Jiraiya quickly made seals for a defensive jutsu.

"Ninpou; Hari Jizou!" Jiraiya cried, his spiky white hair becoming hard and sharp, wrapping around him like a protective cocoon. Orochimaru's kick was proved useless, the spikes impaling his foot, but he used this to his advantage to pull the cocoon open slightly, enough to allow him to sink his teeth into Jiraiya's neck.

"Shimatta, my technique isn't working either," Jiraiya growled.

"Even though we both have handicaps, it looks like we can still see the difference between us, just give up," Orochimaru said against Jiraiya's throat.

Shizune cried out as Kabuto struck her again in the face. Shizune fell to the ground panting through her pain. She was defeated, blood trailing from the corners of her mouth. Tsunade shook in terror, her heart quickening as images of her dead brother and dead love haunted her eyes. Kabuto walked forward slowly, extending his hand towards her but she gave a choked scream ad slapped it away. Kabuto looked at her with disgust.

"This is unfortunate, I had admired you as a medical ninja like me," he took a step forward.

"Yamero! Get away!" Tsunade screamed, shuffling backwards in fear.

"Please get a hold of yourself Tsunade-sama. Otherwise the reputation of the Sannin, of which Orochimaru-sama is a part, will be diminished." He went to kick her, but was instead thrown to the side with a vicious slap to his face. Kari stood in front of Tsunade breathing heavily, her hand still stinging from the hit. "Ah, the back up?" Kari growled knowing she wasn't strong enough t fight him, she hadn't recovered from her battle with Itachi and the wounds from Gaara and the Chuunin final were still quite sore, although almost healed. She glanced down at her left wrist, she had landed on her left side when she fell and had worsened it, as well as her left wing. She glared at Kabuto with disgust and clenched her right fist, her wings disappearing.

"You used to be called the insanity of the village, but now you're carrying around a child and working hard for the village. You've fallen," Orochimaru said panting, looking down at Jiraiya who was down on one knee, in equally bad shape. "My ability to se through someone's talent is top notch," he glanced at Naruto. "That kid is nothing but ordinary. Is that why you've stolen Kari-hime from me?"

"Hmph, that's why. I don't need an Uchiha kid. There's no fun in raising a genius who learns fast. You think I _stole_ Kari? Her and Naruto come as a package," Jiraiya said with a smirk.

"So you can't leave him alone because he reminds you of your old self? That child cannot beat an Uchiha born with the ninja talent Sharingan, since Naruto-kun does not possess the Sharingan. Nor can he beat Kari-hime with her strength and speed," Orochimaru said simply. "A ninja's talent is determined whether he can possess and master all the techniques in the world. A ninja, as the name suggests, is someone who uses ninja techniques."

"Hmph, that's not what determines a ninja's talent," Jiraiya said with a smirk. "You still don't understand? A ninja is someone who stands and endures it."

"A difference of opinion," Orochimaru said with a smirk.

"Let me tell you one thing," Jiraiya said simply. "The most important talent for a ninja to have is not his amount of techniques; the most important thing, is to never give up!"

Kabuto rose and approached Kari his hand curling into a fist, he drew back and then his hand shot forward, going to strike her in the face, but instead his knuckles met a hard metal plate. His eyes widened when he saw Naruto in front of him, his blue eyes in a protective glare, blood trailing down his nose.

"Temee, cut it out already!" Naruto growled, building up a Rasengan in his hands.

"The guts to never give up, they both have that," Jiraiya said with a smirk.

Naruto charged, Rasengan in hand, but Kabuto dodged, his hand lighting with Chakra. Kabuto struck Naruto's thigh, causing him to fall to the ground. Kari gasped at the sudden pain and stumbled, falling to one knee, pain shooting down her leg. Kabuto smirked.

'_I don't know what kind of jutsu you learned, but you can't hit me with a big motion like that.'_

'_It's no good dattebayou, I can't hit someone who's moving,'_ Naruto though hissing with pain and sitting up grasping his thigh. "Ite-e…" '_Also, I can't retain my Chakra perfectly yet…'_

"It seems like your thighbone is cracked from your battle with the snake. But then again, you could still move with a bone injury. But you can't anymore. I cut your right leg's vatus lateralis," Kabuto said simply. He smirked. "Which also means, I no longer have to worry about Kari-chan's speed."

'_What should I do dattebayou? My jutsu uses two hands. If he gets one of my hands it's over for me.'_ Naruto thought. Kabuto chuckled.

"Are you afraid of me? Do you want to run away from here?" Kabuto asked as he held up a familiar card, one of his ninja-info cards. "Naruto-kun, this is what you said during the first Chuunin Exam right? '_Screw you, I'm not going to run away! I'll take this shit! Even if I stay a Genin forever, I'm going to become Hokage no matter what dattebayou! So I don't give a shit!'_ Can you say the same thing right now?" Kabuto asked.

"_Unlike you I'm going to become Hokage for sure! Hokage is my dream!"_ Tsunade remembered.

"You're not a kid anymore so you shouldn't act like one. Give up when the situation calls for it and run away when you need to. Hey now… what's with those eyes?" Kabuto asked seeing Naruto's glare. "You're going to die. If you die, your dream won't come true."

"_Do you want to die? Nawaki you're still a Genin, so just run from the enemy on the battlefield," Tsunade scolded._

"_Don't tell a man to run!" Nawaki cried stubbornly._

Tsunade grasped her necklace as she remembered her brothers words.

"Kids think everything is easy. That's why they have no shame in having stupid dreams. That's why they don't give up," Kabuto said, taking slow steps towards Naruto.

"_Jiraiya, are you the one that taught him the Rasengan? Are you acting like a teacher by teaching him things he can never master? Don't give him any ideas! That's why this kid likes to daydream he's going to become Hokage someday!"_

Tsunade's eyes widened realising Kari wasn't in front of her anymore. She was now standing shakily in front of Naruto, determined to protect him as she leant heavily on her left leg. Kabuto punched her in the jaw sending her to the ground.

"You're going to chase after a stupid dream and die," Kabuto said, repeatedly kicking Naruto and watching in amusement at how Kari would flinch with every hit.

"_Me and Kari-chan can master this move in three days!"_

"_Then let's make a bet."_

"Kuso," Naruto hissed catching Kabuto's kick and pushing him back. "I'm not going to take back my words," he hissed as he and Kari struggled to stand up. "That's my Nindou!"

"_A bet?"_

"I'll give you one week. If you can master the move in that time, I'll acknowledge that you can become Hokage and I'll give you this necklace."

"You should've just stayed out of this," Kabuto said simply, his hand glowing blue. In a swift movement he back handed Kari across the face, sending her into Naruto, the both of them landing in front of Tsunade.

"Nande…? Nande?" Tsunade whispered as she watched them support each other as they stood.

"Tsunade… no Obaachan," Naruto said.

"Still going to fight?" Kabuto asked.

"Me and Kari-chan are going to take that unlucky necklace that you promised in the bet," Naruto said.

"Mou ii! Don't protect me anymore Naruto, Kari! Stop!" Tsunade pleaded, but they just stood beside each other.

"I said that when you became stubborn, you die!" Kabuto cried, pulling out a kunai and charging towards them. "When you die you'll lose everything including your dream!"

"Move! Just get out of the way, Naruto, Kari! Nigero!!" Tsunade begged, but they ignored her and stood firm.

"Daijoubu dattebayou," Naruto said with a smirk. Blood shot through the air as Kari caught Kabuto's fist, the sharp edge of the kunai cutting through the skin between her fingers but was stopped from getting too deep by her knuckle guards. Naruto looked at her, and due to the bond they shared, no words were needed. He wanted to protect her, not wanting to see her hurt anymore. She just smirked, showing that she wanted to protect him, not the other way around.

"Until… Until I become Hokage, I won't die!" Naruto cried. Kari smirked wider as Kabuto struggled, unable to break her tight grip. "Now you can't run, eat this!"

Kari held out her hand, beginning to spin her Chakra as Naruto pawed at it, adding large amounts of his own Chakra, making it larger, spinning it faster.

"The same Chakra motion!" Kabuto cried, "No it's…"

"They're combining their Chakra into one technique!" Tsunade cried. She watched in awe as Naruto threaded his fingers with Kari's, helping her support the Chakra.

"Compress the Chakra… and retain it… retain it!!"

"Their Chakra is in perfect sync! Did they?!" Tsunade cried as together they thrust the glowing blue ball into Kabuto's stomach.

"Naru-Kari style; Kumiawase Rasengan!!"

Kabuto yelled in pain and he quickly surrounded his hands with Chakra, slamming them into Naruto's and Kari's chest simultaneously.

Kabuto was sent flying back in a ball of white light, a furrow forming in the ground where he slid until he hit a large boulder, leaving such a large crater in it, it looked more like an igloo. Naruto and Kari panted, hands still intertwined.

Meanwhile as Orochimaru and Jiraiya continued to battle the toad sage smirked. _'They did it, together.'_

'_That Kyuubi gaki… can use a technique like that?'_ Orochimaru thought sceptically.

'_Could it be… could they have together mastered Rasengan in just one week and practically created a whole new version of it?'_ Tsunade thought in amazement. However, Kabuto was still smirking, He was barely standing with a huge burn across his torso. His smirk widened when Naruto and Kari both choked up blood. Kabuto became blurry as they panted and they both fell back their eyes closing. Tsunade gasped and ran over to them. Kabutotook a few steps forward.

"You took that attack yet…" Tsunade trailed off.

"I protected my stomach with Chakra and began healing myself before I was even hit with the technique. The reason Orochimaru likes me is not for my superior abilities, nor is it for my talent with techniques, it's my overwhelming healing power, my ability to induce cells to generate new ones," Kabuto explained as his wound healed before her eyes. '_Maa, in exchange I use up most of my Chakra…' _"It looks like this technique was Naruto-kun and Kari-chan's last gamble, but…" He was cut off by a heavy cough, choking up blood, his glasses cracking before he fell to his front. _'Nani…? Even with my recovery skills I'm still this damaged? I don't have enough Chakra…'_

Turning back to Naruto and Kari, Tsunade placed her ear against Naruto's chest. She listened carefully and then gasped in alarm.

"He's showing signs of arrhythmia! Which means…!" Tsunade turned in horror to look at Kari. She hadn't missed how the girl seemed to be effected by each of Naruto's injuries, which meant she was in the same state if not worse. She placed an ear over Kari's heart and her eyes widened in shock. She quickly unzipped Naruto's jacket, deciding to heal him first in hopes Kari would also start to heal. "K'so his cardiac muscles are a total mess!" Tsunade cried placing a hand on his chest. "But how?" She gasped remembering when Kabuto had grabbed the both when he was being hit with Rasengan. _'At that time? He cut up the muscles of their hearts during that move?'_ Using her Chakra she cut open his shirt. "Stop shaking!" she scolded herself. She didn't look up when Kita rushed over, but the presence calmed her slightly.

"Ne, Gamakichi-niisan can we get a snack? Those people are dying," Gamatatsu asked as they watched with Tonton from the safety of a rock.

"You're annoying! Urusai!!" Gamakichi shrieked at his idiot brother.

"It's too late for Naruto-kun," Kabuto said as Tsunade pressed her glowing green hands over Naruto's heart, struggling to heal him. "I've cut the keirakukei (Chakra circulatory system) to their hearts that convert their demons Chakra into strength with my full strength, to ensure that there is no chance of them healing themselves. Kari-chan had already suffered Raikiri damage and a Jyuuken to the heart, she meant to be dead already, but her demons can't heal her anymore… There's no way they'll recover, even by your hand, Kari's body rejects foreign Chakra."

"Urusai!!" Tsunade shouted. "I'll kill you later." Her eyes widened in horror. "His breathing has stopped!" She looked at Kari to see her chest was still, no longer taking in oxygen. "Chikusho, Chikusho, Chikusho!!"

"_It's dark… It's dark in here, why is it getting darker?" the Kyuubi growled lowly._

"_Kari-chan's body is shutting down…" Kokoro whispered._

_  
"It's too soon… But we can't help her…" Kitai murmured, her chakra starting to dull._

"Looks like we're going back to my lair after all, I'll be free…" Kumouri growled in weakened pleasure. "Hurry and die…"

"If she dies…"

"_It's so dark…"_

"_She can't die… Even you know that Kumouri…"_

"It's too late… Her heart's stopped…"

"_Nande…" the Kyuubi growled as his eyes began to close. He was surprised when he heard the dripping of water. "Nan de…?"_

"Don't die! Don't die! Don't die! Don't die! Don't die!!" Tsunade begged as her tears slowly fell onto Naruto's body. She gasped when Naruto's hand closed around her necklace. He opened an eye slowly.

"We won… the bet…" he said with a smile. "Give it to Kari-chan for me?" he whispered before closing his eyes.

"'_Becoming Hokage is my dream'_ eh? And hers is to help you achieve that dream…" Tsunade said softly as Naruto's hand fell into hers. "One last time…" she said softly walking around him over to Kari. She placed her hand over Kari's chest and almost laughed with relief when she felt the soft thud of a heartbeat. "One last time… I want to put my hope in the both of you." She picked up Kari's head and placed the necklace around her neck, she set her back down and picked up her tiny hand and held it tightly.

"That boy doesn't seem to be too well," Orochimaru commented their battle having paused again. _'Kabuto if you have killed Kari-hime I will not be pleased…'_

"Tsunade is a medical specialist. You don't have to worry, both should be fine."

"That's not what I meant."

"Besides, you're fighting with me, you shouldn't have time to look away," Jiraiya said.

'_I didn't expect him to be able to do this much… If he falls into Akatsuki hands it could be trouble…'_ Orochimaru thought looking at Naruto. _'In other words, now's the time… to kill him!!'_ Orochimaru thought diving towards Naruto. Jiraiya quickly followed, only for Orochimaru to wrap his tongue around Jiraiya's ankle.

"Shimatta!" Jiraiya cried as he was flung into the ground. Orochimaru picked up speed, and opening his mouth wider a snakes head came out, a sword coming out of the snake's mouth.

"He's going for that boy!" Tsunade cried in alarm.

It seemed to happen in slow motion, as Orochimaru came close to Naruto, Kari's eyes shot open and without hesitation shielded Naruto with her own body, the sword piercing her chest. Tsunade had tried to protect Naruto but hadn't counted on Kari being able to move. The sword had also pierced her, her body shaking from pain.

Realising his mistake, Orochimaru jumped back, swallowing his tongue and sword with ease. Kari immediately fell limp, Tsunade catching her as tears began to flow down her face again.

"Tsunade, you and Kari-chan were the only ones I didn't intend to kill," Orochimaru said disappointed. He was ignored, tears streaming down Tsunade's face and mixing with Kari's blood.

Placing Kari down, she cut the girls shirt, slicing straight through the bandages. Her hands glowed green and lowered towards Kari, but chakra seared her hands, leaving a stinging sensation.

"_Kari's body rejects foreign Chakra."_

"No! No Kari! Don't die! Don't die!!" Tsunade cried as she tried again, only for the dark Chakra to push her away. Blood was covering the front of her ribs now, slowly sliding down her stomach.

"_I want to protect those precious to me…"_

"IIE!" Tsunade cried.

"You're everything to him… Don't leave him…" Tsunade whispered, her voice choking. She glanced at Naruto before finding her inner strength. "No, I will not allow you to die!" Pouring Chakra into her hands they glowed a brighter stronger green. She thrust her hands down, ignoring the sting of the protesting demonic Chakra.

"_Kari-chan needs her help…"_

"No."

"_We're still too weak from the Sharingan…"_

"_No!"_

"_If you keep rejecting her you'll run out of Chakra and she'll be healed anyway. Why not save your strength?"_

"…Only this one."

Tsunade gasped as the Chakra stopped rejecting her. She managed to close the wound, her heart beginning to lift. Her hands moved slightly and she worked on repairing the punctured lung. '_Arigatou… Arigatou…'_ She moved away, having healed her as best she could. Her eyes lingered on the other healing wounds. _'Stab wounds, broken ribs, bruising… I'll heal you more after the battle Kari-chan, but I need to protect you now.'_ She looked round at Naruto and she had to suppress both tears and a smile. _'Like how you protect him…'_ she thought looking at their hands, still intertwined.

"It'll be troublesome in many ways if that boy lives," Orochimaru said.

"These two… I will definitely protect them at all costs!" Tsunade cried, her fingers gripping the grass underneath her.

"Hn, covered in blood and trembling. Why would you, one of the Sannin, want to risk your life to protect a mere Genin?" Orochimaru asked. Tsunade coughed up blood, reminding her that she was injured too.

"To protect… Konohagakure no sato!" Tsunade cried.

"To protect Konoha?" Orochimaru repeated.

"Because… That's because this little kid is someone who will eventually become Hokage, with that girl by his side," Tsunade said.

"Talking about such nonsense," Orochimaru chuckled. "Besides, the title of Hokage is nothing but a load of crap! Only a baka would take the job." Tsunade gasped remembering the exact same words coming out of her own mouth. She stood up weakly. "From now on, I too will risk my life!" she cried causing Orochimaru to smirk.

"If your life is so worthless that you can throw it away for a baka kid like him, then hurry up and die as you should!" Orochimaru cried, spitting out his sword and slicing in it in a diagonal motion across her chest. She fell to the ground still. "Now all that's left is Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said smirking, his blade sticking out of his mouth.

"Tsunade-sama!!" Shizune screamed as Jiraiya also sat up. He made a hand sign knowing there was no chance he could make it in time but still desperate to try. Orochimaru swung his blade down but was blocked by Tsunade's back.

_She can still move even after I cut through her lungs?!'_ Orochimaru thought in shock, retracting his blade. "Are you still going to protect a kid like him?"

"Like I said, from here on, I too will risk my life!!" Tsunade cried.

"You're half dead!!" Orochimaru shouted, kicking her away. "No matter how much you pretend, your trembling won't stop," he mocked as she lay there shaking. "You can't free yourself from your paralyzing fear of blood. Why are you even doing all this and going so far for these kids? I want Kari-hime, but I wouldn't _die_ for her. Why do you fight for the sake of a mere leaf?" Tsunade's body froze and she shot up, her leg smacking into Orochimaru's jaw. "Unbelievable! Her trembling has stopped!"

"That's because I'm… Konoha no-sato's Godaime Hokage!!" Tsunade shouted, the diamond mark in the centre of her forehead extending across her forehead in a dark purple pattern and sliding down her cheeks almost like tears.

"That seal is…!"

"Tsunade-sama has overcome her fear of blood!" Shizune cried. "But that's…!"

"What are you planning to do at a time like this?" Orochimaru asked, standing up. "Even if you've overcome your fear of blood, you can't fight properly with injuries like that!" Tsunade scoffed and made a hand seal.

"Matte kudasai! I'll heal your injuries! Please! Don't undo the seal!" Shizune begged.

"Seal release! Ninpou; Souzou Saisei!" Tsunade cried and her wounds immediately began to heal.

"Looks like I'm not the only one creating new techniques, what kind of technique is that?" Orochimaru asked.

"Nani? I have been collecting Chakra in my forehead for a long time. With that enormous amount of Chakra I simulated various proteins, increasing the cell division rate by many times and used that to restore all my organs and tissues. It's not a healing ability but rather a regeneration ability. In other words, I can't die in battle," Tsunade explained rubbing the blood away from her mouth with her thumb.

'_But the number of times that human cells can divide is constant, speeding that u reduces ones life span,'_ Shizune thought worriedly. Tsunade wiped the blood on her arm. "Tsunade-sama!"

'_K'so, come out you…'_ Jiraiya thought biting his thumb.

"Orochimaru-sama!"

"Hurry!" Orochimaru hissed to Kabuto who rolled up his sleeve and spread his blood across the seal.

"Inu, tori, saru, i, hitsuji!" Jiraiya cried. Tsunade, Jiraiya and Kabuto slammed their hands to the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!!"

In a huge cloud of smoke, the Sannin each stood upon their greatest summon; Orochimaru on a large violent snake with Kabuto, Tsunade on a white and blue slug with Naruto, Kari and Kita behind her, and Jiraiya on Gamabunta.

"Oi otouchan!" Gamatatsu called dopily, waving at Gamabunta's back. The large snakes eyes looked down at the small frogs and pig.

"This is bad! Gamatatsu lets get outta here!" Gamakichi cried.

"Huh? Nande?"

"Just hurry up and come!"

"Manda and Orochimaru, Katsui and Tsunade," Gamabunta said in recognition he took a deep drag on his pipe, blowing out the smoke. "These sure are nostalgic faces. Are you holding a reunion or something after all this time Jiraiya?"

"Baka, I brought you out for the first time in a long while, stop saying stupid things," Jiraiya said with a smirk. "I just thought it was about time we put an end to our prolonged relationship. We will defeat Orochimaru, here, today."

"Oi, Orochimaru. Don't bring me out in such troublesome situations," the snake grumbled in a deep voice its light teal eyes looking up at its summoner. "Temee, I'll eat you!"

"Please don't say that Manda-sama, I'll give you an offering to make up for this later for sure," Kabuto promised.

"Who asked you?" Manda snapped. "Don't talk to me so casually gaki." Kabuto fell silent. "Oi Orochimaru, prepare at least 100 sacrifices later," Manda ordered.

'_Even if he's here at Orochimaru's call, if Manda finds out that Orochimaru can't use his techniques I'm sure that he'll betray him.'_ Kabuto thought anxiously. _'Eve though we had no other choice in this situation, summoning Manda in this situation was a very risky bet.'_

"Katsui, take the kids and wolf to Shizune," Tsunade commanded.

"Hai, I understand," Katsui replied in a gentle feminine voice. A smaller Katsui clone rose out of the actual Katsui with Naruto Kari and Kita on it's back.

"Yosh, I can fight too!" Shizune cried as she finished healing her legs. She stood but was blocked when a large slug dropped in front of her.

"Shizune-sama, please take care of these children," Katsui requested.

"Naruto-kun, Kari-chan…" Shizune said softly.

"Also, starting now, this is going to become a violent battle, so please go far away with my clone and hide. This is what Tsunade-sama wants."

"Tsunade-sama…"

Gamabunta took a deep drag on his pipe, before blowing out the steam in Manda's face.

"Temee, you want to become a dried toad, eh?!"

"I just so happened to want a snake-skin wallet y'know," Gamabunta said, his webbed hand curling around the handle of his katana.

"Orochimaru, you've become too evil, we're no longer comrades," Jiraiya said.

"Comrades? Ehehee, that gives me the shivers," Orochimaru chuckled.

"The title of "Sannin" will have one less holder after today!" Tsunade cried before unleashing her attack, the battle having begun.


	62. Katei no Midashi

* * *

A/N:

Only two exams left!! Both Psychology and both on Mondays. I got dragged to our school art exhibit because my parents wanted to see my exam work it was beyond embarassing. I had people from the year/grade below me oggling at my work while I was standing less than a foot away going on about how "amazing" and "awesome" it was. I hate itwhen people look at my work while I'm standing there... -sighs- Anyways, I thought a little naruto stupidity was in order after the last chapters seeming quite miserable XD As promised, the Sannin fight scene, which i wrote before a maths exam when i should have been revising. But that was a lot more fun!

**Claimer:** The blatantly original stuff is mine.

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto-sempai is doing this to spite me. Stop with the evil manga twists damn you!! Naruto-chan belongs to him. Though I wish it belonged to me and i was rich because of it...

* * *

**Katei no Midashi**

_**Heading Home**_

The excitement of returning home, to where you belong,

The place that no matter how far you fly

Will always call you back.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Zesshinen San!" Katsui cried spitting out yellow acid. Manda moved unbelievably quickly for a creature so large and shot around Katsui, wrapping around the large slug.

"Here's one!" Manda cried, lunging towards Tsunade with its mouth wide open. Gamabunta shot forward, its katana heading straight for Manda's head, the snake dodged and then bit down on the blade. Gamabunta struggled as Manda chuckled, the large toad unable to pry his blade from Manda's jaws.

"Katsui!" Tsunade cried as Manda's body constricted tighter around the slug.

"Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade nodded and jumped off as Katsui burst into many smaller slugs, breaking free of Manda's binds.

"K'so," Manda hissed as the smaller Katsui's all quickly grouped together to join together and become one large being again. Manda went to strike Gamabunta with his tail but the toad released the handle of his sword and back flipped out of the way.

"He's coming!" Jiraiya warned.

"I know!" Gamabunta snapped as Manda flung the katana towards Gamabunta who dodged to the side, the blade landing right in front of Katsui. Tsunade used it as leverage and jumped back onto Katsui.

"Tsunade stay back!" Jiraiya warned. "Bunta, oil!"

"Yosha!" Gamabunta cried, his stomach and cheeks bloating as Jiraiya made hand seals. Manda hissed and shot towards them bearing his huge fangs.

"Katon; Gamayu Endan!" Jiraiya cried his chest expanding before he blew out a jet of flame catching the large amount of oil spurting from Gamabunta, the fire engulfing Manda.

"How's that?" Gamabunta asked as he watched the fire.

"Did we get them?" Jiraiya asked. His eyes widened when the flames began to die down. "Iie, that's… It shed its skin!" The skin crumbled and fell apart, still burning. There was a rumble from beneath them. "Bunta, he's underground!" Jiraiya warned.

"Nani?!" Gamabunta cried as a sharp striped violet tail shot towards him from the soil. Gamabunta managed to catch it before it pierced him or Jiraiya, but Manda's jaws shot towards him from behind. Jiraiya gasped when he saw Tsunade above them holding Gamabunta's huge katana, as the toad leapt away the blade embedded itself into the top of Manda's nose, pinning his jaws to the ground.

"Stay down!" Tsunade shouted landing on the erect blades handle. Kabuto and Orochimaru landed on Manda's upper back unphased.

'_As expected from Sannin, it's hard to take on both of them,'_ Orochimaru thought grimly. He spat out his tongue stretching it an incredible amount at high speed until it wrapped itself around Tsunade's neck.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya cried in alarm.

"I'll kill you by breaking your neck!" Orochimaru shouted.

'_My Chakra is… At this rate…!'_ Tsunade thought gripping the large slimy muscle.

'_Even if you can't die in battle, if you lose your head you'll die right Tsunade?'_ Orochimaru thought to himself.

'_How many minutes… How many seconds can I last?!'_ Tsunade thought as the tongue tightened, constricting her airways. She managed to fit her fist inside and loosen the tongue. "I'll just have to bet on it."

"Yosha! Let's settle this already!" Tsunade cried, free from his choke hold. Holding tight to his tongue she used it to pull him toward her until her fist struck his cheek spinning his head in the other direction making him plummet downwards. "Not yet!" She used his tongue to stop his fall and through him up into the air. She leapt into the air after him and punched him thrice in the face and then under his jaw, sending him higher, she then kicked him back down, landing on the katana handle and grabbing hold of his tongue again. She pulled him up and went to punch him but missed, feeling the strain on her muscles. She panted heavily, her chest heaving oxygen into her body.

"Could it be, she's reached her limit?" Shizune thought form behind a thick rock a safe distance away. She held Naruto and Kari against her while Kita lay on her head for a clear view of her fight.

'_He's… Even when I hit him that hard he still…'_' Tsunade thought looking down at Orochimaru hanging by his tongue, panting just as heavily as her. He smirked as she flinched with pain.

"In the end this is all you've got," Orochimaru said mockingly.

"Quit joking!" Tsunade snapped, yanking him up to her before slamming her fist into his gut. She dived after him as he fell punching him repeatedly in the face. _'Don't stop! Keep hitting him!'_ she thought desperately swinging her fists back and forth. She grew more determined as faces flashed before her eyes. _'Nawaki, Dan, Naruto, Kari… This is my battle! With my life on the line!'_ She slammed her fist so far into his cheek she swore she could feel it pierce straight through.

"OROCHIMARU-SAMA!!" Kabuto yelled. At his apprentice's cry, Orochimaru's eyes shot open and he dived down, falling faster.

"I won't let you get away!" Tsunade hollered. She shot after him as he landed and ran from her, retracting his abused tongue. "Stick with me till the end!" She jumped in front of him, he managed to dodge her first hit but was caught with her second punch. He jumped and flipped away from her avoiding her kicks but was caught with two more punches and a kick after that. He spat out his tongue as he fell back, wrapping it around Tsunade's torso, pinning her arms to her sides. He forced his katana blade out of his mouth and shot towards her, but she caught the blade between her feet and used it to throw him away from her, freeing herself from his tongue. She landed and started another onslaught of punches to his face.

'_No matter how many times I hit him something seems different. What is… this strange anomaly?_' Tsunade thought. She punched him under the chin and then with a spinning kick to the gut, sent him flying away from her. He finally skidded to a stop and she paused a moment to catch her breath. She straightened and began walking towards him, her hands fluidly making hand seals, finishing to leave a blue flame of Chakra around her right hand. She clenched her hand into a fist thinking of Naruto and Kari's unconscious faces.

"But this is… This is the end!" She cried stopping in front of him as he finally stood, unsteady on his feet. She pulled her fist back and then released it, her knuckles slamming underneath his chin and sending him flying into the hard surface of Gamabunta's katana handle. He landed on his head before falling to his side, laying still.

'_He took a direct hit from her enormous strength?'_ Kabuto thought shocked as he stared at his motionless master. He quickly crawled towards him.

"Looks like this is the end," Jiraiya said from his position upon Gamabunta's head.

"Aa," Gamabunta agreed.

"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said, lifting Orochimaru's upper body.

"Losing untidily, I feel like eating you," Manda groaned. "But I can't swallow when there's a hole in my mouth. If we eat again, be prepared!" Manda threatened before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Tsunade fell to her knees breathing heavily. The smoke cleared to show Orochimaru standing weakly before Tsunade, Kabuto kneeling at his side.

"Tsunade, even if you don't heal me, I still have another method left," Orochimaru said through his laboured breathing. "A method to revive my arms that is." Orochimaru looked u to show the skin around his left eye had shedded, revealing a feminine eye. "I will definitely take down Konoha. I hope we can meet again when that happens, comrades. Tsunade, Jiraiya."

'_That face…'_ Tsunade thought shocked.

'_Somehow he was able to use another person's body,'_ Jiraiya thought. '_No wonder it didn't feel like the old him when we fought earlier.'_

"I have eternal youth, I am invincible," Orochimaru said as he sank into the ground.

"Let's meet again sometime," Kabuto said, performing hand seals before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"Matte!" Jiraiya cried but then groaned holding his side. "K'so I've broken my ribs and leg…" Tsunade struggled to get up, stumbling slightly in pain.

'_The side effects of my jutsu are starting… my body is…'_ She looked up seeing her reflection in Gamabunta's blade, watching as the purple diamond reappeared in the centre of her forehead.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Heh, Tsunade you sure suck at betting," Jiraiya said with a smirk looking at the necklace around Kari's neck. They had allowed their summons to return to their homes before heading over to Shizune, Naruto, Kari and Kita.

"_Becoming Hokage is my dream!"_

"_I'll give you one week. If you can master the move within that time, I'll acknowledge that you can become Hokage and give you this necklace."_

"Stop joking dattebayou! Me and Kari-chan can master this move in three days!"

"_Hm, a man never takes back his words."_

"It's about time, the side-effects are…" Tsunade said with strain.

"Tsunade-sama…"

"You…" Jiraiya said with shock as Tsunade became old before his eyes.

"Don't worry, I can get back into my young form when I rest a bit. Lets rest at the city, and when they wake up, head back to the village," Tsunade said.

"Hai!" Kita cried enthusiastically wagging her tail with delight.

"Tsunade…" Jiraiya said.

"From now on, don't call me Tsunade, rather…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"GODAIME HOKAGE-SAMA?!" Naruto shrieked.

"Aaaaa, Naru not so loud…" Kari said rubbing her ears. They were in the same bar they had found Tsunade and Shizune. Tsunade was back to her young looking self and seemed amused at Naruto's reaction.

"So Tsunade no Obaachan is going to be Godaime Hokage starting today?" Naruto said.

"What's this? You seem discontent Naruto," Jiraiya asked.

"Because compared to Sandaime-Ojiichan… She has a violent nature, looks selfish, irresponsible with money, short-tempered, and a baka," Naruto said causing Tsunade's smile to turn into an irritated frown. "Makes me wonder if she can do the job right dattebayou."

"Naruto…" Kari sighed.

"A-anou, Tsunade-sama should we order something?" Shizune asked sensing her masters thinning patience.

"Also, the fact she's in her fifties and transforms into a younger form is… I wonder if it's alright for a Hokage to deceive everyone?" Naruto wondered.

"Let's go outside gaki!!" Tsunade shouted. Shizune squealed in alarm, Jiraiya sighed and Kari smiled in embarrassment.

'_Geez, things are turning out like they did before…'_ Jiraiya thought.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

They stepped outside and like before, Tsunade and Naruto stood opposite each other, everyone else to the side. Kari sighed and adjusted Kita in her lap, watching boredly.

"I may look like this, but I'm going to be the Godaime Hokage, so there's no need for me to go all out against this kid," Tsunade said simply. "This finger is all I need."

"Stop mocking me by calling me 'gaki' dattebayou," Naruto grumbled. "I may be like this now, but one day I'm going to be Hokage!" Tsunade smirked. They stood there regarding each other before Tonton's oink signalled them to begin.

"Here I come!" Naruto cried, clenching his fist as he charged. He went to punch her, but she ducked and with one finger forced his hitai-ate to fly off his head. Naruto managed to stop his fall, only to see Tsunade about to flick his forehead. He closed his eyes, waiting for the sharp pain, but was surprised when he felt her lips against his forehead instead.

"Become a fine man alright?" Tsunade said smiling, a blush lightly coating her cheeks. _'And also an admirable Hokage.'_

"I'll make sure he does!" Kari said, throwing her arms around his neck. Naruto grinned and lifted her into a hug, spinning her round once before setting her down. He leant his forehead against hers.

"And Kari-chan will be a fine woman dattebayou!" Naruto said happily.

"Yosh! Let's head back to Konoha!" Jiraiya cried. Kari's face lit up; finally she could see Sasuke and Kashi better!

"EH?! I haven't eaten yet dattebayou!" Naruto cried in alarm. To his dismay, everyone just laughed at him. "Don't laugh it off, dattebayou!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Naru-kun! I can run on my own!" Kari said giggling as Naruto piggybacked her, running after the adults. They had left early while he had gotten some food and then he had picked her up and ran after them while she laughed with delight.

Tsunade looked back and smiled. _'Nawaki, Dan… A child that inherits your dreams my loves…'_ She glanced at Kari who held tightly to him, laughing as he carried her. '_And one that inherits mine…'_

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Hot springs?" Jiraiya asked.

"Aa. There's a town with nice hot springs just off the main road," Tsunade said.

"The 'Atsui Mizu village' hot springs," Shizune read. "The hot spring heals fatigue and is good for your beauty."

"Maa, weren't we supposed to go straight back to the village?" Naruto reminded. "Everyone is waiting dattebayou and Kari-chan won't be completely healed until the others are!" He had let Kari down, but had instead had his arm linked with hers or held her hand and swung their arms the whole way, occasionally grinning at the necklace which would make her blush and smile also.

"Just like he said, the village is in a state of emergency," Jiraiya scolded. "We have no time to waste."

"If we're one or two days late it should make too much difference," Tsunade said simply. Jiraiya, Naruto, Kari and Kita shook their heads in disagreement. "The springs are well known to the ladies," Tsunade whispered in Jiraiya's ear. "On top of that they have mixed bathing."

"Eh? Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya simply walked towards the village Tsunade mentioned.

"People need to relax sometimes, it'll be good for Kari-chan to rest too," Jiraiya said making up excuses, a perverted blush on his face. "How about we take a dip in the bath?"

"That's completely different to what you just said dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"It's all good," Tsunade said happily. "Saa, let's go!" Kita and Tonton sighed and followed after everyone else as they headed for the springs.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Five customers, a pig and a dog have entered!"

"Wolf," Kari sighed under her breath.

"Irrashaimase!"

"Kari-chan, me and you will go to the springs first and then after you're out and dressed I'll let Ero-sennin in," Naruto announced.

"Aa, I don't really…" Kari said awkwardly her cheeks darkening. As much as she loved Naruto, and was most comfortable in front of him than anyone else, she really did not want to let him see her naked. She was incredibly shy about her body.

"I won't let anyone see, there's no one else in there, promise!" Naruto said pleadingly.

'_Stubborn little… Uh… Don't ever say I don't love you Naru…'_

"Oi, Ero-sennin, Tsunade no Obaachan we'll see you later!" Naruto cried.

"The minute a lady walks in those doors I am going in whether they like it or not!" Jiraiya promised.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yatta!" Naruto grinned as he raced towards the springs and cannon-balled straight in. Kari giggled but didn't loosen the towel from around her body. "Come on in Kari-chan, the water's great!"

'_Why the hell do I not have her swimwear?!'_ Kari thought remembering how she'd had to wash it after the water training with Kakashi and Sasuke and had forgotten to put it back in her bag.

"Eh… I'm ok here," Kari said her face darkening.

"Ne, doushita dattebayou?" Naruto asked, swimming to the side and tilting his head worriedly.

"Anou…" Kari began. She could see he was concerned so just blurted it out. "I-I'm really shy…"

"What about?" Naruto asked confused. Kari coughed and pointed to the towel.

"The towel?" Naruto asked.

"My body…" Kari said grinning awkwardly. "I don't like people seeing my body…"

"Don't be silly, I'm your best friend!" Naruto said with a chuckle. "Besides you shouldn't worry, you're really pretty dattebayou!"

"I'm still really shy," Kari said smiling and playing with the end of her towel.

"Don't be!" Naruto said grinning and climbing out the spring. Kari's face immediately took a ruby tone and her eyes snapped to his face. "I've never had a bath with a girl before so it's weird for me too, you're the only girl I'm comfortable doing this with because you're my best friend dattebayou!" And with that he embraced her tightly, wearing absolutely nothing. She squeaked feeling some drops of hot water slide from his body onto hers. His warmth seemed to sink into her, his body having absorbed heat from the water.

"A-anou…" Kari said and he looked at her with that trademark smile. "Promise you'll turn around when I get in and will only look at my face?"

"You got it dattebayou!" Naruto said with a grin. He then blushed shyly. "Just one question though…"

"Hm?"

"Am I bigger than Sasuke?"

"Eh?"

"Down there, am I bigger than Sasuke?" Naruto asked motioning to his genitals. All the blood in Kari's body seemed to rush to her face.

"I n-never have seen, nor do I ever w-_want_ to see S-Sasuke's eh… eh… eh… th-thingy!" Kari cried in horror.

"I'll just take that as a yes dattebayou," Naruto said with a grin. Kari sighed and nodded, anything to get them off that topic. As promised, Naruto turned around and allowed her to leave the towel at the side and climb in. She sighed in delight as the warm water embraced her. "So you've never bathed with Sasuke?" Naruto asked turning around. She instinctively folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs, but other than that remained at ease.

"Nope, I sat in a spring with him once but I had swimwear on," Kari explained, desperately wishing she had it on now. "I've never been to a public bath, not even to bathe with other girls," she shuddered slightly, the thought very uncomfortable to her. Naruto flung an arm around her shoulders, not at all bothered by their state of undress.

"Everything's gonna be ok now, Tsunade no Obaachan will heal Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, then you'll feel better dattebayou," Naruto promised. Kari smiled and leant her head against his warm shoulder.

"Hai," she said, feeling better at his words. They'd be home soon and everything would get better. "Ne Naru, you're hair's going flat," she said fingering his golden locks. They were losing their natural spikes due to the water.

"It'll go back to normal later," Naruto said with a grin. She was glad; his spiky hair seemed to fit his personality and made him look young and cute. Impatient with sitting still, he left her and began swimming about. She would giggle when she was splashed and noticed that after spending a fair amount of time underwater his hair was almost completely flat. He looked so odd. "Kari-chan come swim!"

"Eh?" Kari asked blushing. She was a lot more at ease, but didn't want to swim around with him while she was naked. Naruto seemed to notice her dilemma and swam over.

"I'll get you out of your shell dattebayou!" Naruto said confidently. Kari blushed knowing that couldn't be good. Her suspicions were confirmed when he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the middle of the spring. As soon as he let go, she went to swim back to the safety of the side but was stopped when he wrapped his arms around her middle making her blush.

"Naru we're--!"

"Best friends, and best friends aren't shy around each other dattebayou!" Naruto said stubbornly, refusing to let her free. Kari sighed and stopped her struggles, allowing Naruto to hold her, a stubborn blush coating her face. "I got it!" Naruto said suddenly, letting her go. "You're still shy about seeing me naked, so if you're used to me you'll feel more relaxed dattebayou!"

"Eh? N-n-nani?!" Kari squeaked her hands quickly covering her eyes as Naruto climbed on the surface of the hot water.

"Kari-chan! You need to look for my plan to work!" Naruto protested strolling over and tugging her hands away from her face, only to find her eyes tightly closed. "Kari-chaaaaaan!!" She opened her eyes and almost had a heart attack seeing Naruto's face a mere inch from hers. "Good! Now keep your eyes open so you can get used to me dattebayou!"

"Naruto-kun," Kari whined craning her neck to look at his face. But for her eyes to reach his face they had to go up the rest of his body as she had been looking down. Though young, his tanned body was nicely toned and… Kari forced her mind blank.

"This is a sign of utmost trust Kari-chan!" Naruto explained. She looked at him in horror, he didn't expect her to get out the water and let him see her did he? She might not be too bothered if saw her in her underwear, and that's a hell of a lot of trust. But he's showing he trusts her, and, and she really trusts him more than anyone but…! She sighed wrapping her tail around her hips and pulling her hair over her shoulders to cover her chest. She then rose out of the water her face resembling a ripe tomato. She had covered her private areas, but still this was a huge show of trust.

"There."

"See that wasn't hard was it Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in delight, pulling her into a tight hug. She sighed and placed her hands on his back. "But no trying to get comfortable around anyone else, dattebayou!" Naruto cried. She giggled and nodded. "And your tail really tickles by the way."

She chose to ignore that comment.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Alright, you can go in," Kari said coming out in a comfy borrowed kimono from the hotel once she was dry. She had spent half an hour or so with Naruto and realising how awkward it was for her he allowed her to go, though was touched that she would let down her barriers and trust him so.

Jiraiya wasted no time hurrying inside.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"This is meant to be a mixed bath," Jiraiya sighed as water cascaded over him as Naruto jumped in. "But instead I'm with _him_. Even Kari-chan isn't here… How unlucky." He sighed sinking deeper into the middle of the spring as Naruto swam around him in a circle.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Now then, let's head to the Pachinko parlour!" Tsunade said to Shizune, Kari, Kita and Tonton. "There's still plenty of time before dinner."

"Aren't you going to bathe in the hot spring?" Shizune asked.

"If we go now, the idiot is there, now let's go!" Tsunade said happily running off.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I'm going to get out," Naruto called having gone to the door and dried, putting his green boxers on.

"Not yet for me, not until a lady comes in," Jiraiya said stubbornly.

"Oh really…" Naruto sighed, shutting the door.

"Lots of ladies come to me, lots of ladies!" Jiraiya sang to himself. The door opened and Jiraiya immediately squealed with delight. "Irrashaimase!!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ah that was refreshing, I wonder where Kari-chan went…" Naruto said to himself.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Oi, Kita-chan!" Naruto greeted as the wolf ran up to him. She gave him a puzzled look due to his flat hair and the fact he was in a white male yukata, the front left slightly open to show his chest, the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders. In fact, if it wasn't for the smell and familiar aura she never would have guessed it was him. He grasped the handle opening the door to his room.

"Huh?" He said surprised, realising his room was trashed. "AAH? A thief!!" He rummaged through his pack. "The necklace Tsunade no Obaachan gave us is gone!!" he cried in alarm remembering Kari giving it to him before the bath to look after. He glanced around seeing they had gone through some of her stuff as well. He looked around desperately and spotted a note on the wall. "_If you want the necklace back, give our money back! We will wait for you behind the three cedars. The Akagi family." _Naruto read. "Money? What's that all about dattebayou?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"A lady did come in, demo…" Jiraiya said sadly, a monkey on the top of his head. In fact, there were monkeys all around him in the spring with him. "They're all female monkeys!! I want to bathe with a lady _human_…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oi, I've come! Come out Akagi family!" Naruto cried.

"Hm?"

"What do you want, gaki?"

Two heads popped out from behind the tree with puzzled expressions.

"That's my line! I didn't borrow money from you guys and neither did Kari-chan dattebayou!" Naruto cried marching towards them angrily with Kita in tow. "So give me back our necklace!"

"Your necklace?"

"Have we mistaken it with that woman's?"

"That's it! Give it back!" Naruto cried charging forward.

"Matte!" the shorter one cried in protest, but Naruto ignored him.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto cried creating ten clones while Kita sat and watched. He and the clones immediately jumped and shot towards them with various shouts of '_Eat this!_' proceeding to beat the shit out of them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"A human did come in…" Jiraiya said, his face flushed from the heat of the spring. "Demo… They're all sumo men!"

"Dosukoi! Konnichiwa!" They all cried.

"I want to bathe with a _lady_…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Huh? It was Tsunade no Obaachan that borrowed the money?" Naruto asked, placing the necklace around his neck.

"Hai," the larger man said, rubbing his sore jaw. It had taken a while for them to persuade Naruto to back off so they could explain. "She is known as the legendary sucker. She was playing at the Akagi family's gambling den when she lost all her money. We let her borrow the money she lost."

"Here's the IOU," the other man said who had a nasty black eye. He handed a piece of paper to Naruto, Kita jumping on his shoulder so she could see.

"EHH?! That's a lot of zero's!!" Naruto shrieked.

"I'm Senta," the larger one explained, "And he's Bunzou." The shorter one bowed his head. "Three years ago, we were ordered by our boss to get the money back from her. We left Akagi Mountain risking never being able to return unless we got the money back from her. We left Akagi Mountain, risking never being able to return unless we got the money back. We heard rumours about that woman. As expected, she moves around a lot. It was hard to find her. But recently, we received information that she was spotted somewhere nearby. We were waiting a short distance from the main road…"

"And then you saw Tsunade no Obaachan travelling with us, Naruto finished for him while Kita nodded. "But why were you sneaking around dattebayou?"

"There's a rumour that she cannot be beaten easily in a fight," Senta explained. "And if we were to reason with her we know that she wouldn't pay us back."

"True, she's cheap," Naruto agreed.

"We thought she would pay us back if we ransomed her second most important possession next to her life, her necklace," Bunzou continues.

"That's impossible. Besides the room you broke into was mine and Kari-chan's," Naruto said stubbornly while Kita huffed, nudging him with her paw. It was her room too!

"I didn't imagine that the owner of the necklace could have changed," Bunzou said sheepishly. "Anou… Could you somehow ask her to pay us back?"

"Ha?! I don't think I can even if I'm asked to, I doubt she'd listen to Kari-chan either…" Naruto explained.

"Please! If we don't get the money back we can't go home!" Bunzou begged.

"My wife and child are waiting for me!" Senta cried, grabbing Naruto's hands pleadingly.

"ONEGAI!!" both squealed making Naruto and Kita feel awkward.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Arghh!" Tsunade growled when the ball disappeared, the game lost.

"You lost it all…" Shizune sighed. Kari smiled, holding in a giggle. Poor Tsunade really was terrible at gambling. She let her mind wander to Kita and paid more attention to Naruto's actions. Bless the little baka.

"I'm not lucky at all today… Damn I'm out!" Tsunade complained, realising her wallet was empty.

"Then how about we stop here and go to the hot springs now?" Shizune asked perkily.

"Shizune!"

"Hai?" Shizune asked.

"I left a bag with the innkeeper right?"

"NANI?! You're not actually going to make me go get that, are you?" Shizune asked terrified. She forced a shaky smile. "Our entire savings are in there."

"I don't get satisfaction from losing all the time!" Tsunade said with a scary expression on her face. "Stop making excuses and bring it here, now!"

"Haiiiii!!" Shizune cried and rushed out, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Tsunade's temper.

"Ara?" Kari said bending down, she picked up a coin. With a shrug she turned and popped it into the machine.

"Mm?" Tsunade said surprised. "Aa!" she cried as coins pooled into the tray.

"I'm lucky ne?" Kari said with a sheepish grin. Being the good kid that she was, she allowed Tsunade to have her winnings, the delighted woman promising her random things such as apprenticeships, extra credits and a raise but she quickly became irritated when she immediately lost. She grabbed another coin and shoved it into the waiting machine. It didn't take log for all the coins to disappear.

"Geez," Tsunade sighed in annoyance.

"Oh?" A man asked grabbing their attention. "You're…"

"AA! You're…?!" Tsunade cried shocked.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"A lady did come in… demo…" Jiraiya said his face very flushed now. He was surrounded by old ladies who seemed to think he was quite a catch. "I want to bathe with a _babe_…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I believe this is it," the woman said, handing over the bag.

"Doumo," Shizune thanked, taking the bag from her.

"Are you with Tsunade-sama?" a man asked, coming form upstairs.

"Hai," Shizune replied.

"I received this earlier," he said handing her a folded piece of paper with '_To Lady Tsunade'_ on the front.

"A letter? From who?" Shizune asked unfolding it, her eyes quickly scanned the letter and her jaw dropped her eye twitching with horror. "EEE?!?!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-samaaaa!!" Shizune cried running back to the Pachinko bar. To her horror though, neither Tsunade nor Kari were anywhere in sight. "Are? Tsunade-sama? She's not here…"

"Oiiiink," Tonton sighed.

"Listen Tonton! You have to find Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried. "Got it?" Tonton oinked in understanding and sniffed the air. The pig then shook its head.

"You can't? Nande? Matte…" Shizune sniffed the air. "Sou ka! The smell of sulphur from the hot springs is making it difficult for you. We have no choice but to run around looking for her. Tsunade-sama!!"

After racing around town Tsunade and Tonton both collapsed on a bench in exhaustion. With a sigh Shizune opened the latter and reread it.

'_We have kidnapped Uzumaki Naruto. If you want him back safely pay back all of the debt! We will wait for you at the three cedars behind the mountain. – The Akagi family. '_

"What should I do? I have to save Naruto-kun. Besides if someone finds out that Tsunade-sama is in huge debt, she may not be able to become the Godaime Hokage," Shizune stressed. Tonton oinked. "You're right. We must somehow take care of this ourselves, ne Tonton?"

"Oink!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Do you think everything will be ok?" Bunzou asked, he and Senta standing either side of Naruto who was tied to a tree.

"Don't worry dattebayou, unless Kari-chan comes by and thinks you've hurt me, we'll be fine!"

"Here she comes!" Senta warned.

"Tsunade no Obaachan!" Naruto cried as she came into view. What he didn't know, was that it was Shizune in a henge.

"Hold it!" Senta cried, grasping the handle of his katana.

"Do you know who we are?" Bunzou cried.

"You are Akagi's subordinates right?" Shizune asked.

"Then that will make things go faster. Pay us back all of your debt!"

"Or else he will lose his life!" Senta pulled out his katana and held it up to Naruto. Naruto struggled, playing the part of a damsel in distress.

"Save me dattebayou!!" he cried, begging with his eyes.

"I don't really care about his life though," Shizune said uninterested rubbing the back of her head.

"Nan da to?!" Naruto cried offended.

"Then the money…?" Senta asked. Shizune just smirked.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Why does this have to happen?" Jiraiya asked, his eyebrow twitching. His face was a deep red now. "This is bichibichi not pichipichi!" Jiraiya shrieked, referring to how he wanted a babe, but instead the spring was jam-packed with monkeys, sumo's and old ladies. "K'so I must be patient…" But his patience was quickly thinning when a fat ass, grey hair, and a monkeys hand were shoved in his face.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Did you not hear me? His life means nothing to me."

"You, k'so Obaabaa!" Naruto shrieked angrily.

"That is something I might've said before… If I become Hokage he will become one of my cute subordinates, and I'm sure my niece wouldn't be happy if he was killed. I can't just let him die," Shizune said simply.

"Tsunade no Obaachan!" Naruto cried, touched that she wouldn't let him die.

"This is all I've got right now, take it," Tsunade said, throwing her wallet on the ground in front of them.

"I'll check it out," Bunzou said picking it up. He looked surprised and the handful of notes he pulled out.

"I can't pay all of it back, but it should cover the interest," Shizune said simply. Bunzou huffed and threw it into the air. With a quick slice of his katana he cut it in half, watching as the wallet poofed into smoke and leaves.

"It's fake?!" Naruto cried. Shizune acted quickly, spitting out two needles, hitting both the men in the arm. She shot forward, pushing Senta and Bunzou out of the way and started untying Naruto. "Aren't you going to pay them back?" Naruto asked.

"This is none of your business," Tsunade whispered.

"But they can't go back to their home country. Don't you think that's cruel?" Naruto cried, trying to reason with her.

"Did you…?" Shizune gasped.

"Then I will have you give it back by force!" Naruto cried as he, Bunzou and Senta poofed into smoke.

"Naruto no Kage Bunshin?" Shizune wondered. _'Sou ka, Naruto-kun has joined with the Akagi family. Where are they?' _She sighed and walked off.

"Yappari. I knew she wouldn't pay us back so easily but I didn't think she would be that sneaky," Naruto said as Kita sighed.

"What should we do?" Senta asked.

"Tsunade no Obaachan has a huge bag. There must be money in there," Naruto explained. "We must somehow get that bag dattebayou."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kuso! I'm captured and she's relaxing by drinking sake!" Naruto cried as they spied on her in her room.

"It's that bag right? How are we going to get it?" Bunzou asked, looking at the red suitcase against the wall behind her.

"Leave it to me dattebayou!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Tsunade-sama you're back already!" Naruto cried, having used a Henge to make him look like Shizune. "Ah! So the bag was here! It's dangerous to leave it here, so I'm going to have the innkeeper hold on to it!" he quickly grabbed the bag. "Well then…" Not sure what to say, he quickly shut the door and ran out of the hotel, and up to Kita, Senta and Bunzou dropping the Henge. "Here, I got it dattebayou!" Naruto cried holding up the bag happily.

"Yatta!!" the two men cried, but there joy was short lived when the suitcase was hooked and pulled out of their hands. They looked up to see Tsunade, with a fishing rod, the bag safely back with her.

"Tsunade no Obaachan!" Naruto shrieked. "K'so… A Hokage… A Hokage should act like one and pay back their debt! A Hokage is supposed to protect everyone, right? These guys can't go back to their home country, so they're in trouble. Do something for them!"

"Naruto-san…" both men said.

"Or what? People in other countries don't matter? I won't approve of such a Hokage! And I know Kari-chan won't either! Now!" he quickly flung a kunai, cutting through the string and setting the bag free. He rushed down and caught it, before throwing it to Bunzou. "Hurry! Nigero!"

"Hai!" They both cried and ran for their lives, Naruto and Kita following, with Tsunade not too far behind. "She's already caught up!"

"Here goes nothing!" Naruto cried skidding to a stop. He quickly punched her in the gut, gasping when she poofed into smoke and Tonton flew out with a surprised oink.

"Tonton?!" Naruto and Kita cried.

"Naruto!" he turned to see another Tsunade, this time it was Shizune in disguise, running at him. "Give that bag back or else!"

"Give me the bag!!" Naruto cried and Bunzou quickly handed it over, all of them running away with Kita at their heels. "If we take a clean hit from Tsunade no Obaachan we're finished!"

"Move! Move!" They shrieked as they raced through the streets. "Excuse us!"

"Oi! Don't trouble the people!" Shizune cried from behind them.

"This is all because you're chasing us dattebayou!" Naruto shrieked, picking up speed as Kita did also, glad her training was coming in useful. "Mou! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!!" a crowd of Naruto's appeared all splitting up in different directions.

"K'so, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Shizune cried, the heard of Tsunade clones running straight over Senta and Bunzou.

"What in the world…?"

"Naruto-kun, we're counting on you…"

'_This is bad. If he find's out what's in that bag it will be very bad,'_ Shizune thought worriedly.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oh yes, that did happen!" Tsunade laughed as another drink was poured for her.

"I was young back then," the man chuckled. "Now, now drink up!" Kari smiled, liking the man that they had run into. He had a great sense of humour and was very friendly to her. Clearly he and Tsunade were old friends, but she was still careful of her manners. "He even allowed her some of the sake, though in a very small portion. He chuckled and had remarked on how she was like a little Tsunade. Kari looked up when the door opened.

"Sumimasen boss."

"What's the problem? I have guests."

"Well…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_Bunshin!'_ Shizune thought when the Naruto she had punched turned to smoke. Every single one she ran into seemed to be a Bunshin! "Aah! Which one is the real one?! The last… where is the last one?!" All the clones jumped onto the roof and quickly scanned the area. After frantic searching, she spotted him. "There!"

"Eh??!" Naruto screamed, seeing a herd of Tsunade's chasing after him and Kita.

"Naruto-san!" Bunzou and Senta cried. They looked shocked to see him being chased by a load of angry Tsunade's. "Naruto-san!!" they cried, rushing after them.

"Prepare yourself!" Shizune cried before jumping and kicking him in the back.

"K'so! Let me go!" Naruto cried squirming in her grasp.

"Stay still!" in his struggled, Naruto let go of the bag. It snapped open when it hit the ground and the wallet fell out. Senta quickly picked it up.

"Y-yatta!"

"Money!"

"Yosh we got it!" Naruto cried. Senta quickly opened it and pulled out it's contents.

"IOU's?" he said horrified.

"It's not money?"

"No way…" They both whined, falling to their knees in despair. "This is horrible…"

"What are you doing? We are inside the town."

"Okaasan! Tsunade-sama!" Kita cried happily.

"Eh?" Naruto said confused, looking from one Tsunade to the other. "There are two of you?!"

"What's the meaning of this, even you're involved…" Tsunade said, looking to the other Tsunade. "Explain this Shizune."

"Good day Tsunade-sama," Shizune said laughing awkwardly as she returned to her normal form.

"Onee-chan?!" Naruto cried shocked.

"You're the subordinates from the Akagi family right?" the man with Tsunade asked.

"Jurochou-sama!"

"Dare?" Naruto asked.

"Don't you know?" Senta cried in disbelief.

"He's the head boss of Kaidou!" Bunzou cried. "He's Chakoku Jurochou!"

"He's an old acquaintance, I met him in town by coincidence," Tsunade explained.

"Kari-chan, you're on a horse?" Naruto said surprised. Kari grinned, Jurochou had seen how she had looked at the horse he had travelled here on and had kindly allowed her to ride it. She had been delighted.

"Hai," Kari said simply. She dismounted, landing lightly beside the brown mare. Holding the reins securely, she stroked her soft nose. The horse lowered her head to Kita's level the wolf awestruck by the large, strange looking animal. The horse sniffed her, making Kita giggle.

"You're Bunzou and Senta right?" Jurochou asked. "Good timing, I need to speak to the both of you."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"EHHH?!?"

"My debt for the Akagi right? I paid it back a year ago," Tsunade said simply. They had returned to where Jurochou had been staying so he could explain.

"Did you?" Shizune asked.

"I paid it back when I was near Akagi last year," Tsunade explained. "Did you forget?"

"S-sumimasen!" Shizune apologised. Jurochou's servant handed him the letter.

"This is a clan notice that I got from the Akagi. I'll just read the part that is for you guys. '_To Senta and Bunzou, the debt has been paid off so return home. Akagi Shuuhoro.'_" Jurochou read.

"See?" Tsunade huffed.

"What the heck? I regret getting all worked up over this dattebayou…" Naruto said confused.

"At least your heart was in the right place Naru," Kari said with a smile.

"Aa! Kari-chan here!" Naruto cried getting up and walking over to her. He took the necklace from around his neck and put it over her head, pulling her hair out the back.

"Arigatou," Kari said happily, making Naruto blush and grin.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Thank you very much, now we can go back home in peace," Bunzou and Senta said, bowing to Naruto. They had changed and head to the gates, Jurochou and his servants as well as Bunzou and Senta coming to say goodbye. Jurochou placed a hand on Kari's head.

"You've found a good kid Tsunade," he said smiling down at the young girl. Tsunade grinned and picked up Tonton.

"Well, good luck guys," Naruto said as Kari returned to his side.

"You too, Naruto-san! Please be careful," they replied.

"By the way, why were you so serious about getting the bag back when there's no money in it?" Naruto asked as they began walking back towards Konoha.

"That's because the bag is full of IOU's and if the villagers found out about that they may reconsider appointing Tsunade-sama as Hokage," Shizune explained.

"You worry too much, Hokage and debt have no relation," Tsunade said simply.

"Besides you said the debt was paid back. There's nothing to worry about!" Naruto said happily.

"Only the Akagi family's…"

"Don't worry! Don't worry!" Tsunade said positively. Tonton oinked worriedly. "Hm? We forgot something?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"No way, seriously?" the girls laughed amongst themselves as they opened the door, only to find a lobster red Jiraiya floating in the water.

"Finally they came… a bath with babes…" Jiraiya said as they screamed and ran away. "Eheh… Patience is key…" with that he sank, only to squeal and scramble out from the heat.

"Hm… I wonder where the others got to."

* * *


	63. Hiiringu

**A/N:** Wow I got this out fast XD It's too hot to do revision. I guess I write faster when it's original :) Geez, I re-read the first twenty or so chapters and cringed, they're in such bad need of editing, but if I did, the plot will probably change a little. Should i edit the beginning or go on to the sequel once this is finished? I'll ask closer to the time :) By the way, I can't _believe_ I forgot this D:, but Imouto-chan has done _ANOTHER_ fanart! Check it out it's awesome, I seriously have to put the link up. Thank you so much for your reviews, they make me happy! I'll write up the first movie for you soon, but I'll put it under a different 'story' which will be for this story (and it's sequels) extras. I'll probably write up the OVA's soon too :) Happy birthday to my best friend (who will never read this) I love you platonically my twinny!

**Claimer:** It's pretty obvious which is mine.

**Discalimer:** THE Kishimoto-sempai owns Naruto.

* * *

**Hiiringu**

**_Healing_**

_It wasn't until they opened their eyes,_

_That her pain truly began to fade,_

_Her strength returning with theirs_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Using hints I just gave you, think of the fastest method to the destination," Iruka explained to his class. "Begin!" They had barely started when a Chuunin walked in and whispered something to Iruka. He sighed and nodded. "Minna, I'm really sorry about this again but class is over for today." There were cries of '_Yatta!_' and complaints of '_Again? Why?_' but all were ignored as Iruka left the room. "The worksheet will be your homework," he added before disappearing out the door. A chorus of groans and complaints was his reply.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I'm so glad the Taijutsu lesson was cancelled," Moegi said happily as they left the academy.

"Demo… Lately we've had a lot of early dismissals and cancellations," Udon said worriedly. "I wonder if this is okay…"

"Why are you being so serious? Ne, Konohamaru-chan!" Moegi asked but was surprised when she noticed Konohamaru had stopped. "Konohamaru-chan?" Noticing Kotetsu and Izumo carrying his grandfather's belongings he rushed towards the Hokage tower. "Konohamaru-kun!!" He ignored her and kept running.

"Where are you going with Ojiijii's stuff!" he demanded, stopping in front of them.

"Young master…" Kotetsu said.

"That's Ojiijii's stuff, where are you planning to take it?!"

"This? It's not going to be used anymore so we plan to store it somewhere else," Kotetsu explained.

"It's not going to be used anymore?" Konohamaru repeated. "You think you have the right to clean up Gramps stuff like that?!"

"The Godaime plans to use his office."

"Godaime?"

"Y-yeah. The next Hokage-sama has finally been chosen," Izumo explained. "The village is in safe hands now. The person doesn't like tobacco so…" he couldn't continue because he was pushed out the way, Konohamaru running past them.

"Godaime my ass! It's too early!" Konohamaru cried turning round to face them. "You've been depending on Gramps this whole time!" With that he turned and ran into the building, only to crash into something soft. "Ehhhh these smell good…" he rubbed his face against the softness, only to realise what he was doing. He promptly jumped off and began shouting accusingly at her. "W-what do you think your doing?!"

"That's my line you ero-gaki! "Tsunade shouted back. The kid had crashed into her and rubbed his face between _her_ breasts yet has the nerve to blame _her_!

"Try saying that again!" Konohamaru cried angrily, a deep blush on his cheeks.

"Oh? Do you want me to say it? E-ro ga-ki!"

"Don't call me a perverted brat!!"

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune called.

"Hm?"

"The elders are waiting. You must hurry," Shizune scolded, holding Tonton in her arms.

"Aa, I know," Tsunade said straightening up. She poked Konohamaru in the forehead. "Be careful little boy."

"Please be more considerate, since I'll be the one who gets scolded if you're late."

"Fine, fine," Tsunade sighed as they walked to the meeting.

"Eh… I'm not a little boy!!" Konohamaru hollered but was caught off guard when Naruto crashed into him, the knucklehead ninja falling flat on his nose while Konohamaru landed on his head. Kita trotted in and stared at them oddly."Who the hell?!"

"And you!"

"Naruto-niichan?"

"Konohamaru?"

"Long time no see!" Konohamaru cried jumping to his feet while Naruto rose to his.

"Aa. By the way, did you see a big-breasted scary Obaachan, I mean young lady?" Naruto asked looking around.

"I sure did!" Konohamaru cried.

"Where did she go?!"

"Who the hell is she?!"

"Who?" Naruto repeated and then screamed with frustration. "AAAAAH! K'so she needs to get to the hospital now!" Naruto cried hopping from foot to foot. Kita sighed and watched Naruto begin to impatiently pace back and forth.

"The hospital?" Konohamaru repeated.

"The lady doesn't look like it but she's an amazing medical ninja," Naruto said. He turned and began to pace the other way. "She finally returned to the village after agreeing to become Hokage. So why is she taking it so easy dattebayou?!"

"Hokage?"

"She's the Godaime Hokage. She needs to do what she said she'd do or it'll be troublesome," Naruto said looking around, expecting her to pop out of nowhere.

"No way…" Konohamaru said. "I won't believe that! No way!!" with that he ran out.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Neji closed his eyes preparing himself. He then activated his Byakugan, straining his sight.

"There are seven birds within 50 metres in direction 2," Neji said to himself. He heard a rustle behind him. "Is that you TenTen?"

"Neji! _The _Tsunade-sama came back! It's for real, she's really back!" TenTen cried excitedly. "Do you want to go see her?"

"Gomen, not interested," Neji said simply, looking to the sky. There was only one kunoichi he was interested in seeing, and Gai had told him she had left on the mission to bring Tsunade back and that was a fair while ago. He hadn't been happy, she was still heavily injured from the Chuunin exam and he'd wanted to go and track down her opponent and slaughter him when he heard what had happened in her fight. He felt even worse when his sensei tearfully explained to them about her 'youthful' fight, with some supposedly strong criminals which all but killed her. She was just too stubborn for her own good. At least she was back now, he would go and see her when she'd rested, if she didn't come and find him first.

He felt surprised, not disappointed, but surprised when he realised something.

"Hachi tori. There were eight birds."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Listen carefully Tsunade, we must quickly call the feudal lords and announce the inauguration of the Godaime Hokage. Then the village can start preparing for the ceremony," the advisor explained.

"Feudal lords, ceremony, it's all troublesome…" Tsunade sighed.

"Tsunade!"

"Hai, hai, I know," she said airily. "This is part of the Hokage's duty right?"

"Genma, Aoba," the elder called and two Jounin immediately appeared behind her, bowing with respect. "Send out an official notice and inform the village over the next few days, we must announce the Godaime Hokage."

"Hai!" they quickly disappeared.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Man, my shoulders are stiff now," Tsunade complained. "I want to take a shot of hot sake and relax."

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Chotto matte!" Naruto cried, having been waiting at the door of the Hokage tower for absolutely ages (in his opinion).

"Konnichiwa Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san and Tonton!" Kita greeted, wagging her tail.

"Before you do that, there's something you must do first dattebayou," Naruto said sternly.

"What was it?" Tsunade asked puzzled.

"I told you! It's about Kari-chan, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei and Gejimayu dattebayou!" Naruto shrieked. "Kari-chan's already waiting at the hospital!"

"Aa, hai, hai," Tsunade said simply.

"Oh it's you, Naruto and Kita."

"Are? Shikamaru?" Naruto said surprised.

"Shika-kun!" Kita cried in delight.

"Why are you here?" Shikamaru asked following what could only be his father.

"And you, why are you here dattebayou?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, but my dad told me to come," Shikamaru said.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, seeing Shikamaru's father bow to Tsunade.

"Long time no see, Tsunade-sama."

"Oh, the Nara family's kid eh?" Tsunade said. "Have you been taking care of the deer? The deer antlers from that area make good medicine."

"Yes, somewhat."

"Oi Naruto," Shikamaru whispered. "Who's that young cocky woman?"

"The new Hokage, she may not look like it, but she's actually an old lady in her fifties," Naruto whispered back.

"Ja, I'll talk to you later," Tsunade said, continuing down the steps.

"Yosh! Time to go to the hospital dattebayou!" Naruto cried as he and Kita rushed after them. "I'll talk to you later Shikamaru and me and Kari-chan will show you our new super move!"

"Ja mata Shika-kun!" Kita cried.

"T-that's the Godaime?" Shikamaru said surprised.

"Oi, Shikamaru," Shikamaru's father said, walking up to his son. "She's the strongest and most beautiful person here."

"Aa?"

"Since she is one of the legendary Sannin."

"A woman being a Hokage?" Shikamaru sighed. "I really don't like women. They say whatever they want, they're always together and I can't tell whether they like or hate each other." Images of Sakura and Ino floated around in his head making him scowl. "Besides they think they can control men however they want. Anyway, they're troublesome."

"Shikamaru," his father placed an arm around his shoulder. "Without women, men cannot be born. Without women, men will become useless. No matter what kind of woman she may be, she will show her nice side to the man she loves."

'_You never speak up when you're in front of mom. Whatever dad…'_

"Hm, when you are older you will understand. Oh, oops! Let's hurry up and finish our business here. If we're late your mom will scold me again. Hurry up Shikamaru."

"And then there are men who become useless even _with_ women around…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kari-chan!" Sakura gasped running to embrace her friend as she entered. Kari returned the hug and looked sadly at her worried, tired face. No doubt she'd been at Sasuke's bedside everyday.

"Sakura-chan, arigatou," Kari said softly. "I couldn't be here for him, but I knew I could count on you."

"Kari-chan…" They both sat by Sasuke's bedside quietly. Kari watched his pale face, trying to ignore the guilt picking at her soul. She should have been here. She never should have let this happen…

"I'm coming in." Kari looked up at the familiar voice and smiled as Tsunade walked in.

"Anata wa?" Sakura asked. _'What a beautiful woman.'_

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Everything will be fine dattebayou!" Naruto cried, following Tsunade and Shizune in. "We brought an amazing person here! Sasuke will be perfectly fine, and then so will Kari-chan dattebayou."

"Naruto…" Sakura turned to Tsunade. "Gai-sensei told me about it, please help Sasuke-kun."

"Aa, leave it to me," Tsunade said, placing a hand on Sasuke's forehead. Her hand glowed green with healing Chakra. The light faded and Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried happily and Kita's tail wagged happily.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped. She watched, tears in her eyes as he slowly sat up. "Sasuke-kun!!" she cried throwing her arms around his neck.

"Sasuke, you…" but Naruto stopped when he realised Sakura was sobbing onto his shoulder. He felt… as though he didn't belong, that he had been cast aside. His feelings were thrown aside however, when he noticed tears in Kari's eyes that she was struggling to hide. He immediately went to her side and sat himself on her lap, pulling her face into his chest. Her arms wrapped around him, her hands gripping the back of his jacket. She had been sitting down and he knew she needed someone close to her. Kita sat beside the chair, looking up sadly.

"Next," Naruto said looking round at Tsunade. Kari had started to shake, but she was still trying to force back her tears. Naruto wanted her out of the room so she could calm down, and if she needed to, break down and cry. He stood up and pulled her with him, wrapping a comforting arm around her and leading her out.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"How pathetic…" Tsunade sighed as Kakashi sat up groggily. "I heard you got beaten by two thugs, and I thought you were a genius."

"Sumimasen," Kakashi said quietly. "Kari, doushita?" he asked, looking around at her. He extended an arm to her and Naruto grudgingly let go. She allowed him to pull her into a one armed hug, but surprised him when she crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck burying her face into his shoulder. "Kari, what's the matter?"

"I couldn't protect you… I couldn't protect Sasuke…" she whispered and he felt her first tear sink through his clothes. "I tried… I really did, but I wasn't strong enough… you still got hurt." She was shaking now, and the tears were breaking free. "I c-couldn't protect Naruto either h-he alm-most died and I couldn't do _anything_!"

"Kari-chan…" Naruto said sadly. Now he knew why, she was depressed because she felt guilty over things that were beyond her control.

"I'm meant to be so strong with my demons y-yet I can't do anything," her tears were coming faster now, her whole body trembling. How long had she held this in? "I could've lost all three of you and th-there was nothing I could do!"

"Kari it wasn't your fault…" Kakashi said stroking her back as she broke down.

"If I was stronger… If I was faster… If I'd come sooner…"

"Nothing would have changed," Kakashi said gently while Naruto sniffled slightly. He hated seeing her like this.

"Hold her still Kakashi, I need to heal her," Tsunade said, placing her hand gently against Kari's feverish forehead. No wonder she'd been so stressed if she'd been blaming herself this whole time. It took a while, but Tsunade managed to heal the majority of her injuries, closing her wounds, repairing muscle, fixing bones and doing her best with the damage to her mind. Kumouri's Chakra was simmering, yet didn't lash out. Kari silently cried the whole time with a couple hiccoughs here and there. Naruto had held tight to her hand the whole way through, talking softly to her to comfort her.

"Well I've done what I can, she just needs to rest so she can relieve some stress, she needs to sleep, from what Jiraiya told me she hasn't slept hardly at all the whole time away from the village and she's lost weight, again due to stress. Be gentle with her, after letting her feelings out she should feel better soon, but she'll be fragile for a little while," Tsunade said placing a hand on Kari's head. "She's a strong kid, but even the strong sometimes need to be weak."

"Onegai!" Gai cried, appearing around the curtain. "Please hurry up and take care of my Lee!"

"Fine, Kakashi, look after her for a while," Tsunade said, following an anxious Gai.

"Kari-chan," Naruto said letting go of her hand. "We'll go out and get some ramen and you can stay round mine, that should cheer you up dattebayou."

"Arigatou," she said softly managing a weak smile. He kissed her forehead then followed Tsunade out.

"Baka," Kakashi said softly, shifting her so she was sitting sideways. "You can't protect everyone." Tears slid silently down her face again and Kakashi leant back, wrapping his arms around her. "Don't worry, things will be better now."

"Kashi…"

"Mm?"

"Gomen…"

"I'm sorry too Kari, I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Lee! Tsunade-sama is here!" Gai cried gesturing to the woman just in case Lee had missed her. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Is that your pupil?" she asked, wondering if he'd had a son instead, or maybe some sort of clone?

"That's right! He is my very dear and favourite pupil!!" Gai cried enthusiastically.

"Sou ka. Naruto, are you sure you can be here wasting time?"

"That's right! I promised to go see Iruka-sensei, but I was going to take Kari-chan with me," Naruto said.

"Let her rest a while, then you can take her on a date," Tsunade said.

"Who said anything about a date?!" Naruto cried, his cheeks dusted pink.

"Your face said it all."

"Aa! I'll leave the rest to you dattebayou! But I'm asking Kari-chan if she wants to go!" Tsunade knew when to admit defeat and nodded allowing Naruto to shoot back towards Kakashi's room.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei! I'm gonna take Kari-chan out for ramen with me and Iruka-sensei!" Naruto announced.

"Oh?" Kakashi said surprised. "Do you feel alright to go Kari?"

"Tsunade no Obaachan said she needs to put on weight dattebayou!"

"I'll go Kashi, I'll come back afterwards," Kari said softly. After her cry she felt a lot better, and she felt really hungry anyway.

"Alright," Kakashi agreed, letting her down. She kissed him on the temple and then was half dragged out by an impatient Naruto. He'd forgotten just how fragile she was…

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Naruto!"

"Iruka-sensei you're late dattebayou!" Naruto cried annoyed. Kita had caught up to them and Kari had managed to wash her face and pretty much remove any signs of crying.

"Sorry, you know everyone is busy with preparations for the Godaime Hokage's inauguration," Iruka apologised. "Konnichiwa Kari-chan and Kita," he added, seeing Naruto companions.

"Konnichiwa Iruka-sensei," both replied.

"Whatever you say," Naruto sighed.

"Here you go!" Teuchi cried, finishing the ramen quickly and expertly.

"Ittadekimasu!" Naruto cried before quickly digging in.

"Naruto, you've grown so much and come so far from your old self who just wanted this," Iruka said, pointing to his own hitai-ate.

"Right? You think so too right?" Naruto said happily, finishing half his bowl. "The hitai-ate you gave me looks good on me, doesn't it? You think so too, right Kari-chan?"

"Hai Naru," Kari said smiling and taking another bite of ramen. Kita had mastered the art of a wolf with manners, and had learnt how to eat without getting ramen everywhere.

"Don't let it get to your head; you're still not that great," Iruka reminded. "You need to do better." Naruto huffed and Kari giggled. "Listen Naruto, Konoha is in a difficult situation right now. First the loss of Sandaime, then the loss of many excellent shinobi, Konoha's power is less than half of what it was now. Even so, we must complete our missions."

"Nande, nande? If we don't have enough people we should just reject them," Naruto said.

"That won't do. If we reject missions, then that sends a message to other countries that we are weakened. Even the recovering Kakashi-sensei will be given missions too."

"So that's how it is, must be tough," Naruto said, inhaling some more ramen.

"Hey! This isn't to be taken lightly! You must help Tsunade-sama and carry out missions for the village," Iruka said.

"Mm! But before that I need to satisfy my stomach dattebayou!" Naruto said making Kari smile and shake her head.

"Eh, that's just like you…" Iruka said chuckling. He placed a hand on Naruto's head. "Work hard."

"Seconds!" Naruto cried happily.

"Oi! Oi! Already?!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I'm not trying to be rude. You should quit being a ninja."

"Ts-Tsunade-sama," Gai said. "He doesn't need any of theses jokes."

"There are numerous bone fragments along the spinal canal; on top of that, they're deeply embedded. You're in no shape to carry out missions as a ninja."

"Therefore, Tsunade-sama, please stop the joke," Gai asked.

"Even if you do go through with surgery…"

"Don't be fooled by her Lee! That's a fake Tsunade-sama! You must have transformed into her using Henge no jutsu! You impostor, who the hell are you?!" Shizune placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"Are there no other options?" Lee asked.

"Not only is this surgery only something I can perform, but it will take a very long time and there is a very big risk involved," Tsunade replied.

"Risk?" Gai asked.

"The possibility of this surgery succeeding is at best fifty percent, if it fails… you'll die. You should quit being a ninja and pursue a new path."

"Lee…" Gai said, but was ignored as lee picked up his crutch and limped silently out of the room. "If I had known this would be his prognosis, I never would have shown him to you."

"How could you…?!" Shizune began but Tsunade held up her hand, silencing her.

"I understand very well how you feel, but it should be out in the open. Sooner or later, he will find out. The longer it takes the more suffering he'll go through."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Naruto had walked her back to the hospital and then left her at the reception. He had offered to come with her but she had refused saying that he had helped cheer her up and now she needed some time alone to sort out her thoughts. He had pulled her into his arms, kissed her on the cheek and reminded her to come see him as soon as possible. He then left with Kita.

She stood outside his door, unsure whether to go in. She wanted to see him, make sure he was alright, apologise for not being there. But she didn't know if she could cope with a rejection. Her spirit was too weak right now, and Naruto was her main source of strength and protection. She didn't want to run to him or Kakashi in tears again.

After ten minutes or so of standing outside his door she pushed it open, walking inside.

"Kari," Sasuke murmured looking up at her. She looked awful, she'd lost weight, she clearly hadn't slept and she was pale as a ghost. Her eyes were dulled, the spark still present, but faded. She walked to his bedside slowly, her footsteps leaving no sound. When she was close enough, he pulled her too him forcing her onto the bed, her legs were either side of his as she sat kneeling in front of him. His hands cupped her face and an internal conflict raged his mind. What his brother had done to her… "I… I need…" he began, but didn't know how to explain it. He had felt as though that kiss had claimed her as his brothers, and he couldn't stand the very thought. But the only way he could think of getting rid of it was to kiss her like he did, yet not get pushed away. But what if she saw his brother when he did? Would she think it was Itachi kissing her again? To his surprise however, she nodded.

"I understand," she replied. With that he crashed his lips against hers. He didn't have a clue what to do, but she was patient and opened her mouth slightly allowing him to push his tongue between her lips. It was an odd sensation, hot, wet and soft, then there was her teeth, her canines in particular which were sharp. Her tongue brushed against his and sent shivers down his spine. It was strange, yet… it felt so intimate and at the same time, he liked it. They pulled away for air and he noticed how red her cheeks were, and how her eyes were looking to the side in shy embarrassment.

"Kari…" Sasuke whispered. She didn't have time to look up completely before his arms locked around her waist, his face pushed into her neck. "I thought I was going to lose you…" She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes as tears tickled her lashes.

"I thought I was going to lose you too…" her breathing hitched and a tear escaped sliding down her cheek. "I'm sorry Sasuke, I'm sorry I wasn't stronger…" She never realised that a tear had escaped him, yet was thankful he didn't mention her tears, which had painted thin red patterns across her cheeks.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Night had fallen and Lee had hidden at a roof.

"_Even if I can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, I want to prove that I can still become an excellent ninja! It means everything to me!"_

He remembered saying those words when he'd had to introduce himself to his team. His dream… it felt as though it was slipping away…

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yosh! We're going to work hard today Kita-chan dattebayou!" Naruto cried as he ran through the streets, Kita at his heels. In his excitement, he nearly ran over Lee. "Oh? Gejimayu!"

"Lee-kun!"

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Naruto-kun and Kita-chan," Lee greeted politely.

"Ne, ne, did you have Tsunade no Obaachan look at your injury? How'd it go? How'd it go?" Naruto asked. He didn't realise Lee's depressed expression. "Konohagakure is in a crisis right now, so we have to work hard. Gejimayu, recover soon and we'll go on missions together with Kari-chan and Kita-chan!"

"Naruto-niichan!" Moegi and Udon cried running towards them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ah, I thought I'd find you in here."

"Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, looking round as the Jounin sat beside him.

"Naruto got her to eat and you got her to sleep huh? That's good," Kakashi said as Kari slowly opened her eyes. "Ohayou sleepyhead."

"Mm? Kashi? What time is it?" Kari asked sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Mid morning, did you sleep here all night?" Kakashi asked, smiling behind his mask. Kari smiled awkwardly and the Jounin placed a hand on her head. Sasuke didn't seem too bothered that he'd had to share his bad and have her laying on him, it probably felt comforting and familiar.

"Do I have a mission today?" Kari asked.

"Of course not, you've just got back and you had some pretty heavy injuries, you need to rest. Go out and have fun, I'm sure Naruto and the others want to see you," Kakashi said flicking open his book.

"When am I getting out of here?" Sasuke asked.

"Tomorrow I suppose, another guy fighting for your attention ne Kari-chan?" Kakashi teased. Of course, it got the desired blush and scowl.

"What are you trying to say?" Kari huffed.

"Nothing, nothing," Kakashi said with a chuckle. "I think Sakura said something about wanting to take you shopping because you'd grown a little."

"Eh? I don't wanna go shopping," Kari said folding her arms stubbornly. Sasuke sighed and leant back, knowing Kakashi was going to tease her until she got annoyed and probably trick her into doing something stupid. Hey… Wasn't that how he got interested in teasing Kari too in the first place? That sneaky Jounin…

"It's summer Kari, she's probably going to try to get you into skirts and other girly things," Kakashi said.

"I don't like wearing skirts," Kari said stubbornly.

"No wonder you never get any dates, you don't dress girly enough," Kakashi said. Ah yes, the blow to Kari's pride in the climax of the tease. She was going to get annoyed now.

"Eh?! I could too get a date! And if I had to I could dress girly even though I don't like it!" Kari cried.

"Prove it," Kakashi said, eye twinkling. Sasuke rolled his eyes, after the tease usually came the bet and Kakashi would usually lose.

"Fine!" Kari huffed jumping off the bed and walking out.

"Baka, she's going to attack everyone that looks at her the wrong way."

"Most probably," Kakashi said with a chuckle. Maybe this would get Sasuke's attention a little more. Nothing like some good old fashioned jealousy.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oh Lee-san, so this is where you were," Sakura said, approaching the bushy-browed boy.

"S-Sakura-san!"

"These are for you," Sakura said, holding out a bouquet of flowers.

"For me? Arigatou gozaimasu!" Lee cried. But in his excitement he tripped his crutch falling to the ground. Sakura supported him, his arm around her shoulders. "Sumimasen, Sakura-san."

"No it's okay, about Sasuke-kun, he'll be out of hospital tomorrow, all thanks to Tsunade-sama," Sakura said, moving him so he could lean against the railing. "By the looks of him he'll soon be able to carry out missions again."

"Is that so? That's good to hear," Lee said smiling as she picked up his crutch.

"Tsunade-sama is indeed amazing. Lee-san, if you let Tsunade-sama take a look at you, I'm sure you'll get better," Sakura said, handing the wooden support to him.

"Hai."

"But if there's anything I can do to help, just let ask," she said smiling.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Sakura-san," Lee said smiling, a blush fixed on his cheeks.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

The door slammed open rather forcefully. They could sense her annoyance before she even walked in, making Kakashi chuckle and then choke when she had actually walked in.

"I can't believe you tricked me into shopping with Sakura," Kari mumbled. She had even made the huge mistake of saying it was for a date and Sakura had gone into shopping overdrive. She had turned Kari into (in Kari's opinion) a wannabe prostitute.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Sasuke said confused and shocked. What she was wearing was a form hugging red tanktop, that Kari believed was cut too low, and a short white skirt (which Kari had refused to wear without black shorts underneath which unluckily, Sakura insisted should be beyond short). To add to her mission, she even wore make up and had made Sakura so happy it actually hurt. What's more, she was wearing a bra instead of her usual bandages and it felt odd to wear one again. She'd managed to keep her stomach wrapped but Sakura had scolded her and said she needed a bra.

"Girly stuff," Kari replied irritated sending Kakashi a dirty look.

"You actually look like a girl…" Sasuke said surprised.

"I'm gonna find a date and get his over with…" Kari said untwisting her bra strap. She had a feeling this would be a long day. She walked out, closing the door behind her.

"That was strange," Sasuke said.

"Sasuke, we have a mission," Kakashi announced.

"We do?"

"We're going to follow Kari and make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

"We're going to spy on her to see if you can find a loophole in the bet?"

"And that…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"How does he talk me into these things…" Kari sighed. Now, all she had to do was find a friend that was a guy and explain her situation. Naruto and Kita were busy trying to get Konohamaru out of the Hokage's office so he was out. "Why is nobody that I need here?" As luck would have it, she spotted a familiar figure walking in the opposite direction. "Matte!!"

"Kari?" Neji asked, turning around. His eyes widened and a light blush dusted his cheeks. "What in the world are you wearing?"

"Neji-kun, I made a bet with Kashi. He said that I don't dress girly enough and that I can't get a date because of it, so I'm trying to prove him wrong!" Kari explained.

"Wouldn't it have made more sense to wear your usual clothes and get a date?" Neji asked.

"Don't say things that make me feel stupid Neji," Kari said with a sigh. "Besides, Sakura wanted to take me shopping so it was easier this way."

"Sou ka."

"So could you help me out?" Kari asked. He raised an eyebrow and she blushed. "By taking me out on a date?"

"I wouldn't know what to do," Neji admitted.

"Anything, we could train?" Kari asked. He sighed and nodded.

"I thought you would've wanted ice-cream," Neji said slightly surprised.

"You really are a genius, let's get ice-cream afterwards."

"Very well, let's go on a date," Neji said giving in. She smiled happily and hooked her arm with his.

"Hyuuga Neji?" Kakashi said surprised. Sasuke made an annoyed incomprehensible mumble. "This should be interesting." He knew he should've made it so the guy had to ask her, he'd pretty much lost the bet already.

"Tch," Sasuke huffed. Why did it have to be the Hyuuga of all people?

"Let's follow them, think of it as training, Kari has heightened senses and Neji has the Byakugan," Kakashi said stealthily beginning to follow.

"Hn."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne, Neji-kun can you wait a moment? I'm going to make myself more suitable for training," Kari said simply as they headed to a forest clearing. Kari liked to choose the more secluded areas so that her training was less likely to be interrupted. She preferred forest clearings with a source of water, be it a lake, river or waterfall.

"Aa," he replied closing his eyes and resting against a tree while he waited. Once she was a safe distance away, she removed her bra and used the extra bandages she had wrapped around her stomach to wrap her chest. The last thing she needed was to bounce about as she moved. She then removed the skirt leaving only the shorts, the skirt would irritate her as she ran and would distract her. She called Kita, who agreed to take them back home and put them in her bag where Sasuke wouldn't find them.

"Done," Kari said, returning to him. He nodded and moved to the middle of the small clearing, Kari following to stand a few feet in front of him.

"I've thought of some ways to improve your defence," he said and she gave him her full attention. "As Lee said, you have a very weak block and should concentrate on dodging or countering. When you don't think about it, you do a lot better. I've noticed how your movements are light and fluid, even more so after the training for the Chuunin finals, so I'm going to get you to think of that, while also using your natural flexibility."

"So I'm going to be dancing about trying to avoid you?" Kari asked. "But you're too fast, and like you say, I think too much."

"That's why we're going to take it slowly," Neji said.

"Slowly?"

"In slow motion," he explained. She looked puzzled, so he continued. "That way you'll be able to get used to dodging, and be able to build up speed. Also, your thinking time should be faster. But for the most part, try and keep your thoughts clear."

"Alright then," Kari said starting to stretch. She hadn't done decent Taijutsu training in a while, and she'd realised against Kabuto. She'd been working so hard on Rasengan she'd forgotten the need to stretch her muscles. No wonder she'd been feeling stiff. She reached down and placed her hands on the floor and then sat down and pulled her legs apart into a horizontal splits. She then bent her body to her left, her body lying against her leg, and then to her right. She leant forwards, her torso against the floor; she then drew her legs together, and stretched forward again. She got up and then did the splits the other way, one leg in front of her, the other stretching behind her. She stretched forward and then switched legs doing the same. Finished, she used her hands to push her up into a handstand and flipped up, ready to face Neji.

"Let's begin," he said and extended his arm in a thrust, it was slow compared to usual, and she bent to the left, avoiding his hit. He then went to kick, and she went to move to the side, but was caught in the side of her ribs. "Bending back would have been a better option," Neji said. "How far can you bend?"

"Anou?" She squeaked slightly when she was pulled to him.

"Bend back as far as you can, I'll support you so you won't fall," he instructed, placing his hand on her torso and pushing her to bend. She blushed at the contact and felt her back strain; it clicked a few times, unused to this strange movement. "Quite far," Neji said surprised. Another forty five degrees or so and she'd be bent in half.

"Stuck…" Kari mumbled.

"Try bending your legs and straightening your back, concentrate on your feet and balancing your weight." She did so, and felt her back relax slightly, but she was still stuck. He pulled her upright, and they continued their slow motion training.

"He's a good teacher for her," Kakashi said from their point in the trees. They were close enough to have a decent view, but daren't go too close.

"Hn."

"She's picked up a lot from him, her style can be quite like the Hyuuga style at times," Kakashi said. As expected, Sasuke was grumpy, but Kakashi was impressed at the training she was doing in her spare time. No wonder she improved so quickly.

Neji had slowly begun speeding up, but for the most part, Kari was still dodging quite well. She had told him to use Chakra, as they always did, but he tried not to aim directly for anything critical.

"Oomph!" Kari cried when she fell back, reacting a little too late.

"It was better than usual," Neji said with a slight smirk making her spit her tongue out at him. It was hard moving slow when she was made to be fast. "How's your Taijutsu offence been?"

"Pretty neglected to be honest, I've been taught a Ninjutsu that was pretty hard to learn. But I've learnt how to control my Chakra better in my hands so I might get to the point where I can pay you back for Jyuuken-ing my ass all the time."

"If anyone non-Hyuuga will be able to do it, it will most probably be you," Neji said with a slight sigh. "But you'd be better off learning Kaiten so you can defend yourself."

"I can't spin that fast I'll fall over," Kari said with a slight giggle.

"Most probably, try it," Neji said moving back to give her room. She had a habit of going overboard and destroying things. With a sigh she spread her legs slightly and gathered her Chakra. She started to spin trying to pick up speed. Everything went blurred, her head span, and she fell on her behind with an ungraceful flop. "Well, you made a band of Chakra, but not a dome, try again." She promptly fell back.

"When the world stops spinning ne…?" Kari asked, watching the clouds and the tops of trees swirl. She was so dizzy… "I'm not trying that again for a while…"

"Try your dodging techniques on the water then, that requires far more concentration," Neji said walking over to the lake.

"Hai, hai," Kari agreed, getting up off the ground. Kicking off her sandals she walked barefoot onto the water. She knew he would send her flying into the water, but she'd find a way to get revenge. They slid into stance, and began there slow spar, Kari didn't like the slow movements, but was glad it was less painful. His moves steadily started getting faster though which made it more difficult. He went to aim a kick at her and she hastily bent back, only too bend too far. "Wah! I'm gonna fall!" Kari squeaked waving her arms trying to stay balanced, Neji went to pull her back up and she saw her chance, grabbing hold of the front of his shirt, she leant even further back, sending them both crashing into the cool water.

"Oh?" Kakashi said surprised as his favourite student disappeared with a splash. Why did he have a feeling she did that on purpose? So full of mischief…

Sure enough, when they surfaced, Neji was coughing and Kari was in hysterics laughing. He climbed onto the surface of the water and scowled at her, which made her laugh even more.

"You can be so immature…" Sadly, he only succeeded in adding to her mirth. Being the gentlemen he is, he pulled her out and ushered her to the bank. He pulled off his shirt and wrung it out, making a nice big puddle. He was completely soaked, and she was thoroughly pleased about it. He removed the soggy linen from his right arm and leg. He then loosened his hair so it wouldn't have a wave at the bottom, and make him look girly. He threw his shirt at her and it landed on her head.

"You enjoyed it really," Kari said trying to contain her giggles. Her shirt stuck to her like an extra layer of skin much to her dismay, and her bangs kept dripping cold water onto her face. He gave her an odd look; they both then blushed and looked away. They didn't realise wet looked sexy…

"You really don't like that Hyuuga do you?" Kakashi asked, trying to keep in his own laughter. Sasuke looked prepare to kill the boy and his eye was twitching in annoyance. Teenagers…

"Ne, you still owe me ice-cream," Kari said smiling at him.

"You pulled me in the lake, you don't deserve it," Neji said with a smirk. He blushed when she threw her arms around his neck.

"Gomenasai, gomenasai, gomenasai!" Kari cried desperately.

"Fine. You can have ice-cream," Neji sighed, placing a hand on her head, making her ears twitch. She grinned, her tail wagging in delight. She wasted no time grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of the nearest ice-cream selling place.

"Kawaii," Kakashi chuckled.

"They are _not_ cute," Sasuke grumbled.

"Kari is the definition of cuteness, especially when she wants something," Kakashi said, remembering those big innocent eyes that made a chunk of his salary disappear to the delights of ice-cream, pocky and various other sweets. "Should we follow?"

"Hn." Sasuke all but abandoned his sensei to follow, Kakashi chuckling and chasing after the jealous teen.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"You're getting stronger all the time Kari," Neji commented as he watched her happily lick her cold creamy treat.

"Shows I have a good sempai ne?" Kari said with a smile. Neji blushed slightly but smirked.

"Aa, how did I know I would find you here?"

"Kashi?" Kari asked looking up, having finally finished her ice-cream. Seeing that Sasuke was getting restless and was not prepared to sit still, Kakashi decided it was time they showed themselves to Kari. "And you would know because you've most probably been following me to try and find a way out of paying up for the bet."

"Would I?"

"Hai, you would," Kari replied.

"You're not wearing the skirt so I shouldn't have to pay up," Kakashi said deciding to try and get out of it.

"I wore it to begin with," Kari said stubbornly.

"Fine, fine, I just hoped you behaved well," Kakashi said, giving a pointed look to her wet clothes and the fact Neji wasn't wearing a shirt, it was in fact slung over his shoulder as he waited for it to dry. Sasuke was shooting glares at him, while the Hyuuga returned them puzzled. "Did you have a good time?"

"Hai!" Kari replied happily, her tail wagging lazily.

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed folding his arms.

"You know, it's not a proper date unless you kiss," Kakashi said simply, turning a page of his book.

"Stop making up extra rules," Kari said irritated. He was such a cheat sometimes. "Fine, but not while you two are looking."

"Nani?!" Sasuke cried and Kakashi forcibly turned him round, deeming his attempt of getting Sasuke jealous a success. Maybe now he'd realise that he liked her.

"Anou…" Kari said blushing and smiling nervously. "Gomen, I didn't mean to make it awkward for you."

"Gai-sensei would have been undoubtedly worse," Neji said, trying to keep his own blush under control.

"We don't have all day Kari-chan!" Kakashi called, smirking under his mask when he felt her glare on his back. Already embarrassed, she decided to just go for it and placed a light kiss on his lips. Their eyes closed in the innocent show of affection, but they were rudely brought down to earth when Kakashi called again. "Are you done yet?"

"Anou, today was fun, we should do it again sometime," Kari said, her cheeks radiating heat. He smiled fully aware of his own blush. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Arigatou Neji-kun," with that she placed a kiss on his cheek and then jumped on Kakashi's back shouting things about ' baka ero-sensei'.

"That was different," Neji mused as he decided to head home, he didn't realise Tenten come up and speak to him, he was too busy blissfully floating on air.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I found you Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried. Tsunade looked up and Shizune looked down to see a book open in front of her master. "AIYEE! Tsunade-sama is **studying**?!!"

"OINK?!"

"Urusai ne, I can't concentrate," Tsunade said, turning the page.

"AIYEE?! _CONCENTRATE_?!!" Shizune squealed in horror. "This is the first time outside your gambling that I've heard you say that!"

"Shizune…" Tsunade sighed. "Do you remember that medical ninja Kabuto?"

"What about him?" Shizune asked, calming down.

"His method to make new cells… I was searching for a way to use that on my patients.

"Is that for Lee-kun?"

"If the percentage increases from fifty to fifty one percent I think it's worth it don't you?" Tsunade asked.

"But not many ninja can do that technique..." Shizune said.

"I'll just have to learn," Tsunade said surely, taking another sip of drink.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Baka, now he's going to beat me up in training for embarrassing him," Kari said with a sigh.

"You had fun though?" Kakashi asked, not bothering to look up from his book.

"Hai," Kari agreed, trying to get the book from him, but was easily held back.

"You shouldn't win the bet," Sasuke grumbled. Both kunoichi and sensei looked round puzzled. "You didn't wear you girl clothes." He looked at her with an evil glint his eye. "You're not wearing that girl underwear."

"EH?!" Kari cried quickly folding her arms. "What were you doing looking?!"

"It was obvious," Sasuke said simply. Kakashi silently wondered if he'd made things worse.

"HATAKE!" a stout, angry looking woman in hospital uniform stomped towards him. "You and that boy are meant to be in bed! To the hospital. NOW."

"At home we—"

"No arguments or you're staying in for a week!"

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried, rushing towards her with Kita at his side. Tsunade had easily walked into the room and easy deflected Konohamaru's traps to get a book on how to help Lee. Konohamaru had relented and come out after that and Naruto had visited the memorial stone and promised that no one would forget Sandaime. He stopped and took in her different look. "You look great, dattebayou!" he cried grinning and giving her a thumbs up.

"Baka," Sasuke scoffed.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, eyeing the glowering nurse. "Let's go to hospital so we don't upset the medic."

"Usuratonkachi."

"Look after her Naruto," Kakashi said, pulling her into a lazy hug which she happily returned. She then hugged Sasuke farewell, only to punch him in the jaw a second later. She then grabbed Naruto and stormed off.

"What did you do?" Kakashi asked surprised while Sasuke rubbed his jaw.

"Nothing," Sasuke huffed, a smirk sliding onto his face.

"If you don't get your asses to hospital, I will drug you and drag you myself" the nurse cried, pulling out a syringe. They both reluctantly headed to hospital.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne, Kari-chan what did Sasuke-teme do?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," she said having gotten her bag from Sasuke's apartment. She flexed her fingers, while trying to calm down. She could still feel his hand squeezing her ass. "Sasu-usuratonkachi."

"How about ramen, that'll cheer you up," Naruto said with a grin. "Then we'll head to mine dattebayou."

"Hai, thanks Naru," Kari said with a smile. He was so sweet, unlike _some_ people.


	64. Masukono Ushironi

**A/N:** Thank you so much for your reviews :D Personally, i don't think this chapter is that good. -shrugs- Ah well, I can always edit. I'll try and get the OVA's and first movie out soon for you :) I love Gai in this chapter, he truely cares about Lee.

**Claimer:** Kari-chan and all un-original Naruto material is mine.

**Disclaimer:** Kishimoto-sempai owns Naruto.

* * *

**Masukono ushironi**

**_Behind the Mask_**

What secrets lie,

Beyond that which is never seen?

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ohayou!"

"Kari?" Kakashi asked surprised. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I've come to walk you home," she said happily, sitting on the bed and landing on his leg. It was mid morning, and she was in quite a good mood after a night being with Naruto. They'd had ramen, gone back to his and talked about random things while he mostly hugged her. It looked as though her affectionate nature was rubbing off on him. He'd insisted she wear his clothes to bed which she happily obliged to as they were so comfortable. They'd fallen asleep snuggled up closely, Kita comfortably at the end of the bed.

"Aa," Kakashi said with a chuckle, getting up from the bed. He'd been planning to leave shortly anyway. "Have you been to see Sasuke yet?"

"No," she huffed, folding her arms.

"You're still mad at him?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai."

"Why? What did he do?" Kakashi asked curiously. He was still surprised that Sasuke got punched in the face, and was confused when Sasuke smirked afterwards.

"Nothing," Kari said stubbornly. The air was crisp and people were bustling about getting ready for their day.

"It can't have been nothing," Kakashi said, deciding to go in the less used direction to his place. He was in a reasonable mood and didn't want to run into Gai. "What did he do?"

"Nothing," Kari said as she followed. Though she was still slightly annoyed at Sasuke for that, it was fun to see her sensei like a curious child, and even more fun to see him get frustrated when she wouldn't tell him.

"Kari," he said sternly.

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"I know what I do and do not want Kari, now tell me what he did."

"This," she said giving her sensei's ass a firm squeeze. He must have jumped a foot in the air, and made a shocked squeal sort of noise which sent Kari into absolute hysterics. "Make that noise again!"

"You can't do that!" Kakashi said shocked while she laughed at him. He was beyond shocked, but was inwardly pleased she was laughing after he'd seen her cry. As long as she was happy… "So that's what Sasuke did?"

"Yup," Kari replied her laughter dying down slightly. She squeaked when Kakashi poked her sides, making her squirm. He was getting revenge by preying on her ticklish sides.

"And why couldn't you have just told me instead of scaring the life out of me?" he asked, smirking as she giggled and squirmed, his fingers drumming above her hips.

"No," she giggled trying to swat his hands away. She managed to grab on of his hands and hugged his arm, successfully putting a stop to the tickling torture. He placed his hands in his pockets and allowed her to continue holding his arm. They stopped when they reached his place.

"It feels un-gentlemanly, I should be the one walking you to where you need to go," Kakashi said looking down at her.

"You're not a gentleman, you're a pervert," she said simply.

"Coming from you? I don't believe I've groped you before?" Kakashi teased, placing a hand on her head when she stuck her tongue out at him. "Go easy on Sasuke, he's still getting used to his hormones, and he gets my explanations a little confused."

"Hai Kashi," she replied. "Be good and take it easy, or I'll come and look after you!"

"And burn down the building?" he asked smirking when she smiled awkwardly. "As nice as it would be to have you running around wrecking my place, you have other people to look after."

"Guess so, but I'm here if you need me," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and pushing her face into his vest. "Why do you have to be so tall?"

"You'll grow. Just as long as you aren't taller than me."

"Hai, hai, I'll see you soon Kashi," Kari said, pulling him down and kissing his cheek before waving and running back towards the hospital. He watched her leave and felt a smile form under his mask.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"You waited for me?" Kari asked sitting on the edge of Sasuke's hospital bed. He was clearly ready to leave, so he must have known she was coming, yet waited for her to get to him.

"Hn." Sasuke hadn't slept all night. He'd tried, but had been restless and uncomfortable and now he was in a sour mood because of it.

"Cheer up Sasu," Kari said ignoring the glare he sent her way. A nurse came in and deemed him fit to leave and recuperate at home. Sasuke huffed and walked out, dragging Kari along behind him. "What are you planning on doing today?"

"Hn."

"That's not a reasonable answer."

"What are you doing today?" he shot back.

"Watashi wa? I dunno, look after you, train, go visit people," Kari said with a shrug.

"Hn."

"And what was with the groping yesterday?" Kari asked huffily, eyeing him suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed when his lips upturned into a cocky smirk.

"Payback."

"Payback?"

"For leaving me while you went with the dobe," Sasuke said simply. She sighed, still feeling unbearably guilty about that.

"Fine, but don't do it again."

"Or what?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Or I'll do it back to you."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," She said simply. If he was going to be a perverted temee she'd have her revenge…

* * *

_----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Tsunade turned the page of the book, reading carefully. There were piles of books around her, and she was determined to find anything that could help. _'To activate each of the cells at once… If it were one at a time it would be easy but all at once will be difficult. Demo…'_

* * *

_----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Lee hobbled up to the roof. He had fallen but pulled himself back up and managed to reach the seating area.

"_Konohagakure no sato is in a crisis right now, so we have to work hard!"_

"_Lee-san, if you have Tsunade-sama take a look at you I'm sure you'll get better."_

"_You should quit being a ninja and pursue a new path."_

He looked down, becoming lost in his memories. When he was first sorted into a team, and had to introduce himself to his team-mates and sensei at this very spot.

"_Yosh, starting today, all three of you are now Genin. I'd like to hear what your goals are," Gai said, looking to Neji._

"_I don't want to answer," the young Hyuuga replied._

"_Boku wa! Boku wa!" Lee cried, raising his hand. "Even if I can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, I want to prove that I can still become an excellent shinobi! That means everything to me."_

"_Hn."_

"What are you laughing at?! Lee cried, jumping to his feet and pointing accusingly at Neji. "I'm serious! Even if it's only with Taijutsu, I'll carry out the job of a ninja splendidly!"

"_If you can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu then you aren't really a ninja are you?" Neji said with a smirk. "They said it was the first time someone graduated from the academy with only Taijutsu right? That doesn't mean it's amazing, it only means it's rare."_

"_You guys, if you're hot-blooded that may not be so," Gai said grinning. "If you enjoy your youth with a good rival, by competing with each other and improving, then I'm sure you can be an excellent ninja. However that requires effort! Ha ha ha ha!!"_

'_Hot bloodedness… At that moment I became captivated by my sensei, by his words and actions.'_

And then there was Gai-sensei's rivalry with Kari-hime's sensei, Hatake Kakashi. But that was before she came into their lives.

"_You're late! You're late by 17 minutes and thirty-two seconds!"_

"_Let's not do it today," Kakashi said uninterested, his nose buried deep into his icha icha book._

"_We are currently tied at 48 wins, with this match one of us will take the lead!"_

"_Hm, looks like no is not an answer…" Kakashi said, putting his book away for the moment. "It's my turn to decide the event this time right?"_

"_What would you like to do? A Taijutsu battle? A 100 metre race? Snorkelling? I don't mind if it's an eating contest," Gai said enthusiastically with various poses and actions._

"_Hey now…" Kakashi said embarrassed by his 'rivals' excitement. "Well then…"_

"What is it?!"

"_Janken."_

"Rock paper scissors?! You're going to settle it with something like that?!"

"_Like they say, luck is also a part of someone's strength. Plus it requires insight and reflexes. It's a great match," Kakashi explained._

"_I-I see…" Gai said._

"_Isn't he just talking him into it because anything else is too troublesome?" Neji asked._

"_Looks like it," TenTen sighed._

"_I'll accept your challenge!" Gai cried. "I won't lose! If I lose I'll do 500 laps around Konoha on just my hands!"_

"_Talking rubbish again…"_

"It's a promise!"

"_There it is again, his forte, his own rules…"_

"_You cant do something like that, how stupid," Neji scoffed. "He's like a child."_

"You're right, even if it is Gai-sensei, he won't be able to do it," Lee agreed.

"_A more fitting word would be reckless," Neji said. The two Jounin prepared themselves._

"_Janken!"_

"So you were here after all!" Lee was brought out of his thoughts to see Gai standing in front of him.

"G-Gai-sensei why did you come here?"

"I know everything there is to know about you," Gai replied. "Kari-hime was looking for you."

"Sou ka, is she well?"

"Youthful as always," Gai replied. "I heard you missed your rehab session today and yesterday, you shouldn't do that," Gai said poking him in the forehead. Lee looked down sadly.

"Right here, when I first became a Genin, I shared my dream… I pledged everything. Back then, even though Neji laughed at me, I was serious. Back then you told me that if you compete with your rival and enjoy your youth, someday you'll become an excellent ninja, and that requires effort. Hearing that made me happy. Even during my days at the academy, there wasn't a single person that would say that to me. Hearing that made me feel at ease. To me, who didn't know what to do, it opened up a new path. All I had to do was put forth the effort. When I complained that the effort alone could not beat genius, you said to me that I am a genius of hard work. That's when you taught me the importance of believing in myself." Tears ran down his face. "Demo! This time, even if I put forth effort or even if I believe in myself, it doesn't look like it's going to help! Gai-sensei, please tell me! Why am I the only one who turned out like this?! What should I do?! Please tell me!"

'_He was making his way to becoming an excellent ninja with only Taijutsu. That was all that was on his mind until now. It must be tough… your dream and every wish is about to be unreasonably taken away from you.'_

"Lee," Gai said. "If you want to release yourself from your suffering you should prepare yourself."

"To prepare me for giving up on my dream?"

"If you lose your dream you'll suffer even more than you are now. You're a baka who won't be able to live if he loses his way of the ninja. I am as well," Gai paused for a moment. "Go through with the surgery Lee!"

* * *

_----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"How is the cell activation technique coming along?" Shizune asked, bringing Tsunade some tea.

"It all boils down to the Chakra in the end. Even if you say 'cell', there are various types. For example, the skin, internal muscles, the organs. To activate all of it at once is a bit difficult." Tsunade replied.

"Oh? So it's just a bit?" Shizune asked.

"Are you testing me?"

"Iie! You have my utmost trust," Shizune said happily.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"A short while ago, I was reminiscing about the time when you and Kakashi-sensei were fighting with Janken. Back then he said luck is also a part of ones strength. The success rate of the surgery is also fifty percent. But this is different from Janken!" lee cried, wiping his eyes.

"Do you remember what happened after that Lee?" Gai asked.

_As it turned out, Kakashi chose scissors and Gai chose paper._

"_500 laps…" Gai reminded himself. "That's a promise here goes!"_

_Lee watched his sensei as he travelled around the village again and again, villagers laughing at him as he struggled walking on his hands. He stood in front of his sensei after nightfall, having had enough._

"_Doushita ne, Lee?"_

"_Nande? No one's watching you, not even Kakashi-sensei so why?"_

"_Since I made a promise while acting cool and posed like a nice guy, I'll keep my promise even if I die!" Gai said sweat rolling down his face. Lee chuckled. "Doushita ne?"_

"Why do you make up such weird rules before you do anything?"

"Thanks for asking Lee, you noticed something really nice!" Gai said, flipping back onto his feet. "Yosh, I'll tell you. But don't tell the others."

"W-what is it?"

"To put it simply, it's training to bring victory, my rule. Listen up, the point of this rule is to make a handcuff before you do anything, in order to force yourself into a harsh situation. For example, the meaning behind this rule is that by completing 500 laps, I will be able to win against him next time even if I lose in a game of Janken. This idea is filled with the power to change the future."

"H-hai."

"In other words, by creating the handcuff of doing 500 laps you can even take a worthless game of Janken seriously. And even if I lose, by doing 500 laps, it trains you. It's a contingency plan."

"_I see!" Lee cried in understanding._

"_Well then, I'll be doing a little more."_ _Both were now on their hands, starting to walk forwards._

"I'll accompany you too! My version of my rule is…"

"Hey, don't go overboard Lee."

"If I can't keep up with Gai-sensei I'll put forth more effort. In other words, if I aim to be like you and put even more effort into it, that means I can eventually become an excellent ninja."

_  
"Yosh, then I'll add a bonus rule too. If you can't keep up with me till the end, then I'll train you with all my life! If I train you with all my life, I'm sure you'll become an excellent ninja. That's a promise!"_

"That's right, that's when you first taught me my rule." Lee said with a smile. Gai nodded.

"Your surgery that you will put forth all your effort into will definitely succeed. I'm sure you'll call forth the future. If per chance—No, if it fails, which is a one in a million chance, then… I'll die with you." Gai said sincerely. "Ever since I met you, my nindou was to train you to be an excellent ninja. That's a promise."

"_You're a baka who won't be able to live if he loses his way of the ninja. I am as well."_

"Gai-sensei!!" Lee sobbed, throwing his arms around his teacher, his idol.

"Bad time?" Both looked round to see Kari had finally found them.

"Kari-hime!" Lee cried going to wipe away his tears but she shook her head and walked over, wiping his tears away instead.

"Silly sempai," she said softly cupping his cheeks and brushing away each new tear. "Lee-kun is strong, I admire you." She smiled when his tears came again. "I admire Lee-kun because he is strong, kind and is the most dedicated shinobi I have ever met. You taught me so much, through Taijutsu, morals, honesty, integrity, self-belief, loyalty… If anyone can survive this you can."

"K-Kari-hime…" Gai smiled down at his students' apprentice. She must have been nearby the whole time, yet let them have their time.

"Not that you'll need it, but I'll wish you all the luck in the world anyway," Kari said and brushing away his bangs she went on her tiptoes and kissed his forehead. "A very wise and powerful medic told me that brings good luck."

Lee wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into the hug. She smiled and embraced him back. Gai's smile widened, Kakashi was lucky to officially have this treasure in his team, she had successfully softened Neji and Kakashi's hearts (he'd heard that she'd had success with the Uchiha too). It was rare to find someone as pure as her, filled with such love for her comrades.

"Do your best Lee-kun."

"Hai!"

"Let's go!" Gai said happily.

"Hai!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Shizune yawned and woke up. Sitting up groggily she realised Tsunade wasn't there. She looked around curiously and spotted some notes. The fifty percent had been scribbled out and re-written as fifty-eight percent.

"Tsunade-sama," she said with a smile.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne! Ne! Sasuke get up! Get up!" Kari cried bouncing on the bed. "We have to go to the inauguration!" He grumbled and grabbed her, rolling over and pinning her under him to stop her jumping around. "Sasuuuuu!"

"Urusai," he grumbled burying his face into her neck. He hadn't slept the night before last and had been in a coma before that! He deserved a break!

"Onegai!" she cried, squirming.

"What do I get if I do?" he asked smirking. Might as well irritate her.

"I don't care, wait, scratch that, something within reason! Please!" Kari cried, desperate to go and cheer Tsunade on. He ignored her and wrapped his arms tighter around her, amused at her protesting. "Sasuke!!"

"Ugh fine, I'll bring it up again once I think of something I want," he said rolling out of bed.

"Arigatou Sasu-kun!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

A large crowd had gathered outside the Hokage mansion, Tsunade standing on the top with the advisors and Jiraiya, with the Hokage hat on her head. Kakashi chuckled as Kari practically bounced with excitement. She was complaining of how she couldn't see so he lifted her onto his shoulders.

"Starting today, I will govern Konohagakure!" Tsunade cried removing the hat to reveal her face. "I am Godaime Hokage!" Cheers erupted from the crowd, Kakashi almost deafened by Kari's cry of approval. She almost fell off but Izumo and Kotetsu steadied her. She waved up at Tsunade who smiled in return.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne, don't you want to see it?" Naruto whispered. Sakura gave him a puzzled look while Sasuke looked bored. Kari was thinking about how strange it was being over six, wait no probably over seven feet tall on Kakashi's shoulders. He'd disappeared somewhere after their mission and left her with her team. "He's been hiding it from us for long enough already."

"See what?" Sasuke asked.

"See what? Isn't it obvious?" Naruto asked. He pulled out a torch and lit it under his chin while pulling a scary face. "Kakashi-sensei's, true face!"

"EE! What do you think you're doing?!" Sakura shrieked, thwacking him on the head while Kari and Kita couldn't help but giggle.

"Ne, Kita-chan, why don't you go visit Kurenai's team?"

"Hai!" and Kita was gone, safe from any horrors they might encounter.

"Hn, what nonsense. I'm out of here," Sasuke scoffed. "We've finished our mission for today so let's go home."

"You're right!" Sakura cried. '_What? It sounds so interesting too!'_ she couldn't help but think.

"Ne! I want to know!" Kari said, agreeing with Naruto but was cut off when Sasuke grabbed hold of her tail and started dragging her with him.

"Maybe he has thick lips?" Naruto said sneakily. Sasuke froze, still gripping Kari's tail. She tried to pull it out of his grasp, but to no avail. Kari's mind was invaded by an image of Kakashi with bright red blimp lips. It made him feel dizzy, heck was he swaying? "Or buckteeth?" Naruto said, pressing a little more. And then a Kakashi with teeth that would put beavers to shame struck her mind. It gave Sasuke shivers.

"Stop thinking!" Kari cried, lightly smacking the back of his head. Well, looks like Sasuke's in anyway.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari was left with the delightful task of asking Kakashi to Ichiraku's, because according to the others (mostly Sasuke) she was Kakashi's favourite.

"Ne Kashi, our team wants to go to Ichiraku and I'm supposed to invite you because the others are too lazy to do it."

Due to super acting skills, he agreed.

"But it's really unusual for all four of you to treat me," Kakashi said. He left out Kita because she _couldn't_ treat him as far as he knew. "Maybe it's going to snow and a huge pile of snow will fall on me and in my bowl, or I'll reach for my chopsticks and the ramen will explode on me, or as I go to eat and a huge red rubber glove will strike me, sending me flying into the wall opposite, something like that? Or are you scheming something?" Kakashi asked.

"Kashi, you have a great imagination, you could write a book," Kari said laughing. "Matte, maybe that's not a good idea…"

"W-w-what are you talking about dattebayou?!" Naruto cried nervously.

"I-It's just to celebrate you coming out of hospital!" Sakura cried while Sasuke forced a painful looking smile. "S-s-s-s-saa, saa! Eat up!"

"Sou ka, then I think I'll eat it," Kakashi said, grabbing some chopsticks.

"Here you go, we've given you extra meat!" And the bowl was in position. The chopsticks were separated and he reached for the top of his mask. Kari sighed as they all tensely stared at Kakashi. Mou, will their heartbeats calm down, one of them is going to have a heart attack.

"Mmm. Ittadekimasu." Kakashi said, just about to pull down his mask when…

"Sasuke-kun, what a coincidence!" Ino cried jumping on Sasuke's back and pulling Chouji and Shikamaru with her, blocking Kakashi from sight.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

"Get lost Ino-pig!!"

"What did you say?!!"

"Aa!! Watch the tail!"

"I can't see dattebayou!!"

"Thank you for the food," Kakashi said, bowl empty, mask back up. "That was good."

"H-haya…" That was so fast…

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked seeing their odd positions and facial expressions. Sasuke had Chouji in a headlock, while Naruto had Chouji in an arm lock. Sakura and Ino were each pulling each others mouths and grabbing hair and Kari had jumped on Shikamaru's back for safety glaring at them all, her tail with at least three footprints on it.

"I-it's nothing!" Sakura said.

"Huh?" Naruto said noticing Ayame and Teuchi's loved up expressions directed towards Kakashi. They were blushing with hearts in their eyes!

"I _REALLY_ want to know!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ahou! Ahou!" Kari waved at the crow as it flew off. The crow usually appeared when something stupid happened, and would crow at people calling them morons.

"Now I want to see it no matter what dattebayou!" Naruto cried. They were back to where they started, and with even more curiosity.

"But how are you going to catch a glimpse of it?" Sakura asked. And yet again the torch and scary face comes out.

"That is… do something about it," and he was yet again punched.

"It's this _something_ that I'm asking about baka!" Sakura shrieked.

"Then do you have an idea Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Well that's…"

"We'll pursue him, mark him completely," Sasuke said. "If we do that, he'll eventually take off his mask."

"As expected from Sasuke-kun, you're smart!" Sakura complimented.

"What the hell is that? That's a really basic plan!" Naruto scoffed.

"Did I hear something?" Sakura asked dangerously.

"Well, it's fine," Naruto squeaked.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What is Kakashi sensei doing?" Naruto asked. Kakashi had been humming carrying his groceries when he paused, leg horizontal in the air with a ballerina point, dropped his bags and pressed himself against a bookshop window, crab walking up and own it while gasping in delight.

"Yappari…" Kari sighed.

"I'm disappointed in you…" Sakura grumbled at their ero-sensei. He looked round and they quickly ducked.

"He noticed us!" Sasuke cried.

"Baka Naruto! You blew our cover!" Sakura cried.

"Eh?! It's not my fault dattebayou!"

"Ehh into a movie?!" Kakashi squealed reading the billboard they were conveniently hiding against. '_Icha Icha Violence, the movie_.' "I'm going to reserve tickets!!" and he rushed off excitedly.

"He's started moving again!" Sakura cried.

"Let's follow him!"

"Aa!"

They quickly jumped down and ran stealthily into the alley, only to find it empty.

"Huh, he's not there!" Sakura cried.

"Shimatta, he got away," Sasuke growled.

"K'so, where did he go?" Naruto cried. Kari could still smell him, which meant he was probably still nearby.

"What are you four doing?" Kakashi asked, appearing behind them with his groceries back in hand and scaring the life out of them. "Do you want something from me?" Kari's team mates shook their heads rapidly.

"N-nothing!"

"Hmm? Have you got anything good?" Kari asked looking at his bag. He handed her a piece of bread and pat her on the head. She smiled and thanked him.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Na, why were we noticed dattebayou?" Naruto grumbled. Once again, they were back where they started.

"That's because there was too many of us," Sakura said.

"Eeeeeh? If we mask our presence numbers won't matter, dattebayou," Naruto said. Kari was only half paying attention chewing the bread Kakashi gave her. It was pretty good actually. She almost choked when Naruto got the torch out and pulled the scary face again. "Or is it that you've forgotten how to Sakura-chan?"

"You're the one who's forgotten!" Sakura screeched punching him. Deja vu much?

"Following him will be good training," Sasuke said. "Next time, we'll go one at a time."

"You're right let's leave Naruto!" Sakura said happily. She smiled awkwardly at Kari, noticing the blonde kunoichi's depressed aura. She kept her presence masked, honest… Matte, this is for Sasuke and Sakura's love! Kari grinned at Sakura and decided she could go see Neji again for some more teaching, and maybe TenTen will let her try some archery! But she's got yummy bread to enjoy first.

"NEEE?!"

"Have fun," Kari said simply, but Sasuke grabbed hold of her tail, dragging her along with them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Hm… '_At that time Junko said 'Oh I think I'm going to lose sight of you'_" Kakashi read as Naruto stalked him. He disappeared transporting somewhere else.

"Are? Are? Are?!" Naruto cried confused, looking around but unable to spot him.

He came back to see the other enjoying tea, they looked round expectantly while he laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

"He got away…"

"You're as clumsy as ever," Sakura scolded.

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke said.

"Sakura's turn," Kari said, wanting more tea.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sakura sat hiding in a bush spying on Kakashi looking at the memorial stone while it rained. The small shower had come unexpectedly, but for the most part she was sheltered by the leaves. But that hadn't helped when she was stalking him here. She was cold, wet and bored.

"Mou, what is he doing?" Sakura mumbled. "Standing still…" She gasped. "Masaka?!" She ran over to her sensei only to find that he was a scarecrow.

She returned to see the others drinking tea, Kari sandwiched between the two boys. They turned to look at Sakura expectantly making her smile and blush awkwardly.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari was sent next, and really couldn't be bothered. She went to her sensei's apartment and knocked on the door. As it opened, she walked straight in.

"Kari? Do you need something?" Kakashi asked puzzled. He'd just gotten back and still had his mask on. She sighed and sat down.

"Iie, I just can't find anyone to train with," Kari said simply.

"Weren't you with Sasuke? Train with him," Kakashi said, also sitting down.

"He pulled my tail, so I'm annoyed with him," Kari said with a frown. Seriously, did he not _realise_ it was attached?

"Sou ka, by any chance is our squad following me?"

"I dunno, I don't understand them half the time," Kari said with a small giggle. Kakashi sighed, flicking open his book.

"And you ate the bread I gave you?"

"Hai, it was good."

"Good, you need a more balanced diet," Kakashi said simply smiling at her huff. He went to his kitchen and handed her a piece of mochi. She smiled, hugged him, and left him in peace.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Baka, he bribed you with food?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Mochi," Kari replied. It was a popular (and extremely yummy) Japanese dessert; it's a special type of rice that's been pounded to the consistency of marshmallow and rolled into balls and/or stuffed with various ingredients. Kari loves it. "Your turn Sasu, I want tea to wash it down."

"You'll end up fat," he mumbled and got a light smack to the back of his head while Kari went to ask for more tea.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, how'd it go?" Sakura asked when Sasuke reappeared. It had turned sunny for him, and Kari sighed thinking how it would be her turn next.

"I quit, no more trailing him," Sasuke said huffily. They all hung their heads in disappointment.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

They ended up having a mission the next day, out of the village much to Naruto's delight. Kari sighed and adjusted her bag, why did she feel like this was going to be a disaster?

'_Our mission today is to help out at the ranch…'_ Sasuke thought.

'_The mission itself isn't really that hard,'_ Sakura thought.

'_I'll definitely see it dattebayou, Kakashi- sensei's real face that is!'_

"What's up with you guys? You seem eager today," Kakashi said, looking to Kari in hopes of an explanation. She shrugged, the whole thing feeling tiring to her.

"We're really eager!" Naruto and Sakura cried while Sasuke made his typical 'hn'.

"Oh, that's nice," Kakashi said simply walking around them. Kari's ears twitched and she looked up into the trees.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I've finally found you… Hatake Kakashi!" the man hissed. "Kakashi, you're out of luck to have met me here, I'll get you back for my long standing grudge."

"Aniki, what's this grudge you're talking about?"

Thwack.

"Baka! Have you forgotten?! I'll never forget. It happened in the spring three years ago…"

* * *

_-----Springtime three years ago-----_

* * *

"_Iieeee!!" a girl screamed, running away from the two men._

_  
"There's no need to be frightened!"_

"_Iie!!"_

"_Our aniki said he had something to talk to you about!"_

"_A-aniki?"_

_The ropes were pulled and the boss rose up on a log, a red lose between his teeth._

"_I love you, will you marry me?"_

"_Aniki, you're so cool!!"_

"_Iie," the woman said cringing._

"_There's no need to be embarrassed. Just be honest with your feelings and embrace me--AAH!" and he fell off the log and onto his face._

"_IIE."_

"It's okay, I may look like this, but I have money." The rose promptly transformed into two coins.

"_Iie, I tell you!"_

_"Nani? Do you think you can decline my proposal in this situation?" he cried only for the log to smack him in the back of the head and send her flying onto the girl, only to be kicked off._

"_Iie means iie!"_

"_Mouuu… I even set up such a romantic scene for you…"_

_"IIE MEANS IIE!!"_

"_How about you stop it right about there? Tada," Kakashi's head appeared out of the bush his Icha Icha Violence appearing a second later. "Look, she doesn't want to, and no matter how I look at the situation, you're being dumped." The girl nodded._

"_You sure have guts there! Who do you think I am?" he quickly stood up. "Are you picking a fight against me knowing that we are the famous Moyanin three?"_

"_Moyanin? Never heard of 'em," Kakashi said simply. They had even struck poses that spelt out Moya. _

"_You don't know of the Moyanin?!"_

"Making fools out of us, you…!"

"_Temee! Who the hell are you?!"_

"My name isn't really worth telling you," Kakashi replied, stepping out of the bush. "But, I'm Hatake Kakashi."

"_You ARE telling us your name!!"_

"_Oi temee!"_

_"I'll make you regret this!"_

"_You interrupted my love!"_

"_Love? Don't you mean annoying, one-sided love?" Kakashi asked._

"_Urusai! Guys, let's get him! Yon, san, ni, ichi! Hustle, hustle!"_

_Needless to say, they were easily defeated, tied up, and left hanging between two trees._

"_Please! Someone! Someone help me! I don't like high places!" the boss squealed._

"_I'll walk you home," Kakashi said to the girl who had hearts in her eyes in admiration for him._

"_Don't be talking, oi!" The girl giggled and hugged Kakashi's arm. "Don't ehehe me! leaving me are you?!"_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Well, that's how it was," the boss said smugly.

"Don't brag when you lost!!"

"So this is revenge for what happened three years ago?"

"So aniki who has become stronger in the last few years are going to fight him head on! Such drama!" he was smacked on the head. "Ite-e!"

"Who'd do something that dangerous?! If we're going to do this, let's do it sneakily, from the shadows… Secretly that is…" he chuckled evilly.

"So… cheap…"

And the ahou crow flew overhead.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yosh!" the lady cried excitedly. "Irrashaimase! Irrashaimase! Irrashaimase! Irrashaimase!" she squealed stepping back and forward. Kari smiled awkwardly as they were shuffled inside.

"Sugoii!" Sakura squealed as Naruto drooled at the amazing feast before them.

"It looks delicious dattebayou!"

"Take your time," the woman said. The door closed and the mask was removed to reveal the boss of the moyanin."

'_Kakashi, eat up, this will be your last meal! I've poisoned the food with an odourless, tasteless drug that I've created that will give you hiccups forever! Take your hiccups and die in pain. That suits your death…'_

"Hm? Doushita? You're not eating" Kakashi asked.

"Oh nothing, why don't you eat Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, I'm on a diet right now, so…"

"Baka…" Kari sighed.

'_So that's how it is, no matter what, I'm going to see your face dattebayou!'_ Naruto thought.

"A-aah! My hand slipped!" Naruto cried, grabbing the teapot and throwing it at Kakashi. Kakashi swiftly upturned the table, protecting himself from the hot tea, and successfully piling all the food on to the floor. "AAAAAH!" Naruto screamed.

"What have you done?!" Sakura screeched.

"Aa, sumimasen, Sumimasen, I just unintentionally…"

"DON'T _'UNINTENTIONALLY'_ ME!!" Kari's team-mates shrieked at her poor sensei.

"Aaaahhh the food!" the moyanin cried. "What a cruel thing…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne, what are we going to do now?" Sakura whispered.

"Relax, I have an idea," Sasuke said.

"An idea?" the rest echoed.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sou ka, strangely enough you've though this idea through Sasuke," Naruto said, bubbles surrounding his mouth as he talked underwater, his nose above the surface so he could breathe. "You'd usually take off your mask when you take a bath, right?"

"Just be quiet usuratonkachi."

Behind some rocks, the moyanin were hiding.

"Hehehe, Kakashi, using this poisoned blow dart that makes you laugh forever, you will die laughing. That suits you best."

On the other side of the wall, Sakura sighed with disappointment.

"Mou, I wanted to see too," Sakura complained. "Kari-chan aren't you getting in?" Sakura asked, seeing Kari was still wrapped tightly in her towel. Kari sighed and motioned for her to turn around. Realising she was shy, Sakura turned her head so Kari would get in.

"But if it's in the hot springs…" Kari began.

"I want to see too!" Sakura said frustrated. "Surely you do too Kari-chan?"

"I'd rather not risk seeing anything else," Kari said simply, a blush coating her face when she remembered Naruto prancing about in his birthday suit.

"Kakashi-sensei! Ready yet?!" Naruto cried impatiently on the other side.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Kakashi said simply.

"I really wanna see!" Sakura cried swimming to the edge ad grabbing her towel.

"Ne, ne! What are you doing?!" Kari cried shocked.

"He's here!" Naruto cried he and Sasuke raising their heads out of the water.

"Yosh!" the boss cried, readying the dart.

"I can't see anything!" Sakura cried, trying to peer through a hole in the wall. Kari looked at her horrified. She sank further down, eyes darting about in case they too were being spied on.

Naruto and Sasuke stood up impatiently as Kakashi drew near, becoming clearer through the steam.

"Sorry to make you wait," Kakashi said, flannel like his mask and hitai-ate still on. "Just a bit, okay?"

"AAAAAAAAH!!" Naruto screeched as he and Sasuke fell over. "Why did it turn out like this dattebayou?" Naruto's voice gurgled from underwater.

"Now!" The boss cried, blowing the dart.

"Hm, is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, bending his head and avoiding the dart. "Even if you say that, I'm getting in." The dart completely missed him and instead hit a frog, which began laughing and gribbit-ing hysterically.

"What happened? I want to see?!" Sakura cried. "Eh? Kari-chan?" Sakura asked looking around and seeing the kunoichi gone.

Naruto and Sasuke ran out, throwing towels around their waste and opening the door, gasping for air.

"Mou, what is Kakashi-sensei thinking dattebayou?!"

"What happened? Are you okay? I heard you scream!" Kari cried running towards them. She stopped a few feet in front of them and blushed awkwardly.

"Iie, he was wearing a flannel dattebayou!" Naruto cried, not at all bothered by Kari being soaking wet and in a towel. "Were you worried?" Kari smiled and looked the other way, wishing to disappear. Well, this was embarrassing; she thought they were being attacked! She squeaked when she felt Naruto's arms wrap around her. "Aww, gomen dattebayou!"

"Usuratonkachi, she's practically naked," Sasuke said, quickly closing the door and looking away, feeling the blush on his cheeks. No, it was probably just the heat.

"So what? We've taken a bath together before dattebayou and we weren't wearing _anything_!" Naruto said stubbornly. Kari felt the blood rush to her face and felt even worse when she saw Sasuke's horrified expression. All the stress made her eyes roll to the back of her head and she blacked out. Naruto caught her and held her close to him. "You embarrassed her dattebayou!" Naruto cried accusingly.

"Me?! It was you declaring you'd seen her naked!" Sasuke cried, still unable to believe it. She refused to take a bath with him naked, she had to wear swimwear! Well, so did he, but that's beside the point.

"Maa, what's all this fuss?" Kakashi asked walking in. Naruto squeaked and tried to hide Kari. While Sasuke tried to stand in the way to shield her from sight. "Why's Kari here, and unconscious?"

"Well, she heard us scream when we tripped and she got worried and thought we were being attacked dattebayou, so she came to see if we were ok!" Naruto cried.

"And at the sight of you she passed out?" Kakashi asked.

"Iie, it was Sasuke-temee having a fit because me and Kari-chan have had a bath together before!" Naruto said while Sasuke shot him a dirty look.

Aa, sou ka," Kakashi said. '_They'd had a bath together? No wonder she fainted when it was brought up, she's incredibly shy when it comes to her body._' He picked her up out of Naruto's arms. "So she's here because she was worried, and she fainted because you embarrassed her and most probably checked her out ne?" Both boys looked away embarrassed. Kari mumbled something and opened her eyes.

"Ohayou!" Kakashi greeted making her squeak and blush an alarming shade of red. She was being held by a half naked, wet Kakashi! A half naked, wet Kakashi, with very nice muscles! "Oi, oi Kari you need to breathe or you'll pass out again."

"Nani? Nan de?" she squeaked confused.

"You should go back and see Sakura, we don't want any perverts bothering you," Kakashi said, glancing at the two male Genin. She nodded, jumped down, and ran off blushing. "Saa, now that's sorted, I'm going back in for a while," Kakashi said simply, walking back out.

The moyanin came out later than the others, only to find their clothes stolen.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Come again! Come again! Come again!" the hyperactive host lady cried as they walked off. Unable to look at any of the guys without blushing awkwardly, Kari was sticking next to Sakura. The pink kunoichi didn't mind at all, and chatted away, not noticing Kari's awkwardness.

The moyanin followed, hiding in a barrel. Good thing they brought spare clothes.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Yosh, everyone go to your post and start working," Kakashi informed. "Move out!" Kari quickly went to her post, not wanting to be near the male members of her squad for a while. She was still mortified that she had fainted in a towel and embarrassed of how gorgeously toned Kakashi was. She headed to the barn, first up was tending to the sheepdogs, then the horses.

"I can't go o much longer, I'm stressed out dattebayou," Naruto grumbled. The mocking crow flying over crowing 'Ahou! Ahou!'

"I'm almost at my limit too," Sasuke admitted.

"Sasuke-kun, to tell you the truth, I am too," Sakura agreed.

"Then we'll use our last resort dattebayou!"

"Last resort?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari happily refilled water bowls and groomed the dogs. She should have brought Kita, she'd have loved this. But at least she was looking after Hinata, Kari hadn't seen the young Hyuuga in ages and Kita enjoyed socialising with everyone, and Akamaru was good in teaching her the ways of the canine. As long as he didn't teach her to be vulgar. Now onto the horses.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"This is?" Sasuke asked

"Can't you tell by looking at them?" Naruto asked. They were in the clothes he had stolen from the hot spring. "They're shinobi uniforms."

"When did you prepare them?

"Ah, na, na, na, na, that doesn't matter!" Naruto said avoiding the subject.

"What will we do in these?" Sasuke asked.

"We'll rip his mask off by force dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

Kari tacked up the horse to take it for exercise, having cleaned it out and put fresh hay and straw in the stable. Kakashi was repairing the fence, and she wasn't too sure what the others were up to. She mounted her steed and with a light squeeze she was off to explore.

"Don't go too far," Kakashi reminded her. She huffed and blushed and urged the horse forward, picking up canter to get away from him before she embarrassed herself.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari sighed, heading back to the farm. She decided to explore the farm on horseback, after a great ride around where she got rid of the tension she'd had lately. She'd have to find a horse summoner to teach her how to summon them. She came to a stop and looked at the odd scene in front of her.

"Damn that Kakashi," the boss said from the barrel.

"Aniki look at that!" one of his two partners cried.

Kari raised an eyebrow puzzled when Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, complete with odd uniforms headed over to Kakashi, who was still working on the fence.

"Oi, Hatake Kakashi!" the one she recognised as Naruto cried. The uniforms were huge on them, what in the world were they doing?

"Huh? What happened to you three?" Kakashi asked. Yup, he saw straight through it.

"What are you talking about?! We're just ordinary ninja! It's not like we want to see what's under that mask or anything!" Kari slapped her forehead. He was pushed over by Sakura.

"Baka! Don't say anything unnecessary!" Sakura cried.

"That is…" the boss said.

"Aniki! There are more people with grudges against Kakashi!"

"Now's our chance, let's go!" They burst out of the barrel and struck their poses. "Kakashi! It's about time we settle things!" the boss announced. "With this poison I created that will make you cry forever!" he gasped and dropped the bottle. Kakashi had tied Kari's team-mates up and was holding them above his head.

"Phew, I was wondering how much longer you'd be sneaking about in the shadows," Kakashi said as Kari nudged her horse, instructing it to walk over to the others. "But you've finally come out," he said putting the tied up Genin down. "But before that, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto," the afore mentioned squeaked. "Why are you wearing that?"

"Well, um, you see," Naruto began.

"You fell for it!" Sakura cried, pointing at the moyanin. "We knew you were after Kakashi-sensei all along!

"Nan da to?! Then you were aware of our plan from the beginning?!"

"Of course, this was a trap to lure you guys out!" Sakura cried. Kari sighed and turned her horse around, giving it some running distance and then jumped the fence, before jumping off and removing the tack quickly. She placed it on the fence and jumped back over, the horse poking its head over lazily, which she stroked. "You fell for it!"

"So I walked right into a trap?! K'so! I underestimated you guys because you're kids!"

'_I wasn't informed of that!'_ Naruto thought.

'_Nice one Sakura!'_ Sasuke thought.

"I don't quite get it, but oh well," Kakashi said simply.

"Ne," Kari said walking forwards. "Who are you guys?" She cringed when her hands were suddenly grabbed.

"I, beautiful girl, am one of the moyanin," he said it what she supposed was meant to be a seductive voice. He pulled a rose out of nowhere and her eye twitched. Kakashi walked forwards but Kari acted first and kicked the guy in the balls.

"I'm twelve! You're older than Kashi!" she cried while Kakashi patted her on the head. He continued walking forward and they squirmed back, bowing desperately.

"Please forgive us! Please forgive us!"

"There is no use talking."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

In an unbelievably quick time, they were hanging in the barn door.

"This is the same as what happened three years ago! We're hanging on one rope and we're swinging like we did before! We're sharing the same rope and since I can't find the end of the rope, it's hard to get out!" the moyanin whined.

"Come to think of it, who are you?" Kakashi asked.

"He doesn't even remember us!" they sobbed. "Matte! Kakashi!!!"

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto asked. "What's under the mask?"

"Nani? You want to see what's under this mask?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai!"

"Then you should have said so earlier," Kakashi said simply.

"Then will you show us?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Sure."

"EHH?!" they squealed bunching in front of him. Kari jumped on Naruto's back, being small and unable to see.

"What's all the commotion?" Kakashi asked. "All right then…" he reached for his mask, their hearts pounding in their chests.

'_Is it the thick lips?'_ Sakura wondered.

'_Or the buckteeth?'_ Sasuke thought.

'_Or a small mouth?'_ Naruto thought.

"Under this mask is…"

_'Under this mask is…?'_ they all repeated mentally. He pulled it down.

"There are times when there is another mask underneath!" Kakashi said, revealing a lighter mask.

"AAAAAAHH!!" and they plummeted to the ground in horror while Kakashi laughed.

"WHAT'S UP WITH THAT DATTEBAYOU!?!"

"Ahou! Ahou!"


	65. Ocha no Kuni Suru Ni Ha!

**

* * *

**

**A/N; **Yatta! My last exam is over and never again will I have to wear school uniform! -_Throws it in a pile and sets fire to it_- Burn baby burn! e.e I wish, but my mother would not be too happy... Honestly, I'm so into writing this fanfic I thought of an AU of it, a fanfic of a fanfic, an AU of an AU! **-shot-** I'm so sad xD I did the first OVA, but its under a different story. Other OVA's and movies and oneshots and requests will go in there. I love my reviewers! I love you, like Kari loves pocky! I'm being questioned on the whole Sasuke leaving thing. Will he leave? Will kari be on the retreival mission? Will Kari hate him? Well... I'm not telling you xD I'm good at keeping secrets!** -bricked-**

**Claimer:** Well, what would Kishimoto-sempai say was _not_ his?

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I doubt I will ever own Naruto, and if I do i will be called a fraud as Masashi kishimoto will have a statue dedicated in his honour with _his_ name on it.

* * *

**Ocha no Kuni Suru Ni Ha!**

_**To the Tea Country!**_

_This boy, he was familiar,_

_But why did she recognise the name of a stranger?_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kakashi sighed softly closing the door behind him. He'd only just got back, and now they were sending him on a high ranked mission without his squad. He was glad they weren't going, it was far too dangerous for them. He glanced up at the moon noting that it was a clear night.

"Going on a mission?"

"I'm starting to think your psychic," Kakashi said with a smile down at Kari. It was late, she should be in bed.

"Will you be gone long?" she asked.

"A while," he said gently, placing a hand on her head.

"You'll come back right?" she asked, looking up at him.

"There's a risk with every mission Kari," he said softly. He hesitated seeing the moon shine off her moist eyes. "I'm sure I'll be fine though, you shouldn't worry so much about everyone." Her hand wrapped around his sleeve giving it a light tug.

"Please come back," she asked, no, more like begged. He bent down so he was more level with her. Was she scared he would leave her? He knew she'd become very attached to him, as her sensei and friend. Kaizo and Kitome were always on missions these days, Kita had said they'd visited but the house was empty and dark.

"For you Kari-chan, I'll do my best to come back to you," he reassured and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her face hidden in his shoulder. His arms encircled her, making her feel safe.

"Arigatou Kashi," she said softly. "Come back safe ne?" She pulled away, her eyes on her shoes. He probably thought she was silly now. He was an amazing ninja after all. She felt her bangs being brushed away from her forehead and closed her eyes at the sensation of lips against her forehead. When she looked back up, his mask was already back in place. He smiled down at her, petting her head.

"I'll do my best."

"Promise?"

"Hai. Now go to bed, you'll have your own mission tomorrow," Kakashi said sternly. His expression softened. "Same to you, come back safely. You get hurt too often."

"Hai Kashi," she said smiling. With that, he disappeared, starting his mission.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

As Kakashi said, they did indeed have a mission the following day.

"Yosha, a mission, a mission!" Naruto said happily. "I'm going to give it everything I have dattebayou!" Naruto cried. Kari smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

"Hn."

"But I don't see Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said while Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"Is he going to be late as usual?" Naruto asked.

"Iie, Kakashi won't be coming," Tsunade informed them as she walked in.

"Tsunade no Obaachan!"

"Don't call me Obaachan."

"Anou, Hokage-sama, what do you mean Kakashi-sensei isn't coming?" Sakura asked.

"As you probably already know, Kakashi and most of the Jounin are on a different mission, we will have just the four of you complete the mission this time, with Kita's assistance if you wish. This is a B-ranked mission, you three will guard an important figure," Tsunade said, holding up a scroll.

"Guard… an important figure?" Sakura repeated.

"Of course, depending on the situation it could also be classified an A-rank mission," Tsunade said.

"And? Who are we guarding?" Sasuke asked.

"No clue."

"What do you mean 'no clue'?" Naruto cried.

"In the allied Country of Tea, there is an event called the Todoroki Taisha dedication ceremony, held once every four years. We have accepted a mission to guard the runner who will run in the race at that ceremony. However, the messengers were defeated by an opponents spy before they arrived here," Tsunade explained.

"Spy?" Naruto asked.

"Anou, I don't quite see the point yet," Sakura said.

"Well, for further details, go ask Boss Jirochou of the Country of Tea," Tsunade said simply.

"Boss Jirochou?" Naruto asked. "Aa! Sou ka, you mean the boss from back then!"

"That's how it is, now that you understand everything, depart right away," Tsunade instructed. "You must arrive at the Country of tea by the end of today. Hurry up!"

"Hai!" they cried immediately rushing off.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ne Sakura-chan, Kari-chan, Kita-chan, aren't you getting hungry?" Naruto asked.

"Well a little," Sakura admitted.

"Then it's decided!" Naruto cried excitedly. "Just when we've decided, I've found a tea shop! Let's take a quick break here dattebayou!"

They settled down at a table, Naruto sat next to Sakura (who sat opposite Sasuke so she could gaze at him) and Kari sat opposite him next to Sasuke.

"Irrashaimase," the woman greeted, serving them tea.

"Obaachan I'd like some oshiruko," Naruto cried.

"I'll take some odangos, what about you Sasuke-kun?"

"I'll order tokoroten," Sasuke said simply.

"I'll have two of what Sakura's having please," Kari said, after Kita nodded up at her.

"Hai, please wait a moment," she requested.

"Yosh, I'll do my best!" Naruto declared.

"Naruto, make sure you don't go acting on your own," Sakura said.

"Hai," Naruto grumbled. They looked up when someone stopped next to their table.

"To be drinking oshiruku so carelessly on a beautiful day like this… Being a ninja must be an easy occupation."

"What did you say?" Naruto growled and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Konohagakure must be a really peaceful place. They're all stupid looking," he said. He couldn't be much older than them, a year or two, maybe three.

"What did you say?!" Naruto cried getting to his feet.

"Oh? I never knew such cute girls live there," he said bending down to get a better look at Kari, much to her embarrassment. "I take back everything I said." Sakura smirked to herself, he wasn't hitting on her so must think she and Sasuke-kun are a couple!

"Anou?"

"My name's Morino Idate, ojou-san, what's your name?"

"Temee! Don't act so friendly with Kari-chan!" Naruto shrieked, clenching his fist and pulling up his sleeve.

"Kari ka? Such a wonderful name. How about it, the fact that we've met must be some sort of fate. How about we talk about our future?" he said with a wink. Kari blushed as he got closer to her face. He wasn't bad looking actually, dark brownhair up in a ponytail and nicely shaped dark eyes.

"Eh? Our future?" Kari asked.

"I'm talking about you quitting your job as a ninja and becoming my bride," he said flirtatiously.

"You're suddenly flirting with her?!!" Naruto shrieked.

"That was all just a joke!" Idate spat. Kari sighed in relief. "Listen up you four, I hate ninjas! If you wander around the Country of Tea for much longer, I won't let you go unharmed!"

"How interesting, if it's a fight you want, you're on!" Naruto cried.

"Naru," Kari said trying to stop the glaring contest.

"Hn. How trifling, we don't have time to play with hooligans," Sasuke scoffed. Kari raised an eyebrow. What kind of word is 'trifling'? Isn't a trifle a pudding?

"Sasuke you stay quiet! I won't forgive anyone who makes fun of shinobi!" Naruto cried. "I'll teach this guy a lesson and—Are?" Naruto said, turning around to find him gone. Kari's eyes narrowed and she smirked. _Not bad, he's pretty fast._

"Huh, he's gone?"

_'This can't be! I didn't even feel him leaving,'_ Sasuke thought shocked.

"Where'd that bastard go?!" Naruto shrieked jumping around angrily on his seat. The lady returned and placed down their food and gave them their receipt. Only there were two receipts.

"Huh? Two receipts? What is this?" Sakura asked.

"Oh that boy who left said you would pay for it," the woman replied.

"K'so, that bastards toying with us!" Naruto shrieked. Sasuke went under the table and placed his ear to the ground.

'_I hear his footsteps but he's far away. He's moving at a quick pace.'_ Sasuke straightened up and looked at Kari who had her eyes closed. He glanced at her large wolfish ears and smirked. She was listening too.

"Now that he's mocked us this much, I won't let him just get away with it!" Naruto cried. "I'll go after him!" They all quickly swallowed their food and chased after him.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"He's quite fast, he's been training quite a bit," Sasuke said. He looked to Kari who seemed to just be jogging, looking slightly annoyed with their pace. "Kari, go ahead but not too far," he said and she nodded, shooting ahead, leaving Kita to run with them, so she could still see how they were.

"I wonder who he is," Sakura said.

"I don't care who he is, I'll definitely catch up to him!" Naruto cried, looking at Kari's back as she ran. No doubt she could catch up without too much trouble. She slowed and nodded and they picked up their pace.

"Heh, those blockhead ninjas there's no way they can catch up to me," Idate said cockily. He was repaid by tripping over a root and sent fling down a hill and getting stuck on a tree branch, hanging by his knees. "K'so, Idate of Iaden my life's mistake…" he flipped landing on his feet.

"Ha ha! Serves you right!" Naruto cried from the trees.

"You've sure got some guts to try and outwit us," Sasuke scoffed.

"Sumimasen!" he cried falling to his knees.

"Eh?"

"My wallet was stolen and just when I was in a bind you four came along and I took advantage," Idate said. Kari raised an eyebrow. They all jumped down.

"Now that I've heard your reasons that's really unfortunate," Sakura said sympathetically.

"Then you should have said so beforehand dattebayou!" Naruto said. He winced when something fell on his head. "What's this?" he asked.

"Don't touch it!" Idate cried grabbing it and flipping to his feet. "This is mine!" he undid his weights and Kari smirked, knowing that he had been going slower than he could. "Ready, set, go!" he cried, dropping his weights and leaving a cloud of dust. "Come visit me the day before yesterday you dimwits!"

"Ah he escaped!"

"That temee dattebayou!"

"He sure doesn't learn," Sasuke said, watching as Kari shot forward. He didn't doubt that her speed had increased and she was faster than him again, hell she was probably faster than Kakashi. Kari reached level with him and he sped up, but she followed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sakura cried.

"What speed!" Sasuke said shocked.

"This can't be! For us to be unable to catch up to him! Naruto said.

"Kita, what's Kari's position," Sasuke said looking down at the wolf.

"Okaasan is still level with him, but if he increases anymore she'll need to use Chakra as she's still wearing light weights on her lower legs," Kita immediately replied. They were nearly out of sight now.

"Lets give up, I don't think we can catch up," Sakura said panting as the four of them stopped on a branch.

"K'so, the next time we meet I won't let him get away unharmed!"

"Kita, tell Kari to fall back," Sasuke instructed.

"Hai!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"You're pretty good for a ninja!" Idate said noticing she was still level with him, no sign of fatigue visible on her face.

"Everyone has they're strengths," Kari said with a smirk. "I'm being called back, so we'll have to end our race here."

"Race? This is nothing!" Idate said cockily.

"Hai, but I'm not in the mood to replace my weights, ja Idate-kun!" she said simply, disappearing in a gust of wind. He huffed and kept running.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Minna, thank you for coming," Jirochou said. Naruto stepped forward.

"Listen up, listen up, I am from the Country of Fire, Konohagakure no sato. I grew up with Ichiraku ramen. My surname is Uzumaki and my name is Naruto. People call me—"

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke interrupted.

"—Usuratonkachi…! Eh? No I'm not!" Naruto cried while Kari dissolved into fits of giggles.

"You're as cheerful as ever," Jirochou said laughing.

"Boss Jirochou you seem well too," Kari, Naruto and Kita replied.

"Naruto…!" Sakura hissed.

"It's alright boys should be this energetic," Jirochou said simply.

"It looks like we're done with the greetings so let's get down to business," Sasuke said.

"Boys should be energetic Sasuke," Kari said and elbowed Sasuke in the ribs, hoping he'd do a speech like Naruto's so she could add an insult in.

"He said boys, not girls," Sasuke pointed out.

"Aa, but she takes after Tsunade," Jirochou said simply. Kari smirked at Sasuke, having won the battle.

"We were told by Godaime to gather additional details from you," Sasuke said ignoring her.

"Yes, to tell you the truth… Do you four know of the Todoroki Taisha dedication ceremony?" he asked.

"T-todo… nani?" Naruto asked.

"Everyone relax," Jirochou said and they all sat, Kari leaning against Naruto, making herself comfortable. "Everything started with a legend from long ago that says if we dedicate the treasure balls of Ryuko to the Todoroki Taisha the storm will settle. Now it has become a customary event that happens once every four years. Initially it started out as an event to dedicate the treasure balls, but over time, it became a festival race where the person who comes in first will dedicate them. But recently, it has begun to take on another form. In this port village Degarashi, there are two clans, we, the Wasabi family and the long standing Wagarashi family. Though this is embarrassing, these two clans were constantly in dispute and fought over the city boundaries. As things got out of control, the city people were caught in the middle and were getting hurt. So to put an end to the situation that was getting out of hand, for the first time the feudal lords began talking about a bargain, to decide who will be the boss of the city through events instead of fighting."

"So that event is…" Sakura began.

"The Todoroki Taisha dedication ceremony," Jirochou finished. "I have received information that the Wagarashi family who won after hiring a ninja four years ago also hired a ninja this year. So just when we sent messengers to Konohagakure to request a job, we were ambushed. Please…" he bowed to them. "Lend us your strength. We cannot afford to lose this race against the Wagarashi family."

"Leave it to me dattebayou!" Naruto said and Kari nodded.

"And? Who do we guard?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh? So you'll accept the job?" Jirochou asked happily. He clapped twice and the door opened.

"Did you call for me Boss?" They were going to be guarding no other than Idate.

"AAAH?!"

"Oh so you know each other? Then that makes things easier," Jirochou said happily.

"That may not be so," Sakura said, almost feeling the electricity coming off Naruto and Idate's glare.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Boss Jirochou's a really high raking person you know," Idate said. "To tell the truth he doesn't have to beg to a ninja."

"I won't guard you even if he begs me to," Naruto huffed.

"I'm going to guard him," Kari said with a slight sigh.

"Aa, aa, I don't want to run around with someone of unknown origin either!" Idate said stubbornly.

"Who are you calling someone with unknown origin?! I'm the genius ninja Uzumaki Naruto who will one day take the title of Hokage!" Naruto cried.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, a great man is known he needs no introduction," Kari said, but was once again ignored. Where the hell were Sasuke and Sakura? Yes they're lovelife was wonderfully important but she could use some help here!

"Heh, Hokage's are nothing!"

"Boss Jirochou's the one who's not great!"

"Actually they're good friends," Kari pointed out, but was yet again ignored.

"Baka! Boss Jirochou's a great man!"

"The Hokage is a very, very, great ninja that places his life on the line for the village dattebayou!"

"Naruto-kun, Tsunade's a woman."

"Boss Jirochou is a very, very, very great man who'd put his life on the line to protect the city anytime!!"

Geez, and the arms are waving about…

"Hokage's are much, much, much, much more amazing dattebayou!!"

"Guys, people are staring," Kari said while they glared at each other angrily, barely an inch apart. They huffed, folded their arms and looked away from each other. Sick of being ignored, she went to go find the future lovebirds.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_Even if this place is a tourist attraction, everything's pretty expensive here…'_ Sakura thought, checking the price of a key ring. Kari was looking at random things after walking into the shop and muttering about '_boys'_. Sasuke gave her a funny look and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sorry, they're expensive aren't they?" the shopkeeper said apologetically.

"Oh, no," Sakura said trying to be polite.

"I don't like selling them at this price, but ever since the boss of the city became the Wagarashi family—" she was cut off from a bang outside.

"P-please forgive me!" A man cried having been pushed to the ground.

"Temee, who do you need to thank to be able to work eh?!" one of the three thugs said. "Are you going to go against the Wagarashi family?"

"N-not at all, but I need you to pay me or else…" the man said helplessly.

"You sure don't learn," the thug said cracking his knuckles.

"P-please stop!"

"I'll start with you! I'll give you a beating!" the thug cried grabbing a hold of the mans shirt. His punch was caught before it could land, Kari standing between them. "Who are you? A little girl?"

"Get lost before you get hurt," Sasuke said stepping forwards.

"Dear customers run away, they're from the Wagarashi family!" the shopkeeper cried.

"It's okay," Sakura reassured the woman. The lady covered her eyes as the Wagarashi thugs went for Sasuke. Kari smirked.

"I'll leave it at this for today," thug number one said.

"Learn your lesson and never go against us, brats," thug number two said.

"Next time we meet I won't let you go unharmed," the three battered, bruised thugs threw their wallet at the man and started hobbling away. Kari's eye twitched and she spat a small jet of flame towards the middle thugs behind. They squealed like pigs and ran away.

"Young man, arigatou," the man said to Sasuke. Kari's eye twitched again. Was everyone ignoring her today?! "And also, arigatou young lady." Ah, much better.

"That really surprised me!" the shopkeeper cried walking over with Sakura. "We'll have to have Sir Jirochou of the Wasabi family win this year's event." Kari was caught off guard when Sasuke tapped the back of her head.

"Calm down baka, they're gone."

"You know what, you can be a right temee sometimes," Kari huffed, rubbing her abused head.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.

"Aa."

"Men," Kari scoffed, realising she was once again being ignored. Where was Kashi when she needed his company?

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Boss, of all people to ask, you didn't have to pick Konohagakure shinobi," Idate said.

"Now, now, don't sulk Idate," Jirochou said.

"I'm not sulking! It's just that…"

"Idate, I believe in you more than anyone. Now the rest is up to you. How about you trust other people for a change? Kari is a delightful personality," he paused while Idate looked at his knife. "Idate, please run for this city, I beg you."

"Boss… hai!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Wow! I never imagined that the race would be this big!" Naruto cried looking around at the huge crowd and the fireworks shooting into the sky. "What kind of race is this?"

"I'll explain the course so that even you, a baka, can understand," Sakura said unfolding the leaflet. Kita sat to attention, ready to store the information to memory. "The starting point will be here at the Degarashi Port. Once you've started, you head to Modoroki Shrine, which is the half-way point."

"So this is the Modoroki Shrine?" Naruto asked, pointing at the map.

"Yup, it looks like from here the fastest route is by ship. Once there, you get one of the two Ryuko treasure balls and race down to Oouzo Island until you dedicate it to the Todoroki Shrine. Those are the only rules so, shortcuts, manoeuvres behind the scenes, anything is allowed," Sakura said.

"So hiring ninja is not against the rules," Sasuke said.

"I wonder what the ninja they've hired is like?" Naruto wondered.

"He's probably hiding somewhere and watching our movements," Sakura said.

"It could be a kunoichi, or more than one, or anything," Kita said.

"Don't let your guard down Naruto," Sakura said pointedly.

"You can all go sightseeing," Idate said as he stretched. Kari stood next to him occasionally stretching out her muscles. "Don't follow me."

"Nani?!" Naruto cried.

"I'm telling you, I don't want you getting in my way!" Idate shouted.

"You!!"

"Now, now let's all join forces and—" Sakura began.

"Who'd want to join forces with someone like _him_?!" Naruto and Idate screeched pointing at each other.

"I would," Kari said smiling.

"Kari-chan, you don't have to be nice to him dattebayou!" Naruto cried.

"Ne, ne, don't start fighting again," Kari said. "We should be wishing Idate good luck, ne?"

"I wouldn't mind a good luck kiss," Idate said.

"NANI?!" Naruto shrieked while Sakura held him back.

"If you win ne?" Kari said awkwardly as Naruto screeched something about forbidding perverts near his best friend. Kita sighed at the strange behaviour. Humans were so complicated, at least she was a Kita.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be starting the Todoroki representative race momentarily!" a voice announced. Kari looked at the sky and frowned. She could sense a heavy storm coming from the humidity in the air. "The representative of the Wasabi family, Morino Idate!" Cheers sounded from the Wasabi side. "From the Wagarashi family, the messenger Fukusuke!" And the Wagarashi cheered. Kari grimaced, she better not have to kiss that idiot if Idate lost. How did she get herself into these situations? "On your marks!" the racers bent to the ground ready to sprint. The gates opened to show two boats docked. Kari's ears twitched at the sound of heartbeats speeding up, making her mouth dry. She squinted slightly as the sun began to peak over the horizon. Whose idea was it for this to be at dawn anyway? "START!" Cheers erupted from the ground and the racers shot forward.

"Yosh! We'll go too—NANIIII?!" Naruto shrieked seeing Idate shoot off to the left. Kari looked at Kita who nodded in understanding. She knew the plan, and when it came to missions the cub was somewhat of a perfectionist when it came to following her Okaasan's orders. They raced after him Kari immediately shooting ahead.

"Did he run away?!" Sasuke cried.

"Where are you going Idate-san?" Sakura cried.

"Hey you, matte!!" Naruto hollered. "Matte dattebayou!!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What should we do about him Aoi-sama?"

"I will go with Fukusuke. You guys follow Idate."

"Hai!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oi Idate! The sea is in the other direction!" Naruto shouted. "Where are you going dattebayou? Come back!"

"Who'd go back," Idate scoffed.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"The bastard Idate actually ran away."

"Knowing his past we knew something like this would happen, right?"

"It was a mistake to have made him run."

"Baka! Idate isn't that kind of man!" Jirochou cried in Idate's defence. "I believe in Idate. I'm sure he has some kind of plan."

"Jirochou."

"Gokarou."

"How do you intend to clean up this mess?" the man asked. He was so fancily dressed he was clearly someone of authority and importance. "Turning this traditional grand festival into a farce. Moreover, in front of the lord himself."

"Gokarou-sama, the race has just started. I'd like you to watch until the end."

"Now that you've said that much, show me a victory no matter what," Gokarou said. "If you lose, I will have you and your family demolished."

"All right, I am a man as well," Jirochou said. "If Idate loses, you can do whatever you want."

"Hmph."

"Heh, you are indeed the Wasabi's Jirochou. A fine resolve you have there. Don't disappoint us now," the head Wagarashi said.

'_I'm counting on you, Idate…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Boss…" Idate said as he ran, becoming lost in his thoughts. The day he first met Jirochou.

_-----A few years ago__-----_

"_Hand over your money!" Idate cried holding a kunai bat was stopped when the man used his umbrella to push Idate back. The boy fell on his behind, making an echoing thump on the wooden bridge. It was snowing gently, the white flakes starting to create a thin blanket. He quickly got back to his feet as the umbrella fell between them, as Idate's stomach decided to state its hunger. "Don't move!" Idate shouted._

"_Hm, a starving thief eh?"_

_"S-shut up!" Idate cried running forward, holding tightly to his kunai. The man dodged with ease, grabbing Idate's wrist and pinning his other arm. "Ite-e!"_

"Don't try and act like a grown man, you fledgling." Idate dropped the kunai and the man kicked it away. "You can't even peel an apple with that thing can you?" He pushed Idate away, sending the boy once again to his behind. He looked up and caught a knife and an apple. "I'll give it to you, a knife doesn't exist to hurt others." Idate quickly started munching on the apple. "You don't have anywhere to go?" Idate nodded. "I'm called Wasabi's Jirochou from Degarashi Port."

"_Wasabi? Jirochou?"_

_"How about it? Why don't you come to my place?"_

"_Huh? I tried to take your…"_

"_If he's starving, anyone would make a mistake like that," Jirochou said. "I'm not concerned about it."_

"Ah, um…" Idate said holding out the knife.

"_I gave you that, keep it." Jirochou walked up and picked up his umbrella. "Just don't rob people anymore, okay?"_

_"M-mister! Make me your follower!" Idate begged, bowing on his knees. "I mean, please make me your follower, boss!"_

"_Namae wa?"_

"_Idate. I'm Morino Idate." Idate looked up when he no longer felt snow falling on his back._

"_Shall we go, Idate?" Jirochou asked, holding the umbrella over them both._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_Leave it to me boss, I'll win for sure!'_

"We've almost caught up," Naruto said as they jumped through the trees.

"But it's impossible now!" Sakura said. "Now that he's this far from the port there's no way he could win."

"Iie, he may have planned to come this way to begin with," Sasuke said. Kari's eyes narrowed, someone was watching them, and they felt familiar…

"We've finally caught up!" Naruto cried jumping down next to Idate. "Oi matte!"

"Tch."

"Why did you come in this direction?"

"Urusai! It's none of your business!" Idate snapped back.

"What's with that attitude of yours?!"

"I said urusai!"

"Watch out," Sakura cried from the trees. Naruto and Idate were running across a narrow ledge with a steep drop,

"Maybe they haven't noticed yet," Sasuke said.

"Genjutsu ne?" Kita asked.

"Like I said, matte dattebayou!" Naruto cried. Idate slowed down and stopped, seeing the familiar tree.

"I've passed this place before. Tch, looks like I'm caught in some Genjutsu," Idate said.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked, also stopping.

"In that case…" Idate said, making a hand sign. "Kai!" He looked aroud and spotted a light through the trees. "Over there!"

"No, not that way!" Sakura cried, making Naruto stop.

"What's going on dattebayou?"

"I'm out!" Idate cried as the scenery changed to bamboo, but it was another Genjutsu and he ran off the edge of the cliff. "Waaaaaa-Are?" Idate was suddenly aware that he'd stopped falling and could hear a swishing sound either side of him. Sasuke and Sakura had tied a rope to Naruto so he could catch Idate, but Idate had run too far off the edge and he couldn't reach. Naruto was pulled back up and Idate was pulled up and then placed down on the edge. "Nani?" he said in shock as Kari stretched her wings slightly.

"To have nested two Genjutsu," Sasuke said as he and Sakura continued pulling Naruto up. "Doing such meticulous things."

"Aaaah! I lost my ninja equipment!" Naruto said when he was finally pulled back up. When he'd jumped his pouch had come open, and his kunai and shuriken had tumbled out.

"Keh, doing unnecessary things," Idate scoffed.

"Unnecessary things?!" Naruto repeated. "You can't even say thanks after being saved?!"

"You guys saved me because that's you mission right? There's no reason for me to say thanks!" Idate retorted.

"Nan da to…?!"

"Yamero Naruto, he's right. But if you don't want to die, stay with us," Sasuke said.

"Hmph."

'_And Attitude-san meets his match,'_ Kari thought, smiling at Sasuke's irritation.

"Mou, you wouldn't save someone if they were falling?" Kari asked puzzled as she checked her bandaged and the back of her shirt. The bandages were still supporting her, but she had a nice rip in the back of her tank top and net shirt.

"Oi, where are you going? Aren't you going to Degarashi Port?" Naruto asked.

"Baka, I'm going to keep heading North," Idate said.

"North? Could it be it's faster that way?" Sakura asked.

"Well yeah," Idate said with a smile.

"I wonder, we can't trust him, dattebayou," Naruto said suspiciously.

"Demo, Naruto he's the one running the race," Kari pointed out.

"Keh, that's why ninjas are no good!" Idate said glaring at Naruto. "Right around this season, a seasonal wind blows in this area. I noticed it when I saw the cloud movements at the starting line, that the seasonal winds were coming. Moreover, there's a current that moves straight for Nagi island at the northern port. I'm much smarter than you guys. Smarter you see."

"He's right, I can sense a storm coming," Kari agreed as she folded her wings and let them disappear.

Once away from the rocky cliff, they started running down a grassy downhill area.

"I can taste the sea breeze," Naruto said and Kari smiled and breathed deeply. It was so invigorating near the sea. Kita's nose was twitching as she ran.

"It's the sea!" Sakura cried when they saw the line of pure blue. "What's that I see offshore?" Sakura asked as they walked down some stone steps.

"It's the halfway point where the Todoroki shrine is located. We can reach it in about an hour," Idate explained. "Chotto matte," he said and ran towards a cabin. He knocked on the door. "Ojiisan, I'm here! I'm Idate of the Wasabi family."

"Oh I was waiting for you," a man said, sliding the door open.

"Things are turning out just as I thought, I'm going to borrow your boat as I arranged."

"Is that so? I've got it ready. Use that boat," the man said pointing at a boat ready, docked at the edge of the sea. "It's the fastest boat around here."

"Thanks a bunch."

"No problem, I've been helped by the boss, Jirochou. So don't lose to the Wagarashi for me. I'm really troubled by Wagarashi's dirty ways."

"Leave it to me! I'm the Wasabi's best follower Idate-sama!" Idate said. "Leave everything to me!"

"Keh, he sure talks big," Naruto huffed.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sasuke took care of the paddle at the back while Naruto and Sakura sorted out the ropes. Sasuke told Kari not to touch any ropes or anything that looked important and she glared at him. She was at the front of the ship, scouting for rocks or anything ahead that could cause trouble. The waves were making it difficult for her to hear and the smell of salt was making it difficult to smell anything. But she could still sense the storm, and it was making her uneasy. Idate also stood up front, but diagonally behind her. He took out the knife Jirochou had given him and looked at it. Kita was exploring the boat, checking for leaks and such.

"Ne, Naruto, what do you think?" Sakura asked, heading over to Naruto.

"Hm, about what?" Naruto asked.

"About Idate-san. I'm sure he's not an ordinary person," Sakura said, looking at their client. "That speed of his isn't normal, his speed is like Kari-chan's. Maybe he's been doing some special training."

"Like what?"

"For example, maybe he once belonged to a hidden village," Sakura said.

"There's no way such a baka could be a ninja dattebayou," Naruto laughed.

"Look who's talking! You're a baka as well!" Sakura scolded.

"Demo sa, I was still left in the main fights in the Chuunin Exam," Naruto said, trying to defend himself.

"You made it to the main fights in the Chuunin Exam?!" Idate cried.

"Yeah, that's right! And Kari-chan too! If it weren't for interference I would've won the Chuunin Exam!" Naruto cried.

"Naru, you can win the tournament, but you can't win the exam, beside you'd still have me, Sasuke, Temari and Shino to go through," Kari said. But, she was ignored, something that was happening too often for her liking.

"Keh, you must have had an easy examiner," Idate scoffed. "Geez, the Chuunin Exam level's really gone down…!" Idate covered his mouth realising he'd said too much.

"Idate-san, so you were…" Sakura said with a smile.

"I remember now, Morino Idate," Sasuke said.

"Morino? Oh yes the first examiner was…" Sakura said.

"Morino Ibiki," Kari finished.

"Nan da to?!" Idate cried. "My aniki Ibiki is alive?"

"Hai," Sakura said.

"Of course he is!" Naruto cried. "He asked a really strange question on the tenth question and…"

"Is it true? Is he really alive?" Idate gasped when an arrow was caught by his head. With a slight squeeze, the arrow snapped in half.

"Company," Kari said releasing the broken arrow. "Speaking of the Chuunin exams, it feels like the Ame-nin we fought in the forest of death."

"It's an ambush," Sasuke said, looking at the boat gaining on them from behind. Kari growled slightly, she knew she should've scouted behind more! They deflected and dodged the arrows that rained down on them.

"Naruto, Kari and I will drive back the pursuers," Sasuke said, jumping back to the rest. "Sakura, Kita, I'll leave Idate in your hands."

"Maybe it'd be better to run away?" Sakura cried.

"It's too late now!" Sasuke cried as arrows struck the mast and the side of their boat with ropes attached, pulling the enemy closer to them. "Me and Kari will back you up, take off the ropes," Sasuke instructed.

"K'so I'll have to cut it," Naruto said reaching into his pouch, only to find it empty. "Shimatta! I dropped all of it back then!" he looked at the knife in Idate's hand. "Oi, hand that over.

"N-nani?!"

"Just hand it over!"

"Baka! This is something that's more precious to me than my life!" Idate cried. "Who'd give it to the likes of you?"

"Now's not the time to be saying that!"

"Baka, Yamero!"

"Naruto!" Kari cried, throwing a kunai at his feet.

"Hurry up, usuratonkachi!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto quickly picked up the kunai and sliced through the ropes.

"Heh, they're nothing dattebay—" but he was cut off by Sakura's scream. Rain nin were beginning to raise through the ship floor. "Sakura-chan, they're Bunshin dattebayou! They'll only attack from the real one so it's alright!" Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan, the clones becoming blazes of Chakra. Kari closed her eyes and concentrated, listening for a heartbeat. Her eyes shot open.

"Sakura, Naruto! The real one is hidden amongst the replications!" Sasuke warned. "Be careful!"

"Sasuke-kun, guide me!" Sakura cried as she and Kita moved close to Idate. "Idate-san, don't stray too far from me!"

"Who'd accept help from a ninja?!" Idate retorted.

"Are you still staying that even in this situation?!" Naruto asked.

_Tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump._

"Naruto behind you!" Sasuke warned.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, but gasped when Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_Tha-thump, tha-thump! Tha-thump! Tha-thump! Tha-thump! _

"A Bunshin! K'so!" the rain-nin cried.

"Here goes, Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried as he and three clones jumped down towards the enemy ninja. The rain-nin dived off the edge of the boat and into the sea. "K'so, they got away!" Naruto cried, dispelling his clones. He sliced through an ame-nin replication. "Sasuke, Kari-chan! They've changed to Mizu Bunshin!"

"I know!" Sasuke shouted, kicking through three surrounding him. Kari sliced through the ame-nin Bunshin surrounding her with a series of punches and kicks. She suddenly stumbled, her hands slamming over her nose and mouth. "Baka!" Sasuke shouted, slicing through one that came towards her from the side.

"Ame?" Sakura asked when she felt something wet hit her face. Brushing it off, she saw her fingers coated in something thick and black. _'No it's oil! Kari-chan's affected because of the strong smell!'_ It started to downpour oil.

'_This is troublesome I'll finish these guys off quickly with…'_ Sasuke thought while making a fire seal. Kari made some sort of muffled squeak and went to grab his hand but he moved, so she did the next logical thing and slammed her mouth over his. Sasuke looked up realising his mistake while Kari sulked over her burnt tongue, hands firmly over nose and mouth again. The fumes were making her dizzy.

"A fire attack!" Sasuke cried when a flaming arrow hit a puddle of oil. Kari grimaced when it immediately caught fire. Idate gasped, remembering his brother surrounded by flames. _'Go, you're a burden!'_

"Sasuke-kun, what should we do? If the fires this hot…" Sakura cried, looking to the Uchiha for answers.

"We'll have to jump into the sea!" Sasuke shouted back, kicking a replication overboard. "If it's nearby, we should be able to swim to Nagi Island's port." Kari was struggling to fight back, but her eyes were stinging and she was starting to cough violently.

"You're right, that's our only option," Sakura agreed. "Idate-san, can you swim?"

"A-aa!"

"Hurry, I'll back you up, so go ahead of me. With this smoke, we should be able to get away without being noticed," Sakura explained. "Idate-san!"

"You've got to be kidding me! Even though you say that you're planning on making me a decoy aren't you?!" Idate cried.

"What are you talking about?!" Naruto shouted.

"You guys plan to lure the enemies' attention to me!"

"Baka, stop talking nonsense dattebayou!"

"No! I can't trust ninjas!"

"What are you doing?! Go on! You're a burden!" Sasuke shouted while he and Kari destroyed two more water clones. Her breath was coming in sharp pants, her throat dry and itchy.

"Hurry up and go!" Naruto shouted.

"There's no way you're a decoy!" Sakura said earnestly.

"I-I can't!" I date said, stumbling backwards. Seeing a rain-nin clone rise up behind Idate Sakura quickly grabbed the mast.

"Cha! Shimatta!" Sakura cried, ripping the mast from the deck. "Idate-san, get down!" Idate quickly ducked while Sakura destroyed three more mizu-bunshin. "Trust me Idate-san, we'll definitely protect you!" Kari's eyes sharpened when she noticed the flames reflect off a kunai. It was aimed right for Idate, but Sakura was holding the mast and the boys were too far away. Kita was too busy trying to avoid the flames. She raced forwards, the flames licking her ankles and managed to block the kunai with her body, the blade streaking across her shoulder.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm.

"Okaasan!" Kita cried.

"Idate, take Kita and get the hell out of here!" Kari cried raspily, her hand balling into a fist over her chest.

"Go ahead of us, we'll be right behind you," Sakura urged.

"H-hai," Idate cried jumping overboard, Kita following behind.

The boat was beginning to sink and Sasuke yelled at them to jump. Sakura quickly dropped the mast and headed to the side of the boat. Kari went to follow but stumbled. It was so hot, so unbearably hot. There was too much smoke she couldn't breathe. Kari's knees crashed to the deck and she fell forwards, choking on smoke, trying to draw air. Her eyes were stinging and beginning to water. She had to get up… She had to get up! A coughing fit broke out, but she couldn't hear herself over the roaring flames. She closed her eyes, trying to ease the stinging, but the dark was so inviting, protecting her from the flare of the flames…

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried after she and Naruto jumped, but the Uchiha faltered, his eyes scanning the water. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Where's Kari?!"


	66. Kakokunashinjitsu

**A/N:** On Friday I have my leaving ceremony and I am officially not a school kid anymore. Feels pretty weird xD Anywho, thank you all for your reviews x3 I love my reviewers muchly :D Just in a friendly way though. My cliffy was evil, no? Gomen, gomen xD

**Claimer: **I don't own much T^T Only ickle figments of my overactive imagination.

**Disclaimer:** Gaa-kuns back in the manga x3 If Kishimoto kills him I will cry my eyes out and be mega depressed TT_TT**

* * *

**

**Kakokunashinjitsu**

**_The Harsh Truth_**

_And it was then she realised, in her misery,_

_Ignorance is indeed bliss._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"She's not here!" Naruto hollered.

"She probably jumped off the other side!" Sakura cried, trying to hide the dread that began to pool in the bottom of her stomach. "Sasuke-kun—SASUKE-KUN!!"

The Uchiha ignored her cry for his safety and raced into the mass of flames.

"Kari! Kari!!" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the flames, he pressed his collar closer to his face, feeling his eyes sting. Being an Uchiha he was used to fire, but this was on a huge scale, he could barely see through the smoke. It was spreading fast, and if he didn't find her in the next few minutes no doubt they would both die. Focusing Chakra to his eyes he activated his Sharingan. "Kari where are you?!" His eyes caught sight of a flash of Chakra and he immediately rushed over, trying to dodge the majority of the flames. He found her lying on her side, coughing violently. "Kari, Kari get up!" he shouted grabbing her shoulder and giving it a shake.

"S…sasu?" she murmured opening her eyes slightly to look at him. He pulled her arm around his shoulders and lifted her legs, trying to find a way out. He ran where the blaze looked thin and jumped off the side. Sakura and Naruto quickly swam over, Naruto quickly rambling nonsense to Kari, trying to see if she was alright.

"Daijoubu?" Sasuke asked, most of the ash being washed away. In reply, he got a smack to the back of the head.

"Baka! What were you thinking?! You could have died!" Kari croaked, proceeding to scold him for not thinking of himself first. Keeping her arm around his shoulder, he began to swim forwards in the direction Kita and Idate had left. Kari took her arm back and sank more into the water, relishing the cold temperature after the blistering heat. The four of them began to swim towards Nagi island, Kari able to go at a reasonable pace despite her coughing fits.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Idate and Kita soon arrived at the shore of Nagi island after swimming as fast as they could. Idate clung to the rocks, panting heavily, while Kita struggled to get a decent grip with her small claws.

"Now that I've come this far…" Idate panted, but stopped when a shadow was cast over him.

"It's been a while, Idate," the green haired rain-nin said.

"Y-you're…!" Idate cried.

"I taught you not to believe in others." He grasped the handle of his umbrella. "You're a real baka."

"Rokusho Aoi," Idate hissed while holding his shoulder. He'd managed to hoist himself onto land, Kita somehow managing to scramble up the rocks and land next to him.

"Didn't you run away?" Aoi asked, mauve eyes taunting. "Isn't running away your specialty?"

"Urusai!" Idate shouted. "I'm not like you!"

"Iie, you are the same kind of person as I am. A person who believes in no one… a traitor. Betraying your own brother, abandoning your village… The lowest kind of person who thinks of no one but himself. A person like that has no right to live...."

Kita felt her hackles rise but struggled to stay calm. Okaasan had always told her to avoid enemies as she was still little, and to hide and observe. But Idate was in trouble and the enemy knew of her presence, though not of her intelligence or skills. Similarly, she knows nothing about him, other than he has an umbrella which he seems to use as a weapon. Her eyes followed the umbrella as it was thrown into the air, but quickly snapped back to Aoi's hand where four senbon were.

"Die!" Aoi shouted flinging the senbon right at them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sakura-chan, Kari-chan daijoubu?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded but Kari just increased her speed, seeming to become suddenly worried.

"More importantly, those ame shinobi," Sasuke said slowing and beginning to wade the water. Kari concentrated, but couldn't pinpoint the ame-nin's locations. She knew they weren't too far, but couldn't tell where. Also, though she could sense their Chakra, she couldn't catch they're scent.

"Heh! Those guys aren't much of a concern dattebayou," Naruto said confidently as he and Sakura also stopped, continuing to kick to remain above water.

"No it's not that, if they've gone towards Idate-san…" Sakura said worriedly and Kari wanted to pull her hair out, Idate _was_ in danger! They had to keep moving! She couldn't leave them unless they were ambushed by ame-nin yet they were just floating about! It just so happened that the smoke inhalation and made Kari's throat so sore she had temporarily lost her voice.

"Ah! Then Idate's in danger!" Naruto cried in realisation.

"That's what I've been saying!" Sakura cried. Naruto suddenly gasped as he was dragged underwater. "Geez, Naruto. Now's not the time to be playing around!" Sakura scolded as Kari dived under the surface.

"That's not it! They've come!" Sasuke cried, following Kari's lead. Kari quickly swam after Naruto and was grabbed by another ame-nin and dragged after Naruto, deeper into the water. Her eyes widened when she noticed Mizu Bunshin appear. She grimaced, needing to cough; she slammed a hand over her mouth and nose. But two clones wrapped themselves around her arms dragging them away from her face. Looking up, she saw Sakura and Sasuke get grabbed too. A few bubbles escaped Kari's mouth and she began to struggle, yet another clone grabbing hold of her.

Naruto managed to elbow and kick his way free from the clone holding him and the two surrounding them. He quickly did his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but was caught again by more clones.

"How stupid of you. A Kage Bunshin is meaningless in this situation. Under the water, there is no technique superior to the Mizu Bunshin no jutsu. Even if you try to deceive us, the original is here in my hands," the ame-nin said. The clones landed at the bottom and put one hand in the middle. Kari smirked weakly, a small cough forcing more bubbles from her mouth. The salt water made her cough even more, making the last of her air escape from her mouth. Her lungs burned in desperate need of oxygen but she clamped her mouth shut, black beginning to appear at the edges of her vision. The Kage Bunshin all made a Rasengan, which they held in a circle, creating a whirlpool, causing the Mizu clones to dissolve into bubbles. It was an application of the first step in the Rasengan training.

Freed from their hold, Sasuke and Sakura immediately headed towards the surface, but Sakura lost her breath too soon and felt water enter her mouth. Acting quickly, Naruto grabbed hold of her and started swimming up. Sasuke took two deep breaths before diving back under. At the sight of him, the ame-nin holding Kari dropped her, and retreated after the others.

'_Baka…'_ Sasuke thought, linking his arms around her waist and pushing off the bottom kicking as fast as he could to get to the surface. When he broke the barrier between water and air he hoisted Kari onto his back, climbing onto the waters surface, following Naruto's example with Sakura and piggybacking her.

"Hold on Sakura-chan! Hang tight Sakura-chan!" In his desperate attempt to get to the shore quickly, Naruto tripped over a rock and fell face first onto the sand. Sasuke pulled Kari off his back and laid her on the sand.

'_Sasuke-kun…'_ Sakura thought as she opened her eyes slightly, seeing Sasuke not too far away. _'If it's with Sasuke-kun then I want him to do it… Artificial respiration…'_ Oh her heart was beating so fast! But when she dared open her eyes again, it was to see Naruto with a fish like expression, intending to do the job she wanted Sasuke to do. She screamed and imaediately punched Naruto over the head.

"Naruto what the heck do you think you were doing ahou!!" she screeched. She looked round at Sasuke and her anger immediately faded away. "Sasuke-kun?"

"She's not breathing…" Sasuke said his ear against Kari's chest, unable to hear a heartbeat or feel the rise and fall of her chest. "She's not breathing…"

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried scrambling over and grasping her shoulder. She was terribly pale, her skin starting to take a blue tinge. Her lips were a purplish blue and her open eyes were dull, the pupils fully dilated. "K-Kari-chan!"

"Urusai usuratonkachi!" Sasuke shouted linking his hands and placing them over her heart, he gave a sharp press and then released, repeat, repeat, repeat.

"S-Sasuke-kun," Sakura began holding her arms to her chest in terror.

"Urusai!" Press, press, press. He stopped taking hold of her head and tilted it back. Pinching her nose, he released all of the air in his lungs into her. When he received no response, he started compressions again. Press, press, press, wait, no response, press, press, press.

"K-K-Kari-chan," Naruto said, taking hold of her limp hand. He took off her glove and grasped her hand, it was so cold, so cold…

"I told you to shut up!" Sasuke shouted and Naruto grit his teeth as Sakura began to sniffle. Sasuke forced air through her mouth, but again received no response. Swinging his leg over her he used more force with each compression. Press, press, press—CRACK! He jumped at the feel of a rib fracturing, his hands starting to shake. Sakura was starting to sob, and Naruto had silent tears sliding down his cheeks. "Baka, wake up, you need to wake up…" He went back to her side and tilted her head back.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun…"

"Quiet!" Sasuke hissed, his Sharingan flaring. "Kari, Kari listen to me, you have to wake up!" Sasuke said pinching her nose before exhaling into her again.

"Sasuke! Her heart! It's beating! Its beating dattebayou!" Naruto cried, his hand pressed against her chest, not daring to moves should the soft thumping fade. Sasuke leant back and sighed in relief as Sakura's hiccups began to ease. He turned her onto her side and she emptied the water in her lungs next to Naruto's leg. She then turned back onto her back. "Matte…" Naruto said, his voice quiet putting Sasuke on edge. "Kari-chan doushita?" Naruto asked.

She was staring blankly ahead, thick red tears trickling down her cheeks.

"We have no time to waste," Sasuke said remembering the mission. Naruto shot him a dirty look and wiped Kari's tears. The Uchiha pulled her to her feet, taking her arm around his shoulder to support her, the other around her back, his hand on her hip. "We need to hurry up and meet with Idate—Baka! Matte!" Sasuke cried when Kari suddenly shot forward, as the first drops of rain sank into the earth.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Hm, Fukusuke should be arriving at Todoroki shrine about now," Aoi said. "There is no way you can win now, you can no longer stand, let alone run. By the time the poison circulates through your body, you will arrive at a different goal… A goal called the otherworld." Idate reached forward, trying desperately to reach his knife. "What do you intend to do with such a dirty knife?" He bent down to pick it up but Idate slapped his hand away and grabbed it.

"Don't touch it!"

"Hm, you don't quite understand your status yet do you?" Aoi asked, stamping on the hand clutching the knife.

'_I'm sorry boss… I couldn't keep the promise I made…'_

"All you need to do is run away forever. You are not allowed to even have the slightest pride—Eh?" As Aoi had gone to stamp on Idate a girl had shot forward and shielded him.

"IDATE!!" Naruto cried as he Sasuke and Sakura caught up. Idate was lying on his back, thoroughly beaten. Kita lay a few feet away, from the look of it, kicked into a rock. "Temee! Temee are you the leader of those ame shinobi?!" Sakura ran over to Kita and picked her up bringing her over while she checked on Idate.

"Yappari, it was too much for them to handle. Even though both sides were Genins it seems Konoha's Genins are indeed tough."

"How terrible," Sakura said, looking at Idate's injuries.

"But as a Genin, will you be a match for me?" Aoi asked.

"Urusai!" Naruto shouted and he and Sasuke immediately sprang forward, but their Taijutsu was easily evaded.

"Above!" Sasuke shouted. Kari shot forward and pulled Naruto and Sasuke down, wings sprouting from her back as high pressure water struck them all.

"Yappari, weak. I will send you to your deaths, the same was as Idate" Aoi said pulling out sixteen senbon, two between each finger. "There is no reason for me to waste any Chakra."

"Duck!" Naruto shouted, but it was too late, and all of them were hit and fell to the cround. Naruto was hit with four, two in his left knee, two in his left shoulder.

"Those are Amegakure's special poison needles. No matter how strong your body is, you'll leave this world in a few minutes."

"Don't take us so lightly," Naruto said forcing himself to his feet, but falling immediately after. They could hear cheers in the distance, and tilted their heads to the sound.

"It appears Fukusuke made it to Todoroki shrine. Die, gasping for breath. It's the perfect way for a Genin brat to die," with that Aoi jumped away, disappearing into the rain.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Is it the Wagarashi Family's victory again?" one man asked disappointed as Fukusuke ran up the steps.

"Is there no justice in this world?"

"I remember those good times when Jirochou was the leader…"

After collecting the stone, Fukusuke headed to the cabin sitting down on the porch.

"Man, its bad. I'm soaking wet," Fukusuke whined.

"It's just as we expected of you Fukusuke-san," a man said handing him a towel. "Please run all the way to the goal and make boss happy."

"Don't underestimate me you hooligans!" Fukusuke snapped. "Who do you think I am? My victory is already decided. Let me take it easy for a bit." He took off his shoes and walked inside.

"You arrogant bastard…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"K'so," Naruto hissed, pulling out the last two of his needles. Sasuke had managed to pull out his three, and helped Sakura with the two in her back. Kari gently removed the one that had caught Kita, reassuring the small cub.

"Kari-chan, you need to take yours out," Sakura said gently. The wolf-kunoichi had seemed highly on edge, almost wild, making Sakura feel a little wary of her. "Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke had stood and walked towards Kari, ignoring the soft growl directed at him. He bent down in front of her and she hissed at him.

"Naruto, hold her still," Sasuke instructed as Kari started backing away. Naruto, surprisingly did as he was told, somehow knowing he was the only one she would voluntarily let near her at the moment.

"Ne, Kari-chan it's okay dattebayou," Naruto said softly as he gently took hold of her arms. "They've got to come out or you'll hurt more." Sasuke went to reach for the first needle but she lurched back, baring her canines.

"You need to hold her more securely, don't let her move," Sasuke said and Naruto's arms wrapped around her small form, trying to avoid the needles. As Sasuke grabbed hold of the end of the senbon, Kai started hissing trying to thrash away from him. He pulled it out quickly, he eyed the other five that needed to come out and tried to figure out the best course of action.

"Sasuke-kun, do you want me to…" Sakura began.

"No," Sasuke said cutting her off. "Something's really bothering her and until she decides to talk about it she's just going to wind herself up more and more," he glanced at Sakura for a moment. "She'd never forgive herself if she hurt you." Kari seemed to calm down slightly after that, and went somewhat limp, allowing Sasuke to remove the rest of the needles, including the two in her back.

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said holding out a small container. "Use this."

"Sakura-chan, isn't that…?" Naruto asked.

"Tsunade-sama gave this to me before we left Konohagakure," Sakura explained.

"Tsunade no Obaachan ne?" Naruto asked. She placed one in Idate's mouth before taking one herself.

"Sasuke-kun, Kari-chan, Naruto, Kita, take these too," she instructed, holding out four pills. The boys immediately took theirs. "We need to find shelter or we'll get hypothermia out here," Sakura said, glancing at Kari who seemed to have become unresponsive, though still conscious. Naruto was the one who helped her take her pill, and then helped Kita, before scooping Kari up into his arms. Sasuke and Sakura went to support Idate.

"Ne, there's a cave not too far from here," Kita said as the rain started coming down heavier. She motioned with her paw and the others followed until they came to a medium sized cave. Naruto placed Kari against the cave wall, concerned at her blank expression while Sakura laid Idate down gently.

"Kari," Sasuke said crouching in front of her. "Doushita?" He scowled slightly when he received no response. "Oi, baka."

"Leave her be Sasuke," Naruto said, sitting down on the opposite side as Kita buried herself into his lap when thunder grumbled above them. She shivered at the strange noise and pressed herself against Naruto's stomach.

"We wont be able to complete the mission when she's like this," Sasuke said, fixing her with a hard stare.

"Just leave her alone dattebayou," Naruto said with a scowl. She was upset and needed space, she'd tried to rip his hand off when he pulled out the needles.

"Not until she talks."

"Sasuke! Just leave it!" Naruto shouted making Kita flinch slightly.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Sasuke snapped back.

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura began.

"Stay out of this!" Sasuke said shutting her up immediately.

"Don't talk to Sakura-chan like that!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Uru—Kari-chan! Matte! MATTE!" Naruto shouted as she suddenly sprang to her feet and raced out into the rain. "Now look what you did!"

"Me? That was your fault!"

"Yamero!" Sakura shouted as lightning flashed through the sky, making Kita scream. "Just… Just stop. Someone needs to go after her before she gets sick. Naruto--"

"I'll go," Sasuke said standing up.

"Like hell you will! You just make things worse!" Naruto said. Lightning and thunder struck simultaneously making Kita shriek and whimper.

"Just stay here usuratonkachi!" Sasuke shouted turning and racing into the rain.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said sadly.

"He doesn't understand her," Naruto mumbled, pulling Kita up into his arms, his fingers coming through her damp snowy fur. "He doesn't know her like I do…"

"Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Kari-chan doesn't like showing her pain, she doesn't share it, she doesn't talk about it, she hides it and tries to deal with it alone," Naruto said and Sakura wondered if he was talking to her, or simply talking to himself. "She scared of showing her pain, so she lashes out to keep him away. But he just keeps pushing and she feels like she's being pushed into a corner…"

"Naruto, what are you saying?" Sakura asked, not understanding.

"Kari-chan doesn't like feeling trapped…" Naruto murmured so lowly Sakura couldn't catch the end over the storm. "She doesn't like being trapped physically _or_ mentally."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kari!" Sasuke yelled. He looked around trying to keep his sopping wet bangs out of his eyes. The rain was creating sheets of water, lowering visibility. He growled slightly, looking around. He had to be the one to go, he was fastest compared to the other two, he could deal with her if she lashed out. "Kari! Doku ka?!"

He activated his Sharingan, glancing around in search of Chakra. He managed to catch sight of some faint Chakra and followed it, pushing himself to run faster knowing if he stalled he'd never be able to catch her. His brows furrowed as he was seeing more and more Chakra. He finally caught up to her, seeing her standing in a clearing, Chakra softly radiating off her body.

His instinct told him to keep quiet, as though any movement would alert her to his presence and like a wolf she would lunge and kill him. But that was preposterous, this was Kari, not some monstrous predator.

"Kari," Sasuke said, stepping forward. She ignored him so he continued towards her. "Kari you've got to go back to the cave, you'll get sick."

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" she murmured airily, as though remarking on the weather. "But would I?"

"Of course you would baka," Sasuke said confused, his pace slowing as he approached her from behind. "Anyone would get sick standing out in the freezing rain and you're already naturally cold."

"Hai… samui. What do you think the reason for that is?"

"Poor circulation, you said that before," Sasuke said stopping behind her. "You said that's why you're hands and feet were cold."

"And didn't you say, back in Nami, 'no living being feels this cold'?"

"I thought you were dead," Sasuke said starting to become nervous by the simple way she was speaking. He stepped around going to her side.

"But was I ever really alive Sasuke?" she asked simply, turning dark eyes onto him. They were almost as dark as his, and so horribly empty. They almost appeared blind, had she not been looking directly at him.

"What are you getting at?" Sasuke whispered, feeling a sense of dread.

"I have no parents, my memories are faded images that make little sense, I'm cold…"

"Kari?"

"I was never born Sasuke. I am not a reincarnation. I'm the twin that died both times, as the sacrifice in the Torai-Kenshi sealing."

* * *

_-----Ame-nin Attack, __**The Sea, **__Kari's perspective-----_

_

* * *

_

The crushing pressure disappeared, and I no longer felt the need to breathe. I felt as though I was floating in this thick darkness. I was just… there. I didn't understand why I felt so numb, as though I had been trapped in an iceberg for a long period of time. It felt hauntingly familiar. But then again, I had passed out underwater, it was cold after all.

_When I managed to open my eyes, it was still relatively dark but I could pick out the familiar Chakra's of the Torai-Kenshi. I supposed that I was here because my life was in danger, and they were tied to my soul. But I knew it was more than that, a feeling of dread and loss._

"_**I say we put the brat out its misery**__," Kumouri had said, with a throaty chuckle. Her voice still had that familiar growl, the vicious mix of feminine and masculine tones that sends horrible chills down your spine. But this time, I felt nothing…_

"_**You want to increase her misery Kumouri-san**__" Kokoro corrected, her voice like the wind, a soft breeze that could increase to a stormy gale. Ah yes, a storm had been coming hadn't it?_

"_**Does this feeling feel familiar?**__" Kumouri said, her deep growling a mocking coo. "__**The feel of death?**__"_

_Death? I was merely passed out wasn't I?_

"_**You're heart has stopped Kari-chan, you no longer breathe, you are classified as dead,**__" Kitai gentle voice said, like that of nightingale song. But it was soft and sorrowful, as though she was explaining that someone close to me had died. But then again, hadn't they said I'd died?_

"_**Stop your blubbering kitsune,**__" Kumouri snarled, but that mocking coo was back far too soon. "__**You're used to this feeling aren't you little pup? This darkness, **_**my**_** darkness is familiar to you, no matter how mild it is due to the fox's shelter. Do you know why this feels familiar?**__"_

_"**Kumouri-chan don't—**"_

"_**Silence! This child is mine, and you took her from my depths because the last one died! Sweet little Kirei, she knew how to kill well…**__"_

_Kirei? Wasn't that Kitome and Kaizo's daughter that died in the last part of pregnancy, stabbed through head and heart?_

"_**Oh yes, she was the child of the angel and the beast. Kirei was a good girl and destroyed everything in her path under my power. But that STUPID fox got to her, poisoned her with sweet regret and guilt when she was a little younger than you. She used her power to go back in time, and killed her unborn self with her own hand.**__" _

_She killed herself? But why?_

"_**She was born with us, and at such a young age was influenced so easily. Kumouri-chan managed to control her more than us, and shaped her into a bloodthirsty monster. For the most part, she ignored my pleas, but when she passed her tenth year, she began to hear me, began to listen. The world was in tatters, almost destroyed. After many months she finally had enough light in her to go back, and stopped her birth, stopping the destruction and horror,**__" Kitai explained while Kumouri growled._

"_**I am influenced by balance, Kumouri-san's strength converted me into darkness,**_**" **_Kokoro explained. "__**For her painful life before, Kirei was reincarnated into another dimension without war and shinobi. The small memories and visions you had come from her **__**reincarnation '**_**Kara'**_"_

_So I wasn't the reincarnation? Then who was I? How was I born? I felt Kumouri's laugh and glee, and I knew, somehow I just knew… _

"_**You are the sacrifice! You, my little ko, were never born. You were our sacrifice, sold to us for your sisters lives! Kirei and Kara were allowed to live, while you were cast to me, your spirit kept neutral and unaware, never allowed to experience life!**__"_

_I… I never lived? But then, then how? How am I here now?_

"_**Kara was Kirei's balance. She was to live life as a civilian, a simple, pain free life.**__" Kitai explained. "__**Kirei was so tainted by pain her reincarnation was born pure. Kumouri could not be a part of her.**__"_

_"**And so, you were pulled out of the depths of death after twelve years and were forced into a life of suffering,**" Kumouri cackled with glee and I became aware of a crushing pressure in my chest. _

_"_**_It hurts doesn't it ko? You were never born, never loved, never missed by those you thought you'd left behind… Your mother and father never loved you, your friends were never yours, and now, you're merely a Chakra filled ghost, a child of fate and a container for the need of balance. You never even _existed**_**.**__"_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked as her eyes began to leak ruby drops a smile spreading across her face as her sanity began to crack. The Chakra began to thicken and lightning struck one of the trees, flashes of orange and gold sprouting from the leaves.

"Everything was a lie, everyone I believed loved me, everyone I worried missed me, everything was a _lie_."

"Kari we've got to get out of here, the fire!"

"Everything was a lie…"

"Kari, Kari listen to me!" Sasuke shouted grabbing hold of my shoulders.

"I was never born… I'm meant to be in the dark…"

"Kari!"

"I'm not supposed to be alive…"

"KARI!"

"I'm merely a Chakra filled ghost, a child of fate and a container for the need of balance… I never even existed…"

"KARI!!" The sound of the slap seemed to echo and the back of his hand stung from the force of the hit. She'd stopped muttering and simply stared blankly to the left, her right cheek reddening from the hit. Her Chakra settled, simmering beneath her skin. " G-gomen…" Sasuke found himself stammering. "Kari I didn't mean to…" he caught her when her body gave out, sinking to his knees. "Gomen…"

He just… He couldn't bear it. Watching her break in front of him and look as though she was loosing her mind. Didn't she understand the people she had now? That he and Naruto, and everyone else cared about her? He picked up her knees and she lay still against him, the rain pelting them relentlessly. Wordlessly, he turned back, going back to the cave.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sasuke-kun you're soaked!" Sakura cried, ushering him towards the fire. "Are you alright, you look like you've seen a ghost!" He glanced back at Kari, whom he'd left at her previous place at the wall. Naruto had immediately rushed over, wrapping his jacket around her. Naruto was the best person for hr now, he was the only one who would be able to get through to her.

If… If Naruto had gone… Would it have been better? He wouldn't have hit her, he knew that much. Sasuke had noticed how Naruto had eyed the bruise spreading across the side of her face, and was almost certain the blonde boy had shot a glance his way immediately after. Naruto pulled her into his lap and began to murmur something to her, and to the Uchiha's surprise, she responded.

He couldn't hear their hushed tones, but noticed how she replied and curled closer to Naruto, possibly starting to cry. Why hadn't she opened up and clung to him while he was there? Did she think he would push her away? Sasuke wouldn't lie, he had little knowledge when it came to comfort, but… he would have tried.

After a while Naruto carried her closer to the fire, wrapping his jacket and then his arms tighter around her. That tight lipped glare let Sasuke know Kari had told him where that bruise had come from, yet he hadn't acted, probably at her request.

Oblivious to the tension, Idate decided to awake.

"He's awake!" Kita said, the thunder sending shivers and whimpers through her, but she had calmed considerably since Kari's return.

"Daijoubu?" Sakura asked. She hadn't missed the tension between her team, and was worried by the awful state Kari seemed to be in. But she knew she couldn't help, so turned her attention to Idate.

"Where is he, what happened to Aoi?" Idate asked.

"He disappeared. So that ame shinobi is called Aoi?" Sasuke asked, putting his emotionless demeanour back up, not wanting their charge to see his messed up state.

"Idate-san, do you know him?" Sakura asked.

"He was my teacher when I was in Konoha," Idate said.

"You're from Konoha?" Naruto asked, also seeming to try and act normal. He wasn't succeeding like Sasuke who was used to it, Naruto cheer seemed to have temporarily died.

"Aoi betrayed Konoha no sato and became a Jounin in Amegakure," Idate explained.

"What exactly do you mean dattebayou?" Naruto asked as Idate tried to sit up.

"Aah! It's still too early," Sakura cried eyeing his bleeding leg. "You need time to rest a bit more. Can I bandage your arm?" Idate lifted his hand, seeing his knife. "Your hand was clasped such this whole time."

"Tch, after I came all the way here…" Idate said. "I'm such a…!"

"It's still too early to give up dattebayou!" Naruto said. "More importantly, you're a former Konoha shinobi?"

"I've completely forgotten Konoha, ever since that day, I threw away my home country," Idate said.

"Thrown away your home country?" Sakura repeated.

"I failed the first Chuunin exam and didn't know what to do…" Idate began.

* * *

_-----Three years ago-----_

* * *

"_That was close Idate," Aoi said apologetically. Idate looked away from him. "Now, now don't be so down. There are ways other than taking the Chuunin exam to become a Chuunin."_

_"Hontou desu ka?!" Idate cried._

"_Aa, hontou. Do what I tell you to do."_

"_Hai!"_

_And so Idate did what he was told, and met Aoi later that night where they had arranged._

"_Aoi-sensei?"_

_"Idate."_

"_I brought it just like you told me to," Idate said, holding out what he had._

"_Aa, that is indeed the sealed scroll and the legendary Raijin no ken the Nidaime Hokage supposedly used," Aoi said. "You did well Idate."_

"_Now I can become a Chuunin right?!" Idate asked excitedly._

"_Aa, you can. In Amegakure no sato that is. You will escape with me from Konoha no sato with this as a souvenir. It's obvious, there's no way they'll let you go after you stole one of the village treasures."_

"Did you deceive me?!" Idate cried angrily.

"_To survive in this world, one must never trust another. Remember that. Saa, what will you do Idate? Either way, you're now an exiled ninja. At best, you'll be locked up in jail for the rest of your life." _

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"And since that day I haven't been back to Konoha no sato. I am a half-willed guy who can't do anything right. But boss Jirochou trusted me! I still haven't done anything for him in return. The boss believed in a guy like me, who hasn't been of any use to him. But, I…!"

'_He… He's just like me…'_ Naruto thought, remembering when Mizuki used the same trick to get Naruto to steal a forbidden scroll of techniques, promising he'd become a genin. That was the night Naruto found out about Kyuubi, and realised Iruka-sensei cared about his existence. He felt Kari's cold fingers interlace with his, remembering him, even while lost in her own pain.

"I'm really a good-for-nothing guy…" Idate said, as his tears came. "I run around in circles, never finishing what I start. It's just as Aoi said, I don't have the right to live!"

"Baka!" Naruto shouted, he hadn't missed Kari's flinch at the end of Idate's sentence. "There's one person that believes in you, right?!" His hand tightened around hers, and he worried that he was hurting her, but she squeezed back, silently telling him it was okay. "One is enough!"

"The race isn't over yet! You never know until the very end! Get up!" Naruto said grabbing hold of Idate's arm.

"He can't Naruto! Idate-san's body is still…" Sakura said.

"If he can't run then I'll carry him and run!" Naruto said stubbornly.

"And what of Kari-chan? She's hypothermic Naruto and that rattling in her lungs is a sign of pneumonia!" Sakura cried, knowing she was hitting a sensitive nerve.

"Kari-chan will be fine," Naruto said, supporting her as she stood next to him. "Kita-chan will help her!" he said as Kita trotted over, having transformed into a larger wolf.

"My opponent's probably at Todoroki shrine by now," Idate said.

"Don't give up!"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded by Sasuke grabbed her wrist, stopping her from interfering. "Sasuke-kun…?"

"Leave this matter to Naruto," Sasuke said.

"Boss Jirochou's waiting for you, right?! Put your spirit into it! If you give up here, you'll be a loser for the rest of your life! For the sake of the person who's waiting for you… show me your true strength dattebayou!"

"I can sense him," Kari said speaking quietly. "He's still waiting for you Idate."

"Naruto… Kari… take me there!"

"Aa! Leave it to us!" Naruto cried and Kari put his jacket back on him before he hoisted Idate onto his back. Kita went between Kari's legs, lifting her Momma onto her back before following Naruto into the rain.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Eheheheeee! Come! Drink up! Sing!" Fukusuke squealed to the two girls keeping him company.

"Yare, yare, you've partied a bit too much for a pre-emptive celebration," Aoi said.

"Did you finish him off?"

"Aa. More importantly, the rain has let up. Why don't you hurry and finish this farce of a race?"

"Heh! Alright, I'll run!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Up there?" Naruto asked.

"Aa."

"These are some really high stairs dattebayou," Naruto said, not able to see the shrine at the top. Kari slid off Kita's back and sprouted her wings.

"There also known as the 'heart-breaking stone stairs'," Idate added.

"Interesting, I'll run all the way up in a single dash!" Naruto cried enthusiastically while Kari propelled upwards. Naruto running below her.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sakura said, looking at the impossibly high stairs.

"What stamina they have," Sasuke said.

"Say you," Idate said.

"Huh?!"

"Just to clear up any confusion, it's not like I'm trusting you yet."

"Aa, hai, hai, I don't care," Naruto said and kept on running.

"During the Chuunin exam… You said there was a tenth question they asked right?" Idate asked.

"Aa, it was a strange question asking if we really wanted to take the test or something," Naruto asked.

"Three years ago when I was taking the exam, they asked a similar question. Where you had to choose between staying, where one of your team would fail and never be able to become a Chuunin, or to leave and retake the exam in six months. Yourfuture or your comrades."

"Sou ka. Kari-chan would have left saying we were a team, and if one of them had to fail, she would leave then so we could pass," Naruto said with a small smile.

"What kind of exam was it for you guys?" Idate asked.

"Hmm… I completely forgot, more like I didn't understand his explanations dattebayou."

"I remained, believing in the words of my brother, yet I failed! There was no way I could agree with that, so I approached my brother and asked him about it. He told me that if I didn't know I should quit being a ninja, and find out the answer with my own power. Even now I do not know the answer to that question."

"So after that you were tricked by Aoi?"

"Aa."

"We made it to the top dattebayou!" Naruto cheered as the Wasabi family all cheered at Idate's arrival. Naruto fell over, exhausted by the climb and Kari landed next to him, wings folded.

"From here on I will go by myself," Idate said standing up. "You rest."

"Aa?! You're still saying things like that?" Naruto cried.

"I can no longer accept any help. There would be no meaning if I couldn't win with my own power!" Idate cried running forward.

"Eh? Oi! Idate!"

Idate ran forward and grabbed the blue sphere.

"Starting now, I'm taking back my lead!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"So across this bridge is Oouzu Island," Fukusuke said.

"You'd better hurry up, Idate has arrived at Todoroki shrine," Aoi said, appearing next to him.

"NANI?"

"It appears we underestimated the Konoha Genins."

"Temee! Didn't you get rid of them?!" Fukusuke shouted.

"Now is not the time to be saying that. Hurry and cross the bridge please," Aoi requested.

"Geez you're a useless ninja."

"Oi." Aoi got him in a chokehold. "I'm only helping you because its my job. If you don't keep your mouth shut, next time I'll kill you."

"S-sumimasen…"

"If you get the idea then get moving."

"H-h-hai!!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I see him, it's Fukusuke!" Idate cried, rushing forwards but he was thrown back by a charge of electricity.

"Impressive," Aoi commented, landing in front of him. "I didn't expect you to make it this far." Seeing Fukusuke was safely across the bridge, he cut the bottom part free.

"Yamero!" Idate cried, but was thrown back.

"Quit doing useless things," Aoi said. "There is no way anyone can withstand the very sword that the Nidaime was said to have used, the Raijin no ken. You should know that very well, since you were the one that stole it." Aoi opened his umbrella to shield him from the surprise attack. "A mudball? That's how a kid would fight."

"Well sorry I'm a little short on kunai," Naruto said grinning.

"Naruto?! Kari!"

"But the next one you won't be able to avoid with something like that," Naruto said. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" He sent three Kage Bunshin forward while he prepared his Rasengan with another clone, but the Raijin no ken sliced through the clones like butter and blocked the Rasengan with ease.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but…" Naruto was thrown back. Kari clenched her teeth, her Chakra low from her emotional breakdown. "Ninpou, Jouro Senbon!" Kari rushed to shield him, but he still got seven in his legs. "Too bad, the Raijin no ken will cut through anything, even a ball of Chakra."

"Naruto! Kari!" Idate cried in alarm, but froze when the sword was directed towards him.

"I suppose I should be certain about it, to prevent any further trouble," Aoi said.

"Your opponent is me! Don't lay a hand on Idate!" Naruto cried.

"You're still saying such things? Helping one another, defending one another, trusting one another, such things irritate me. Weak people can only live with the support of one another, that's why they believe in one another so easily, and that's why they are easily betrayed. Weaklings like you should of run away for safety. Ne, Idate? Just like the time you stole this Raijin no ken."

* * *

_-----Three years ago-----_

* * *

"_I can see it, just ahead is Amegakure no sato," Aoi said, he paused and then jumped into the trees._

"_Aoi-sensei?" Idate asked and he started when a chain wrapped around his ankle. "Aoi-sensei!"_

"Idate."

"Aniki?" Idate asked, seeing his brother and two ANBU appear.

"_Baka! Hurry back to the village and hand yourself in!" Ibiki shouted while Idate shook his head fearfully. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!" The two ANBU were struck down, and Ibiki looked up to see himself surrounded by Ame shinobi._

"_As always you are strict, despite the fact he is your own brother," Aoi said, hanging upside down. "However, it is very convenient for me that you came here. This forbidden scroll cannot be interpreted by anyone below Jounin level. I'll have you both betray Konoha."_

_*_

_Ibiki cried out as electricity surged through his body._

"_Ibiki-san, interpret the scroll already," Aoi said simply, the Raijin no ken in his hand. He had tied both brothers to a chair and had tried to beat the information out the Jounin who now sported a black eye and a cut across his face._

"_I refuse."_

_"Are you going to choose death with Idate?"_

"_He is also a shinobi, he does not fear death."_

"It doesn't look like it," Aoi said. "This expression is one that has been taken over by fear."

"_I quit being a ninja! I'm going to quit being a ninja! So don't kill me! Please!" Idate cried._

"_Please interpret it already. You don't want to see your kawaii otouto die now do you?"_

_"My otouto? That fool?"_

_"Aniki…"_

_"A threat of that calibre is useless against me."_

_"Oi Ibiki, is Konohagakure no sato that precious to you? Even if you protect it with your life, you're merely a pawn!"_

"_Heh, is that why you betrayed us? What a pitiful man you are."_

"_You bastard!" Aoi cried, but was caught off guard when Ibiki use his legs to trip him, and then followed it up with a head butt sending Aoi crashing face first into a pot. He started screaming covering his bleeding forehead. The fall had managed to loosen Ibiki's strings enough to free one of his arms and he pulled a blade from his sandal and threw it at Idate's binds setting his brother free._

"_Idate, run!"_

"What about you aniki?"

"_I'll take care of things here first."_

"In your dreams!" Aoi screeched. Ibiki spat out an ember into the oil the pot had been holding before it broke and flames erumpted.

_  
"Aniki!"_

_"Hurry up and go!"_

"_Demo aniki!"_

_"Go! You'll be a burden if you stay!"_

"_Like I would let you," Aoi hissed._

"GO!"

_Ibiki turned and ran looking back at the house. He flinched and covered his face when the house burst into flames his brother still inside…_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"It's disgusting to think he'd risk his life for an idiot like you," Aoi said. "After that, you just ran and ran. You could've run back to the village and called for help. But you didn't. I won't listen to excuses like '_I_ _thought he was dead_.' In fact, he was alive. On the other hand Ibiki was a great man, not only bearing repeated torture without spilling a word, but escaping with that forbidden scroll as well. I can't believe all of that was done for the sake of his good-for-nothing brother. You betrayed your village, abandoned your brother and were only able to think of yourself. You don't even believe in your blood relative Ibiki who risked his life to save you. Afraid of your sin, you couldn't even trust your home village. You believe in no one and no one believes in you. For me, there has never been a student as great as you. As a gift, I will let you die in a split second," Aoi said as he raised his sword.


	67. Hizumi

**A/N**: Oh my goodness... We have passed the 400 review mark!! :D :D :D! I had some fanart ready but realised it was quite old and was all "This is not worthy of my gratitude!" but I'll probably put it up and find something better for (if) when we reach the 500 mark. I'm sorry about the wait! I dohave a reasonable excuse (though I know you probably dont care and have skipped this to head to the story) but I had my prom, yes the wonderful day where girls get to feel like princesses or about to get married. My feet were lumps of pain for DAYS. Then I had my Sixth form/College open day where I got dragged in to be told the wonders of AS/A2 levels. And then, I got struck by illness which resembles FLU. (Not swine flu in case your worried). I havent eaten properly in FOUR DAMN DAYS. And my mother went and brought lots of nice food that I crave and makes me feel incredibly sick -.- If you want to see a picture of my dress for your own prom inspiration or curiosity I'll put up a link for a short while (seeing as I had no damn idea for what the hell to wear for I am rather tomboyish, luckily, or rather UNluckily for my patience, my mother was more than willing to shove me into dresses.) I really wanted the Tea Country Mission to be a clean cut at the end of a chapter but _noooo_, it had to be too long. I didn't have the heart to leave my lovely readers with half a chapter!

Sheesh thats a long waffle. Gomenasai minna.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be confusing myself to the brink of insanity over the last manga volume would I? (I always try and guess and am usually wrong -.-)

**Claimer:** My, Kari, my Kita, my Kitome and Kaizo, my imagination. From me, through the internet, for your entertainment.

* * *

**Hizumi**

**_Strain_**

_She could feel the tension thickening,_

_It was only a matter of time before something broke._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Idate's eyes closed reflexively as he flinched away, waiting for death. He heard a clap noise and his eyes shot open, a silent gasp being pulled from his lips. Kari stood in front of him, the Raijin no ken between her palms. Aoi scowled in irritation and Kari curled her fingers around the blade, gritting her teeth and trying to ignore the fierce burning sting spreading across her hands.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm, seeing her wince, her arms beginning to shake from the pain, blood lightly trickling down her wrists. She gasped at the sudden lurch and released the blade as Aoi swung it to the side, deflecting the three kunai Sasuke had aimed at him, he, Sakura and Kita only just arriving.

"Idate-san!" Sakura cried worriedly.

"Sasuke, Kita-chan, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried happily.

Kari's arms fell down to her sides and she hissed slightly at the fierce stinging travelling up her arm. The lightning had burned her from the elbows down, her hands a bloody mess. She narrowed her eyes, knowing most of her techniques were going to be incredibly difficult if not impossible now.

"Naruto, Kari, get some rest," Sasuke said and Kari shot a slight glare at him. "I'll take him down."

"Keh, don't be a show-off now dattebayou," Naruto said smirking, clearly feeling the same as his best friend.

"No matter the number you will not be able to defeat me, Rokushou Aoi, Jonin of Amegakure no sato, in possession of the Raijin no Ken," Aoi said smugly.

"Will you shut up already," Kari grumbled, but was ignored much to her chagrin.

"Oh really?" Sasuke said cockily, activating his Sharingan, his eyes bleeding red as two tomoe appeared around each pupil. He went into the familiar stance of Chidori and Kari felt a nagging urge to also perform Chidori (she hadn't really had the chance to shine with it yet). "This is going to be interesting. Let's see which is stronger, Raijin no Ken or my Chidori." His hand blazed with Chakra and the familiar sound of chirping filled the air. Kari tried to force her own Chidori but the pain in her hand prevented it, causing her to yelp softly. Giving up on her own attempt her eyes switched to Sasuke, who was charging forwards to attack. It was a direct hit, but lightning ran through Sasuke's body throwing him back, Aoi seemingly unaffected. Sasuke pulled out a kunai and tried to strike him, but each attempt was blocked.

"Hn, so the rumours were true. The last survivor of Konoha's famous Uchiha clan is the worst of them," Aoi mocked and sent Sasuke flying back with another electric charge.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried and Kari growled at the enemy.

"Sakura-san nigero! He won't show mercy, no matter who his opponent is!" Idate cried. "You'll be killed!"

"No way!" Sakura cried and Kita yipped in agreement. "I will protect you for sure Idate-san, didn't I promise you that? Believe in us!"

"So the only ones left are the great student, two wounded bunnies and a little white rat," Aoi said smirking as Kari eye twitched. She wasn't sure what annoyed her more, this guy calling her a bunny or him calling Kita a rat. "Go to hell, all of you."

"Take it back…" Sasuke said lowly as he slowly stood. "Take it back!"

"Take back what?" Aoi asked.

"What you said just now!" Sasuke cried as a Chidori sparked in his palm. "Don't you dare underestimate me, the last of the Uchiha clan!"

"Sasuke…" Kari whispered. He charged forward his Chidori fierce and bright as he struck the sword. Sensing the oncoming explosion she raced forward.

"Kari-san!" Idate cried but was forced to close his eyes when a bright light struck them. When the light died Sasuke's scream started as electricity charged through his body. Kari had her arms tightly around him, having been too slow to get him out the way in time. The Raijin no Ken held them suspended in the air, surrounded by electricity. Sasuke's scream died as his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he lost consciousness. Kari winced, forcing herself to stay awake through the haze of pain.

"Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan!" Sakura cried when they were both thrown to the bridge, Sasuke out cold on top of Kari, while her damaged arms lacked the strength to lift him. Sakura flung a kunai at Aoi, but he easily dodged it. "Sasuke-kun! Wake up!"

"The bottom of the sea will surely be cold," Aoi said, cutting through the ropes on one side of the bridge.

"Yamero!" Idate cried rushing forward, but was easily thrown back towards Naruto.

"Idate—Kari-chan!!"

"Well shit," Kari grumbled as she felt Sasuke slide sideways, falling off the broken bridge. Wrapping her arms and legs around him she forced her wings out her back, only to find they were numbed from the earlier poison. "Double shit…" she squeaked, forcing one arm in a death grip around the Uchiha and forcing Chakra into her hand and feet slamming them into the wall, trying to get a grip.

Why didn't she just drown her bleeding hands in salt?!

It seemed like forever until her backside met the hard surface of a ledge a few metres from the water. Her eye twitched in irritation and pain and she pinched Sasuke's cheeks in annoyance, leaving smears of blood across his pale cheeks.

"For a skinny guy you don't half weigh a lot Sasu-toriatama." Her expression softened slightly. "Gomenasai Sasuke, you shouldn't have had to see me like that before." He didn't stir, and for that she was relieved. "Arigatou. Thank you for being there when I needed someone." She looked up and frowned at the thought of the climb, maybe if she used a substitution jutsu with Sakura…? Yes, that's best.

"Temee, those poison needles won't work on me! How dare you do that to Kari-chan and Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, having pulled the needles out of his legs. Sakura disappeared in a poof of smoke and Kari appeared in her place, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Relax, I'll send you down there to visit them shortly," Aoi said shooting a confused look at Kari while Naruto looked at her with a nod. He trusted her wholeheartedly and knew what she'd done was for the best.

"Tch, there's no way we'll lose that easily," Naruto said and Aoi charged the Raijin no Ken again. _'What can I do though, Rasengan doesn't work against that sword and Kari-chan's hurt.'_ "It doesn't matter!" Naruto cried, shaking the thoughts out his head. "The two of them are waiting for my help!"

"Kita."

"Hai!" Kita cried, jumping to Idate's side. Naruto glanced at her and she nodded, able to tell what he wanted. He wanted her to stay back for now, he was worried about her injuries.

"Hmph. That helping each other thing again?" Aoi scoffed. "There is no way they could have survived that fall."

"Urusai! Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried, causing a hundred or so clones to appear around him.

"Oh? You intend to run away using such a trick?"

"You've got to be kidding me! Who the hell would run away?!" Naruto cried, his clones charging forward. Aoi scoffed and shot forward, slicing through the clones with ease. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Naruto was preparing a Rasengan.

"It's impossible! Naruto, that technique won't work against that sword!" Idate cried. Ai sliced through the ball of Chakra, and with a surge of electricity, sent Naruto flying and destroyed the last clone.

"You're the same as the Uchiha dropout," Aoi said with a smirk. "Why is Konoha so full of baka's?"

"Urusai!" Naruto hissed. "I'm going to save them."

"Do you really think they're still alive? Why don't you just run for it?"

"Who…" Kari helped him to stand and he leant heavily on her. "Who the hell would leave their comrades and run?! That is my answer to the tenth question!"

"What are you saying?" Aoi scoffed.

"Kari-chan…" Naruto said and locked gazes with her. He was hesitant, but determined and with a small smile, she held out her hand. Immediately, he began moulding his Chakra with hers, syncing it and forcing it to spin. Kari grit her teeth against the pain and willed it to spin faster, feeling drops of blood being pulled into the spin. "Take this!" Naruto cried as he and Kari ran forwards, the glowing blue ball of Chakra held in their hands. "Kumiawase Rasengan!" But again, they were both thrown back.

"Naruto, Kari!" Idate cried and Kita whined in distress beside him.

"Can't you see? It's impossible," Aoi said.

"K'so…" Naruto hissed.

"Naru…" Kari said quietly. Following her eyes he spotted the crack.

'_That's the damage Sasuke cause. Sou ka, we just have to aim for that spot…_' Naruto thought as he helped Kari to stand.

"Do you still intend to continue?" Aoi asked in a bored tone. "Give up already."

"Urusai! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried as two clones appeared. "How could I… How could I waste the chance Sasuke gave me?!" Catching his glance Kari opened her hand, knowing this was the last time before she reached her limit. She and Naruto began forming another Rasengan.

"I hate people who don't know when to give up," Aoi stated.

"This is the end!" Naruto cried and his clones shot forward, but were quickly destroyed. He barely dodged a rock from another direction.

"Nani? Hmph. I told you before Idate, I hate cooperation!" Aoi cried going for Idate.

"Oi! We're your opponents dattebayou!" Naruto cried and Aoi stopped, looking around.

"Above you!" Kari shouted and Aoi's head snapped up, bringing the sword up to block.

"Kumiawase Rasengan!!" they cried, slamming the sphere into the Raijin no Ken, directly over the crack.

"Nani?!" Aoi shrieked when the blade split in half. With a thrust from Naruto and Kari's joint attack Aoi was sent flying over the edge of the cliff. Sakura watched as he fell down and landed in the water with a splash.

"They did it!" she cried in relief.

Kari fell to her knees as she and Naruto panted. Her breathing was hoarse again with a rattling sound and she knew she'd worsened. She pushed her health to the back of her mind, concentrating on the mission.

"Naruto, you're an amazing guy," Idate said with a smile. Kari grinned at him, glad he had finally come round. "And Kari-chan, you're an amazing girl…" That got a blush from her. Naruto chuckled and grinned but then paused.

"Sakura-chan…" He ran over to the edge looking over to see Sakura standing beside an unconscious Sasuke.

"Naruto! Kari-chan! Kita! Idate-san!" she called. Idate walked over stopping to help Kari up along the way, Kita following behind. "Sasuke-kun's fine!"

"I'll help you out right away!" Naruto called.

"Baka! Forget about us, hurry and head for the goal!" Sakura scolded.

"Huh, oh yeah… But how are we supposed to…" Naruto said, looking at the rope that was all that was left of the bridge.

"Leave it to me," Idate said, Jumping up onto the rope and lying across it. "Let's cut the rope and swing to the other side." Naruto nodded, and he, Kari and Kita jumped up. "I thought I was the worst… But boss Jirochou believed in me. It was the first time someone had believed in me. That's why I want to win this race no matter what. But in reality, I can't win with just this feeling alone. I got discouraged many times, but every time you guys put your lives on the line to save me, some half-willed guy. Naruto, Kari-chan, gomen. I should have believed in you guys from the beginning."

"What are you talking about dattebayou? Say those things after you've won the race," Naruto said with a grin while Kari smiled warmly. He handed Naruto his beloved knife and Naruto smiled, starting to cut the rope. "Hold tight to me Kari-chan," Naruto said just before the rope gave way.

"YAHOOOOO!!" Idate and Naruto cried while Kari squealed abandoning the rope and holding onto Naruto for dear life, Kita squashed between them.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Boo's erupted from the crowd as Fukusuke appeared near the exit.

"Hmm, what a pleasant cheer."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"AAAAH! Naruto at this rate we'll hit the wall!!" Idate yelled. Kari joined in the boys screams. That damned wall nearly took her hand off!!

"I know! Leave it to me! I'll gather Chakra on my feet using the very last of my Chakra and then climb!" Getting the hint Kari turned and forced Chakra into her own feet as she and Naruto's sandals slammed into the wall. Idate fell into Kari, but she was supported by Naruto, Kita jumping on top of Idate, trying to gather Chakra in her paws. Luckily, the water training paid off and she sped up the wall leading the way. They landed on the other side and Naruto waved back at Sakura. "I'll be back to save you in no time Sakura-chan! Let's go Idate, Kari-chan, Kita-chan."

"Aa!" Idate cried.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Keep focused until the very end Fukusuke!" a Wagarashi cheered.

"Urusai! I know!" Fukusuke snapped. "Geez, just when I was running in a good mood." He smirked. "I see it, Todoroki shrine!" At the shrine, the heads of the families and the feudal lord stood waiting.

"Boss!"

"Damnit!"

"Yosh, yosh," the Wagarashi head said gleefully.

"Idate…" Jirochou said. Suddenly the crowd began to chatter gasp.

"What the?"

"How the?"

"Its him!"

"It's Idate of the Wasabi family!" the crowd cried as Idate came into view. The crowd erupted into cheers of hope and support.

"Go! You can still make it!!"

"Nani?!" Fukusuke cried looking back to see Idate running full speed towards him and closing in fast.

"Baka! What are you doing Fukusuke?! Run!!" the Wagarashi head cried.

"K'so!" Fukusuke cried, speeding up frantically.

"I won't lose… I will never lose!" Idate cried, pushing himself faster. "I'm not going to give up until the very end!"

"There's no way I'm gonna lose here!" Fukusuke cried.

"Yosha!"

"He caught up!"

Idate drew level with Fukusuke, both of them looking towards their goal pushing their legs faster, faster, FASTER!

"I won't lose here!!" Fukusuke shrieked.

"Idate! Come on Idate!" Jirochou cried in delight.

"Boss…" Idate said, feeling tears blurhis vision.

"GO Idate!!" Naruto shouted as he and Kari landed on an arch.

"You can do it Idate!!" Kari cheered.

At the sound of their voices Idate found the extra strength he needed.

'_Boss, for believing in me…'_

Faster.

'_Naruto, Kari-chan, for risking your lives for me and never allowing me to give up…'_

Faster!

'_For the Wasabi, for the tea, who are putting all of their trust in me!'_

FASTER!!

His eyes were closed, but he could feel the gentle tug as he caught the white tape at the finish line. And after a seconds pause, the crowd went wild.

"He did it! He did it! He did it!!" Kari and Naruto screamed as they hugged and jumped about in an excited circle.

"I did it…" Idate said placing the sphere down. He sank to his ground and fell back panting, the biggest smile on his face.

"Idate, that was a fine race," Jirochou said making Idate quickly rollover and get to his knees.

"Boss!"

"You did well," Jirochou said, his eyes shining with pride. Twomen at his side.

"Boss, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

"Baka, what are you apologising for?" Jirochou laughed. "You've won."

"No, let me say it. I really want to apologise. I am so sorry!" Idate cried bowing.

"You're not making any sense."

"Some weird guy you are."

"I have a better opinion of you now."

"Now go, be appreciated for your victory!" Jirochou cried. Idate nodded and stepped out to be met by the cheers of the Wasabi and the villagers.

"Hurray!"

"Good job!"

"That was great!"

He was… blown away by their reaction. All this, this was because of him?

"Hurray to Idate!"

"Congratulations!"

"You did well!"

Idate felt his cheeks heat up as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully. He couldn't help but smile back at the many joyous faces before him. He then went and stood on the block, his face turning serious, though his heart was light with pride.

"The victory goes to Morino Idate of the Wasabi family!" cheers erupted from the crowd, team 7 amongst them (Sasuke haven woken up and been helped to the end by Sakura). They all seemed delighted (apart from a slightly sulking Sasuke who was resting against Kari).

"He finally did it," Naruto said his hand linked with Kari and swinging it slightly. She grinned back at him while Sasuke made a small huff.

"Oi, chotto matte." The Wagarashi head walked up with two men.

"Huh Jyuroku?" Jirochou asked from beside Idate. Kari scowled feeling her muscles tense. Ugh, this guy was slimy.

"Idate was carried piggyback by a hired ninja in the middle of the race. That's a penalty."

"N-nani?!" Naruto cried.

"If you want proof take a look at this photo," Jyuroku said holding up a photo f Naruto piggybacking Idate.

"Actually that looks kind of kinky," Kari mumbled and Sasuke sent her stony glare that spoke loads on his opinion of her immaturity.

"The rules state you must run with your own feet to the end," the lord looking man said. Kari's scowl deepened. _Another slimy temee._ "Thus Idate is disqualified. As a result the winner will be Wagarashi family messenger Fukusuke."

"That can't be," Jirochou said in disappointment.

"Chotto matte that was--!" Idate protested.

"No excuses will be taken," the lord looking guy snapped. "now as promised, Jirochou the Wasabi family will no longer exist."

"Chotto matte," a plump, much nicer lord looking guy said walking up. Kari was momentarily distracted by his hat that reminded her of bull horns, or perhaps a very big moustache? "There is no such rule, don't be spouting such nonsense."

"M-my lord…"

"Or is it because there is some reason you want the Wagarashi to win?" the lord asked.

"No, there is nothing of the sort…" the guy said sheepishly.

"Most likely you'll be in trouble because then you wont be able to do things such as this," the lord said pulling out a photo of the other lord looking man having tea with the Wagarashi head. "You fool! Retire and go into Buddhist priesthood!"

"I like him," Kari aid with a grin and Naruto chuckled.

"Y-yes your majesty!"

"Wagarashi Jyuroku, your bad deeds have also reached my ears. Your punishment for causing punishment to the people of Degarashi port will be heavy. From this day forth the Wagarashi family will no longer exist," the lord announced. Kari's grin widened. Yup, she definitely liked this lord. "Do I make myself clear?"

"H-hai…" the Wagarashi head said and bowed, sounding like he was going to cry.

"Today is a good day," the lord chuckled good-heartedly. "That finishes everything."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sakura informed them that a boat would be waiting for them to take them back to Konoha. The kunoichi then proceeded to scold Kari for not taking care of herself and starting to fuss like an older sister would. Of course, she didn't dare fuss over Sasuke (who Kari still had to support), he was a _man_ after all.

"I've caused you so much trouble," Idate said softly, him and Jirochou having come to see them off.

"Well it's time to say goodbye, Idate," Naruto said smiling.

"I've come to take in the wounded," an authoritive rough voice declared.

"Ibiki-san?" Sakura murmured but was drowned out by Kari's greeting.

"Konbanwa Ibiki-san!!" she called, waving up at the fierce looking shinobi. She was relieved of Sasuke who was placed onto a stretcher.

"Where are the wounded?" Ibiki asked stepping down so he was closer to them. She noticed the other stretcher and the looks directed at her. "Uhh no."

"Kari-chan!" Sakura reprimanded.

"I see, hurry and take them aboard," Ibiki said giving Kari a stern stare. She huffed slightly and turned to face Idate who smiled in farewell. He was caught completely off guard when he felt soft lips press against his own.

"Kari-chaaan!" Naruto whined.

"What? I promised I'd kiss him if he won!" Kari said, a blush starting to creep up her cheeks. "I don't go back on my word!"

"Demo, demo! Why not the cheek? Or the hand?" Naruto complained, overprotective instincts kicking in.

"Tell you what, I'll kiss you if you carry me to the boat so I don't have to go on that stupid stretcher ne?" Kari asked. Naruto didn't even pause to think.

"Deal!" He cried running up to her and scooping her up into a bridal hold making her giggle which caused her to cough.

"Look after her, ne Naruto?" Idate asked, a pink tinge dusting his cheeks.

"Like you needed to tell me," Naruto said with a grin. He then turned and marched onto the boat while Kari waved at Idate, Kita walking beside them, with Sasuke being brought up on a stretcher behind them with Sakura following.

"Aniki!" Idate cried when Ibiki turned to bring up the rear. "Matte aniki!"

"Who are you? The one who called me brother died three years ago," Ibiki said without turning around. Idate smild.

'_I found the answer to the tenth question aniki. I will never betray my friends. I can believe in others.'_

Idate never saw his brother's smile. _'He's got a man's face now.'_

Kita wasted no time running around the medium sized boat, anxious to explore it. Boats were still quite new to her and she still didn't understand them too much. As promised, Kari placed a gentle kiss on Naruto smile making him blush. He carried her to the side of the boat so they could say goodbye to Idate.

"Ja mata Idate," Naruto said while Kita jumped into Sakura's arms, her little white paws resting on the side of the boat.

"Ja ne!" Sakura said. Kari smiled unable to wave due to the state of her arms that the medics were eyeing hungrily.

"I'll miss you, take care!" Kari said and Idate waved his hand in a wave.

"Yeah you guys come visit again sometime," Idate said grinning.

"You too boss, stay well!"

"Aa!"

'_What an interesting guy, as expected from someone the fifth acknowledged,'_ Ibiki thought looking to Naruto. _'And that girl, they're a lot alike.'_

"Naruto! Kari-chan! Arigatou!" Idate cried running along side the boat.

"Idate, next time we meet lets fight it out dattebayou!" Naruto cried confidently.

'_And of all things it seems Idate has a crush on her,'_ Ibiki thought smiling.

"He made you proud you know."

Buddha forbid Ibiki almost jumped.

"Hikari," Ibiki remembered.

"Kari to most," she said smiling. "He's a hero to them now, he did well."

"Aa," he said in agreement. His eyes lazily traced her ears. _'She's a true Tasukaru. No doubt what Hokage-sama said was true; The Torai-Kenshi have appeared again, and in such a child.'_ "You should see to your injuries." She nodded and walked off her tail swishing slightly as she walked. Only for the medic to come rushing over and attack her with bandages.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…" Kari mumbled as cream was rubbed into her arms, a thermometer shoved in her mouth and bandages wrapping around her chest over her shirt.

"Sasuke-kun?" Said Uchiha looked up at his name to see Sakura who had been glancing between him and Kari. "Does it hurt?"

"Iie."

"Ite-e!!" Kari cried in disagreement.

"Yokatta, that kind of wound will heal quickly when we get back to the village," Sakura said smiling. She shot Kari an anxious look while the poor girl was being buried in blankets while her arms were mummified. "Demo Kari-chan…"

"She'll be fine. She's had worse," Sasuke said. He looked round in surprise when Kari sat next to him in an igloo of blankets. She looked thoroughly annoyed and pulled the blankets off her head to form a nest around her, much to the disapproval of the medic.

"Daijoubu?" Sakura asked and Kari pouted glaring at the medic causing the pink kunoichi to giggle. She left them be, going off to scold Naruto.

"_Hn, so the rumours were true. The last survivor of Konoha's famous Uchiha clan is the worst of them."_

'_I couldn't beat him…'_ Sasuke's face tightened in anger and he looked over at Naruto. '_But that guy… That Naruto could.'_

"Stop thinking so much," Kari said the top of her head under his cheek.

'_And he saved her, while I couldn't…'_

"Sasu," Kari said warningly and he forced his thoughts to the back of his mind for now.

"You're better now?" he asked, and they both knew he wasn't referring to her physical state.

"_I never even existed…"_

"It still hurts," she admitted. "It'll take time, but it should be about the here and now, not the past."

"Hn."

"Thank you for being there."

"Someone had to," Sasuke replied simply, though his tone was slightly softer making her smile.

"You should be resting Hikari!" the medic scolded.

"I am resting…" Kari mumbled.

"Go to sleep baka," Sasuke said and she gave him annoyed look. He pushed her down so her head was lying on his thigh. "Sleep." He didn't miss the huffy look Naruto sent him, and it made him feel good somehow. He turned back to watch her as she stood at the edges of her dreams, his fingers playing with the long golden strands of hair. He pulled the previously abandoned blankets around her. Seeing the mass of blankets, Kita joined them, curling up close to Kari.

He may not understand her as well as Naruto, but he allowed her to understand him to an extent most people would only dream of. This whole friendship thing still felt foreign to him, but seeing as she was curled up to him while her 'best friend' was about, he didn't think he needed to worry too much.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Is that so?" Tsunade asked looking up from the report. Ibiki nodded and the blonde woman heaved a sigh. "It was a good idea I gave Sakura that medicine, Kari really needs to stop being so careless with he health."

"She's a strong kid, she'll be fine," Ibiki said, hands buried deep into his trench coat pockets.

"At the same time she's fragile," Tsunade said stubbornly, a slight yearning for sake tickling her mind. "Nonetheless, the mission was a success even despite injuries from Kari and Uchiha Sasuke. A few days in hospital and they'll be fine. That girl will worry me to my grave… Oi, what's that smile for!"

"Nothing Hokage-sama."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sasuke and Kari were indeed assigned to hospital, and like before were placed into the same room. Kari's health had worsened on the boat ride back and the medics rushed them both straight to the hospital. Sasuke was frustrated and kept glancing over o Kari's unconscious form. Apparently she had become Hypothermic during the race which had resulted in Pneumonia. Her lungs had been drained and she was hooked up to a machine measuring her temperature and another measuring her heart rate. She had an oxygen mask covering the lower half of her face and was tucked into bed with three blankets on top of her, freshly wrapped arms on top at her sides.

Sasuke fell asleep a few hours later, plagued with dreams of Aoi, repeating those words over and over. Saying how he was the worst of his clan…

They had a visit around two in the morning, thee door opening and closing gently as the whisper of feet brushed across the floor. The figure stood by Kari's bed pulling the chair silently closer, before taking a seat.

Kari awoke to the feel of arm fingers brushing across her forehead and opened her eyes slightly at first only making out blurred shadows. After blinking a few times she realised it was Kitome.

"You should be asleep," she said gently a ghost of a smile touching her rose lips. Kari couldn't help but noticed the shadows under Kitome's eyes were far more pronounced than before, and her cheekbones a little sharper on her face. She was exhausted and had lost weight. As though reading the puzzlement in Kari's eyes Kitome began to explain. "We just got back from a mission dear, Kaizo-kun had a leg wound that needed to be checked out. It looks gruesome but it's nothing serious."

"Hm?" Kari mumbled tiredly, her voice muffled by the mask but her arms too sore to move.

"A kunai with an exploding tag hit the side of his thigh." Kari pulled a face and Kitome laughed softly. "He made a fuss, defeated the ninja and had a little cry, but he's fine. He's proud of his battle scars, though they're quite few."

"Kitome-san?" Kari mumbled though the mask.

"I can see there's something you want to tell me dear. I wish I could insist you wait until morning and save your strength, but ANBU are so busy at the moment that I doubt I'd be here. If it's important, you may tell me," she said kindly.

And so Kari spilled her heart out, as well as many bloodied tears which Kitome patiently brushed away as she listened. She explained what the Torai-Kenshi had told her, about her sister and her reincarnation, that she was the sacrificial twin, all that had bothered her at the Tea. Kitome was patient with the pauses, the sobs and listened carefully so Kari wouldn't have to repeat herself.

"S-so, I… I'm not your child a-and I was never meant t-to exist," Kari said her voice cracking, her face no doubt puffy. No doubt she was going to beat herself up later for crying like a baby.

"But you are," Kitome said as a salty tear escaped her eye. "You're the twin child from my womb, the fact you weren't born doesn't change the fact it was I and Kaizo who created you." It was amazing that Kitome could look beautiful even as she cried. "My first child was taken away from me through evil and pain, but she's safe and happy now and that's what matters. And I still have you, and for that I will always be thankful."

"Kitome-kaasan," Kari smiled and Kitome kissed her forehead before standing. She opened the door before a grumpy Kaizo could slam it open or break it.

"Ne, they wouldn't even splint it, just healed me and wished me luck on the next mission," Kaizo grumbled. His spiky silver hair was a mess, his eyes darkened with a miserable almost childish scowl on his face. He too had lost weight in his face, though still seemed to possess his muscles. He waved at Kari and went to greet her loudly but was kicked out with an apologetic smile from Kitome. Kari found herself sleeping within minutes; the dark weight in her heart lifted a reasonable amount.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Well I'm glad your wounds aren't serious," Sakura said, placing a flower on Sasuke's bedside table. She had already placed one next to Kari, who was currently being kept company by Kita sitting on the end of her bed, her head tilting with every beep the machine made. "Naruto is relieved as well and Kari-chan should wake up soon."

"_Hn, so the rumours were true. The last survivor of Konoha's famous Uchiha clan is the worst of them."_

"Sasuke-kun are you hungry?" Sakura asked, too used to his silent brooding to let it get her too down. "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll go buy something." She stood and left, temporarily leaving the Uchiha to his thoughts. He scowled and laid back resting his arms behind his head. He turned to face the window, his thoughts wandering to his brother.

"_I have no interest in you right now."_

"So they were after Naruto after all, and Kari as well…"

He turned the other way so he was facing Kari's bed. He watched as the heart monitor beeped lazily, slightly slower than he knew was usual for her heart. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, still recovering from her Pneumonia.

She was so… She looked so fragile, even though he knew she wasn't. She had a strong spirit, but was too careless. She needed protecting, but adamant she was the one to protect people. But at what cost? His eyes narrowed on her bandaged arms, trying to remember what they were like before being bandaged. Burns and blood, a burnt torn up mess to her elbows. Yet she ignored her own pain to complete the mission.

And he had done nothing to protect her. He always thought that he would, but it was the other way round. She would protect him, or he would be powerless while she got hurt. At the wave country, repeatedly at the Chuunin Exams, in the fight against Gaara, when Itachi appeared, when she went off to search for Tsunade with Naruto and the mission just now at Degarashi Port… She always got hurt and he never protected her.

Somewhere along his thoughts, he had fallen back into an uneasy sleep. He was soon awoken however, by the sound of footsteps approaching, echoing in the corridor, bouncing off the walls. He sat up, noticing Sakura's silhouette at the door. _Why did she keep bothering him?_

"Oi, Sakura-chan!"

'_Naruto_' Sasuke thought with a growl.

"I've brought you some apples," Sakura said sitting down beside him with a bag of red apples. "You don't hate them do you? Don't they look delicious! Now where did I put the knife?"

As Sakura looked around for the elusive knife Naruto walked over to Kari's side, Kita's tail thumping on the bed in greeting. Sasuke's eyes followed his every move, his anger growing just being in the same room as him. Naruto reached out for Kari's hand.

"Leave her," Sasuke hissed and Naruto shot a glare over his shoulder.

"She's having a bad dream dattebayou."

"Sasuke-kun's right Naruto, Kari-chan's arms are badly hurt, you shouldn't touch them," Sakura said, misreading Sasuke's intentions.

"I guess," Naruto said, his fingers brushing along her cheek before walking back over to Sakura. "The knife's right in front of you," he pointed out.

"Ah…"

"Ha! Being nervous because you're with Sasuke? How uncool. What would Kari-chan say?" Naruto laughed. _'Well, she'd think it's cute probably. Bleh.'_

"It's not like…" Sakura said defencively.

'_Naruto…'_ Sasuke thought, remembering the fight with Gaara.

"_U!"_

"_Zu!"_

"_Ma!"_

"Ki!"

"_Naruto Nisen'nin Dan!"_ _The clones all cried as they pummelled the almost fully transformed Gaara._

"Stop fooling around!" Sakura snapped. "Kari-chan's sleeping!"

"_Kuchiyose no jutsu! I will protect Kari-chan and Sakura-chan!"_

"I give up, I give up I tell you!" Naruto said while Sakura scowled at him and Kita giggled.

"_Sasuke-kun, arigatou. You saved me from that sand guy right?"_

"_Iie, Naruto was the one who saved you."_

Sakura promptly punched Naruto on the head, knocked him out and started peeling the apple, the sound seeming to echo in Sasuke's ears. Kari's heartbeat seemed to be steadily increasing, as though sensing the tension.

"_You are weak. Why are you weak? Because you lack… hatred."_

"Well I've finished peeling it, now lets cut it so its easier to eat," Sakura said happily. "Here you go Sasuke-kun," she said holding out apiece but gasped when it was slapped out her hand, as well as the plate, the sound making Kita jump and Kari's monitor let out a high pitched beep as the plate smashed.

"Ite-e!" Naruto cried when it smashed on his head. He jumped up on surprise "Nan de?!"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said in shock.

"What's going on dattebayou?" Naruto asked. Sasuke turned his eyes on him. "What, you don't have to stare!"

"Oi Naruto…"

"Nan dattebayou?"

"Fight me, right now," Sasuke demanded causing Sakura to gasp.

"Huh? What are you saying? You've only just been treated," Naruto said.

"I don't care, just fight me!" Sasuke cried, Sharingan activating.

'_Sasuke-kun…'_ Sakura thought worriedly. She glanced over to Kari noticing the increased heartrate. _'Wake up Kari-chan, please! You're the only one Naruto and Sasuke-kun will listen to…'_

"You think you saved me? I don't care if she's the Godaime… Doing unnecessary things!"

"What?!" Naruto growled. Sasuke threw the covers off him and stood, staring directly at Naruto. "You said before you wanted to fight me didn't you? I said I'd fight you here and now." A smirk found its way onto the Uchiha's face. "Or are you afraid?"

"S-Sasuke-kun what's wrong?" Sakura asked standing at the side of them. She knew Kari couldn't do anything right now, so she had to try and be the peacemaker for once. She couldn't shout at Sasuke or knock sense into him and she wasn't close enough to him for him to listen to her. "Naruto, say something!" And though she could boss Naruto around, when it came to Kari he would do anything for her. She also didn't have the strength to force them apart. Sakura desperately wished she would wake up, sensing this was about to lose control. "Why so suddenly…?"

"Perfect timing," Naruto said with a smirk. "I was just itching to fight you."

"Why don't you both just cut it out ok?" Sakura asked. She glanced from one boy to the other, to Kari who seemed to be on the verge of an unconscious heart attack. They ignored her, gazes locked on each other, Sharingan clashing with that bright sapphire blue.

"Follow me," Sasuke said, tilting his head to the door. Naruto immediately started to follow, his eyes on his best friend sensing her desperation. She wanted to protect them, but couldn't intervene. She wouldn't stop them, that he knew. She would oppose the idea of her precious friends fighting but would allow them to, knowing them both so well. She'd only jump in when she thought they would take it too far.

'_Gomen.'_ Both boys thought in apology to her. Sakura stood their anxiously unsure what to do, but after a moment moved to follow Kita jumping from Kari's bed at following at her heels.

'_Okaasan…'_ Kita worried. '_Something bad is gonna happen.'_


	68. Raibaru

**A/N:** *_Sigh_*, Okay readers, I'm going to put this into action in advance. Once this story is finished do you want me to edit the begining or start the sequel. I really think the beginning needs to be edited because Failing Mentality madesome very valid points that I completely agree with and have planned out, they just need to be written. Or do you want the sequel? Keep in mind that the first few chapters shape a story and those chapters are over a year old. Theres a poll on my profile, please share you're opinion. Thank you.

I forfilled a promise this chapter, they'll know who they are xD

**Disclaimer**: I lack the ownership of all things Naruto-esque. That honour belongs to masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

**Raibaru**

**_Rivals_**

_Sparks flew and tears fell_

_It was only a matter of time._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

He followed Sasuke silently, up one set of stairs and then another. It seemed to take forever, the sound of their footsteps seeming to echo. They arrived on the roof, he noticed bed sheets had been hung up to be dried by Mother Nature's hand. They stopped near the middle, standing opposite one another, fierce cerulean locked on blazing Sharingan.

'_What is this feeling?'_ Naruto thought, a slight shake wracking through his body. _'The bottom of my stomach is twitching.'_

"_I want to fight you too."_

'_And, it's giving me a thrill.'_ Naruto looked up with an excited grin which Sasuke scowled at.

"What's so funny?" The Uchiha demanded.

"Nothings funny dattebayou. I'm excited. To think that I can finally beat you here," Naruto said. _'I only wish Kari-chan were here to see it.'_

"_Our priority is to take Naruto-kun and Kari with us, as ordered by our organisation Akatsuki."_

"Nan da to?! Cut the nonsense you dropout!" Sasuke snapped.

"I won't be anyone's burden, nor a dropout forever."

"_I have no interest in you right now."_

Sakura appeared at the doorway with Kita by her side. They looked on worriedly as Sasuke's glare intensified, both boys ignoring their added presence.

"Temee usurakontachi! Why are you so full of yourself?!" Sasuke shouted.

"Ha! _You_ who's always been so cool-headed is talking more than usual! That's not like you," Naruto retorted. "Could it be that you're scared despite the fact it was you who picked the fight, Sasuke?"

"Whatever, let's get started," Sasuke said, a smirk coming to his face.

"Before that, put on your hitai-ate," Naruto said. "I'll wait."

"I won't need it," Sasuke said confidently.

"I don't care. Just put it on!" Naruto shouted.

"You won't even be able to scratch my forehead," Sasuke said, pointing his thumb towards his bare forehead.

"Tch, that's not what I mean! This Konoha hitai-ate is proof we're fighting evenly!"

"That's what I mean when I say you're full of yourself!" Sasuke shouted. "You think you and I are equals?"

"Aa, we are! I've never thought of myself as any lower than you," Naruto said confidently. _'Kari-chan never let me, she always looked up to me and treated me as her equal, as Sasuke's equal, everyone's equal.'_

"You're an eyesore!" Sasuke snapped.

"That's because you're still weak Sasuke-chan!" Naruto mocked.

And that was the final straw, the fight begun and Sakura could only watch and desperately pray for Kari to wake.

"Naruto!!"

"Sasuke!!"

Both boys charged with a punch, catching each others fist in mirrored movements. Sasuke went to kick him in the gut but his foot was caught and Naruto pulled him into a spin, eyes narrowing Sasuke pressed his palm to the floor and kicked Naruto off. Naruto quickly jumped back with a punch, but Sasuke threw him over his shoulder. Naruto landed in a crouch but straightened to block Sasuke's flurry of punches but was caught off guard by a kick which sent him falling into a sheet pulling it down on top of him. Sasuke charged forward and grabbed the sheet, only to find Naruto gone. He looked around but couldn't see him so jumped into the air so he could scan the roof. He caught sight of Naruto standing on the water tower but squinted due to the Sun being behind him. Naruto immediately sprang into action jumping down towards him and landing a punch through his block.

"Don't be so overconfident!" Sasuke shouted, springing off the fence and landing a punch to Naruto's jaw. Naruto managed to catch his fall and raced off, Sasuke immediately catching up and running parallel to him, sheets blocking most of their view of each other. Naruto was caught off guard when a kick hit him through a sheet and he flew into the fence, the sheet tangled around him. Sasuke pulled him up and punched him into the fence, the sheet over his head.

'_Naruto…'_ Sakura thought worriedly closing her eyes, only to open them a second later to see Naruto kicking Sasuke off.

"Cut it out already dattebayou!" Naruto shouted as they both jumped off the fence and into the air. Sasuke quickly punched Naruto in the chest before scissor kicking him down towards the roof. Both landed, panting lightly. Naruto glared and made a familiar hand sign.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Clones surrounded Sasuke, outnumbering him a hundred to one. They all charged and Sasuke's Sharingan gleamed with the urge to use Kari's Meiken Taijutsu style. He sprung into action, movements becoming more fluid, more graceful as he span, kicked, punch and threw the clones into smoke. Switching into a handstand he span kicking two clones into the air. His eyes widened when he saw four clones sliding towards him.

"U!"

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!"

He was kicked into the air and quickly began making hand seals.

"Naruto Rendan!" Naruto cried appearing behind Sasuke, his leg raised in preparation for a kick. But he was blocked by Sasuke's elbow when the Uchiha suddenly turned. Naruto's eyes widened, remembering the sign.

'_A tora seal?'_

"Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Sasuke cried his lungs expanding before he exhaled a huge amount of fire covering the roof in flames. Puffs of smoke rapidly appeared out of the fire the familiar 'pop' noise of the clones disappearing.

"Naruto!" Sakura said worriedly while Kita crouched behind Sakura slightly, her eyes reflecting the orange hues of the flames. The fire began to spin and Sasuke's eyes widened in confusion as Naruto and a clone stood in the middle the same jutsu as in the Tea country spinning between their palms.

'_What is that jutsu?'_ Sasuke thought crossing his arms into a block. The clone disappeared once Naruto finished preparing his Rasengan.

"Damn you," Sasuke growled gripping his wrist and holding it down, Chakra spraying from his palm. "Chidori!"

"Yamete…" Sakura whispered, but they didn't hear her. Only the sound of their techniques and the beat of a rapid heart pulsing in their ears.

"I will win!" Naruto shouted.

"Don't be so confident!" Sasuke shouted.

"Yamete, you two…" but they didn't listen to her, she had to do something. "YAMETE YO!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

_

* * *

_

She was in the forest, yet she didn't recognise the area. She was walking with her team, apart from Kakashi who seemed to be missing. A mission perhaps? Sakura suddenly stopped and Kari looked around in confusion.

"_Sakura, what's wrong?" the boys kept walking, seeming not to have noticed. "Guys wait! Sasuke! Naruto!" they turned and started walking in different directions getting further away from the girls and from each other. "Matte!" Kari cried, going to run after them, but she found that her legs wouldn't move. She heard a thud as Sakura fell to her knees behind her and began to sob. "Sakura what's wrong? What is it?" The crying seemed to fade and looking around, Kari saw Sakura moving away from her, as if the ground was moving, pulling Sakura into the shadows until she could no longer be seen. "Sakura, SAKURA!"_

_Why couldn't she move? What was happening?!_

_She looked down and bit back a scream of horror. Her body was coated in blood, her clothes and hair drenched in it. She didn't see any wounds on herself and became confused._

_What did it mean?_

_Her confusion began to fade an unexplainable fear travelled through her from the inside out. She felt tears spill down her face and her body shake, but it still wouldn't move._

"_**Time to make some choices little one.**" And the voice cackled with sickening glee as cracks appeared in the forest floor, slowly growing wider and cutting her off from her team. The forest around her disappeared and she was stranded on the small piece of land surrounded by darkness…_

Kari was barely aware as she regained consciousness somewhat, hovering in the state between sleep and wakening. She supposed she'd had some medication; she felt better, her lungs felt lighter and her arms didn't hurt anymore. She felt sleep pull at her, and allowed herself back into her dreams.

_It was darkness, pure black as though she were blind with no hint of colour or light. She could hear faint noises but nothing was clear, there was only nothing. She could here Sakura calling her asking her to help her because of Naruto and Sasuke._

_Naruto and Sasuke? Were they arguing again?_

_She could feel blows brushing her body, feel knuckles press into her jaw. They were fighting? Why were they fighting? She searched through Kita and saw that Sasuke had challenged Naruto to a fight._

_Why was his Sharingan activated? Why was he so angry?_

_Naruto accepted, but he too seemed different. Too serious, it was probably just determination. But why did it seem so tense? The tension was clearly scaring Sakura yet neither boy even acknowledged her no matter what she said. Sasuke had slapped a plate out her hands. Why was he lashing out at Sakura? What was wrong with him?! _

_She had felt them leave, and it had distressed her. Her body reacted instinctually, pumping adrenaline through her, her heavy heart beating faster and faster. She could faintly hear the beeping._

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

_The tingling heat of fire… Why was Sasuke using a fire Ninjutsu it was only a spar._

_That chirping noise, as though a thousand birds had been startled. Birds… Birds… Tori… Chidori?! A-and Rasengan?! No… No! Why are they taking this so far?!_

"YAMETE!!"

Sakura, Sakura NO!!

Her eyes snapped open and she sprang up, ripping the mask off her face and an electric current shooting into the machines silencing them. She shot off her bed, running out the room and down the hall, heading for the stairs.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" she begged and in her panic she slipped, falling down the stairs and slamming against the wall. She scrambled up and ran up the stairs as fast as her legs would take her. _'No I won't get there in time!!'_ Kari thought desperately pooling Chakra into her legs. "Sakura… Naruto… Sasuke… IIE!!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"YAMETE YO!"

"Sakura-chan!" Kita cried in alarm as the pinkette kunoichi ran from her side, towards the two fighting boys.

'_K'so!'_

'_I can't stop!'_

She ran forwards eyes clamped shut, desperate to stop them. She felt a gust of wind and was thrown to the side, gasping as she hit the concrete floor. Looking up in shock, afraid at what she might see, she gasped.

"Kari-chan!"

The blonde kunoichi had ran in the middle, her legs a blue haze of Chakra increasing her speed and she had thrust her hands out, her fingers managing to interlock with the hands holding the attacks and locking the muscles in her arms she forced them to stay apart.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried in alarm as her arms shook and her elbows begged to bend. One of her eyes was closed in pain as her newly almost healed arms were torn and burned by lightning and Chakra. As her arms caved under the strain, another set of hands grabbed hold of their wrists and with a spin, both boys were sent flying.

'_Kakashi-sensei!'_ Naruto thought as the silver-haired Jounin steadied Kari, her arms falling limp at her sides.

'_Naruto that's…'_ Kakashi thought in surprise. _'And that means Kari also…'_ There was a clang as both boys hit something metal.

"What do you think you two are doing on the top of the hospital?" Kakashi asked straightening up. "Isn't this a little bit too much for a sparring match?" Naruto pulled his hand away from the tank for a small leak of water to spring out. '_That technique was without a doubt the Rasengan. What's going on? How can Naruto know that technique? And if he does, Kari most probably knows it too.' _Sasuke dragged his arm out the tank, causing water to gush out quickly.

"Heh," Sasuke scoffed, seeing the tiny leak Naruto had made.

"Sasuke were you planning to kill Naruto?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke looked round at his sensei. "Why must you insist on being superior? Chidori is not a move to be used against someone from the same village. Why did you act so childish?" Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. _'Could it be from seeing Itachi again?' _"And you Kari,what in the world were you thinking running in the middle of those two when you've only just been healed from heavy injuries, eh?"

"Kari-chan!" Sakura said when Kari suddenly turned eyes in shadow. In a few strides and a leap she'd landed on the top of the fence, only to push off it, over the edge.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried in alarm as she straightened her body horizontally, starting to fall. In the next moment wings ripped from her back, spreading out either side of her and with a light flap kept her airborne.

"Sugoii," Sakura breathed, having forgotten about Kari's wings. They were amazing with a wingspan the length of Kari's body at least, sleek white feathers like what you'd expect of a swan. They were _beautiful_. Her awe immediately shattered when Kari flinched in pain, her wings becoming stiff and she started to fall. Kakashi went to go to her rescue but was stopped when Naruto jumped off the fence after her arms outstretched.

"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried reaching out to her. Her eyes opened slightly and she felt his arms around her, pulling her to him in a safe embrace. He managed to jump off another building and landed on the fence before jumping down. Setting her down as Kakashi appeared next to them.

"Baka," Kakashi immediately scolded taking hold of her Chidori-ed arm and beginning to wrap it. _'Sasuke put a lot of power into that… This could have ended a lot worse.'_ He then took hold of her Rasengan-ed arm and wrapped it in the same fashion.

'_It's always him that saves her…'_ Sasuke thought feeling a twinge in his gut. He turned, jumping on top of the fence and landing on a ledge halfway down. But his attack? _Pathe_— His though was stopped when he heard water. Looking up he saw that the back of the water tank Naruto had hit had all but been blown off the hole was so large.

'_K-so!_' He thought his fist slamming into the wall. _'Naruto, just how much stronger are you getting?'_

He heard the soft thud of feet land behind him but didn't bother to look round, already knowing who it was. He hoped his cold aura would get rid of her, but like always it never did. He felt her arms wrap around his stomach as she pressed against his back, probably listening to his heart.

"Get lost," he said venomously, but she didn't move. She didn't even flinch. "Are you dumb? Let go!" he snarled his hand grabbing hold of her arm.

"Iie," she whispered her forehead pressing into his back as she tried to keep her tears at bay. "If I let you go you might never come back."

"Kari," he said warningly. He hadn't missed the crack and shake in her voice, hadn't missed the slight tremor in her body. Why did she cry when she hated it so much? Was it merely the thought of him being gone that hurt her so?

"Onegai…" she whispered. "Please don't leave me."

He didn't give her an answer, but placed his hand over hers, watching as bloodstains blossomed across the bandage encasing her slender arms. She wouldn't let go, no matter how much it hurt her. She had promised hadn't she?

"_I'll never leave you alone…"_

Indeed she'd tried everything in her power to stay true to her promise. But was it just the promise that drove her to him? Was it only her word that caused her to run after him?

"Gomenasai," she breathed, "Gomenasai Sasuke."

She needn't have apologised. She was here with him and that was what mattered. She'd run after _him_, instead of reassuring them or running to the comfort of someone else. It was him she had run to.

Their somewhat tender moment was ruined at a new arrival.

"Hikari?" Looking to the side she saw a Chuunin, Kotetsu she believed his name was. "You're needed by the Hokage, I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."

"Hai…" Kari agreed, her hands loosening around Sasuke and falling to her sides. "I'll be back soon Sasuke." With that, she turned and followed the Chuunin.

'_Just please, be there for me to come back to…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kakashi looked from Naruto to Sakura, who was now sobbing. Kita had sat beside his foot, confused and worried, but reassured that Kakashi was near.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura sobbed and Kakashi sighed.

'_Where is the teamwork? Kari's the only one who even tries to enforce it, yet they'll only cooperate with her and not each other'_ Kakashi thought grimly. He'd seen her expression, and like always she blamed herself. Probably angry that she hadn't been awake to calm the boys down before it got too far. With a sigh he jumped on top of the water tank and sat down.

"Were you the one who taught him that technique?" Kakashi asked, sensing Jiraiya behind the tank Sasuke had pierced. "I believe Naruto is still too young to be using that technique. If he screwed up, if Kari hadn't stepped in, he could've killed Sasuke. Even if it was a measure against Akatsuki, teaching that technique to Naruto is…"

"Same goes to you," Jiraiya said. "That Chidori's very dangerous. Still I didn't think he would use that technique against his friend. Unless there is something much deeper between them."

"Maa, a few things."

"A few things?" Jiraiya asked.

"Simply put its like the relationship you and Orochimaru had," Kakashi said. Jiraiya pulled a huffy offended face.

"Oh?"

"To him, Sasuke is his friend but at the same time his rival as well, and well, he's someone that just wants to be seen as an equal. He probably wasn't able to deal with Sasuke's provocation. He tried to catch up to Sasuke in his academy years, and that continued after graduation. The current Naruto doesn't want recognition from me or you, but from Sasuke. Because of that, Sasuke has noticed Naruto's growth in such a short period of time, creating a feeling of inferiority. Almost as if himself hasn't grown at all. Naruto has become strong. And besides Sasuke has…"

"Revenge huh?" Jiraiya finished. "So Itachi is rushing him."

"That's why Sasuke doesn't want to recognise Naruto. If he does it will negate what he is. Rivalry is a difficult thing."

"It's not something to admire," Jiraiya agreed.

"And on top of all that…"

"Kari huh?" Jiraiya guessed. "She's easily at their level, and has both Chidori and Rasengan under her belt, yet neither of them feel threatened by her strength."

"Aa. Both seem to be developing strong feelings for her as time goes by," Kakashi agreed.

"From what I've seen she and Naruto are pretty close. He's always squawking about how she's his best friend and she treats him like a brother of sorts, encouraging him, admiring him and being extremely affectionate and protective over him."

"Yet Sasuke she treats like an arrogant human being, a brother that she picks on, scolds and looks up to. She ignores his attitude and seems to have broken through his shell. But seeing how openly affectionate she is with Naruto probably makes him feel insecure, as though she would cast him out of her heart," Kakashi said with a slight sigh.

"Afraid you'll be cast out eh?" Jiraiya asked with a lecherous grin.

"Why do people always assume that? As much as I love Kari in the way of a _sibling_ our ages are far apart, _14 years_ apart, _and_ she's my _student,_" Kakashi grumbled.

"Ah, you know how student-teacher relationships are," Jiraiya said wondering if it would do well in a new book. Hmm… "Love is a difficult thing, perhaps worse than rivalry. Maybe I should lecture Naruto," he said changing the subject but still sending an evil smirk to Kakashi behind his back.

"I'll leave Naruto to you then." Kakashi jumped down landing in front of Sakura. "Sakura, everything will be fine. It'll be like the old days again. Cheer up. Ja ne." With that Kakashi jumped off.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked hearing him come up behind her.

"Sakura-chan," he didn't look at her but at the ground, clearly upset. "_Don't interfere_."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari stepped into the room after Kotetsu feeling slightly awkward. She noticed Shikamaru in the middle of the room as well as Izumo, Genma, Shizune, Anko and Ibiki standing behind Tsunade's desk. Catching her eye, Shikamaru gave a shrug showing he didn't really know what the hell was going on either.

"Geez, and I just healed you," Tsunade said, looking at Kari's arms. "Come here," she requested, beckoning her over. Kari obliged and her hands were taken by Tsunade's glowing ones. The pain began to recede, the burns soothed and the cuts closed. By the time Tsunade was finished, the skin was only a little pink, but otherwise as good as new.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Hokage-sama," Kari said politely, before going to stand beside Shikamaru. Tsunade sighed slightly before looking up at the two Genin.

"To tell you the truth I have no idea what to do. There were some opinions there should be no qualifiers this time due to the final part of the exam being incomplete. However, I've heard that the Sandaime was extremely impressed with both your fights and considered recommending you both as Chuunin," Tsunade said, picking up a brush and signing a document. Rather comically, Shikamaru raised an eye brow as both his and Kari's mouths fell slightly open.

_**Chuunin?!**_

"All of the feudal lords watching from other countries, as well as other examiners agree with this. Since that's the case, there isn't anything more for me to say about it. Therefore, keep up the good work and do not bring distress to your hitai-ate's. Congratulations." A smile spread across Tsunade's face. "From this day forward you are both Chuunin."

"Hontou?!" Kari cried as her shock turned to excitement as a smile lit her face. Izumo stepped forward with two Chuunin vests and gave one to both her and Shikamaru. They both slipped them on.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, feeling stupid wearing the bulky green vest. Still, at least his fit him somewhat, Kari's was clearly too big on her. She looked as though shewas playing dress-up with her sensei's vest.

"How will I get my katana's on this thing?" she wondered. She felt it's bulkiness. "And I don't think I can twist properly in it."

"Ne, leave it behind for missions. It's a reward, a sign of authority, you don't need to wear it if you don't want to and it will hinder your ability," Tsunade said simply. "And besides it's far too big."

"But it's my _Chuunin_ vest ne?" Kari asked grinning. "Chuunin… AA! Shika-kun we're _**Chuunin**_!!" Kari cried pulling him into an excited hug.

'_Glad to see someone appreciates it,_' Tsunade thought. Shikamaru blushed at the sudden personal space destruction and she let go practically dropping him to the floor.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Kari cried and bowed, the vest shifting with the movement. She then shot out the room to go and tell everyone while she was excitable.

"For an amazing ninja Kari-chan is awfully kawaii," Shizune chuckled.

"A kawaii kid that kicked a guy in the balls during the preliminaries," Anko remembered fondly.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Shino had been walking to meet his team-mates for a hard afternoon train, peacefully minding his own business and enjoying the quiet when he was promptly _glomped_.

Glomped by a certain blonde kunoichi he hadn't seen in quite a while who seemed to have been fed far too much sugar judging by how excitable she was. She was so excitable in fact, she kissed him on the cheek and then jumped onto Kiba who had just arrived, before turning and hugging Hinata in a flurry of movement.

"Ne! Ne! Look!" Kari cried bouncing up and down while Shino tried desperately to return his face to its original pale stoic nature and not have his cheeks tickled pink.

"Kari-neechan!" Hinata cried in delight. "You got promoted to Chuunin!"

"Aaaaah! I'm outranked!" Kiba cried but his complaints were stopped by a suffocating hug. Shino had a tiny sulk over the fact he didn't get to shine in the tournament and had missed out on the chance to have his own vest first time round. "You'll be going on all kinds of cool and dangerous missions! You're so lucky!"

"Hai! I'll have to work hard to set a good example for when the rest of you join me," Kari said grinning. "I'm sure you three will pass next time!"

"Easily," Kiba said cockily and Akamaru yipped in agreement.

"A-anou…" Hinata said with a smile.

"Believe in yourself Hinata-chan! You are an outstanding kunoichi and I'm proud of you!" Kari said sternly and Hinata giggled. "And I'm proud of Kiba-kun, Shino-kun and Akamaru-kun too!"

"Heh, we should be the ones saying that to you," Kiba said slinging an arm around her shoulders. "You're growing up ne?"

"Matter of opinion," Kari said with a smile and Hinata giggled. "Seriously, ask Neji-kun if I've matured at all, he'll soon say I haven't. Speaking of which, how is Neji-kun?" Hinata knew what that look meant and smiled.

"He's been a lot friendlier and h-he's agreed to t-train me," Hinata said happily and Kari hugged her happily.

"Good! Work hard and tell him off if he's too rough. If he's being too full of himself kick him in the shins he won't expect it," Kari said protectively. Hinata smiled and nodded even though she knew she wouldn't scold her cousin and kick him in the shins to take his ego down. "Well, I best be going."

"C-congratulations on passing Oneechan!" Hinata said shyly, delighted at Kari's glee over her promotion. Kari waved goodbye, shooting off into the crowd.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Shikamaru on the other hand, lacked Kari's enthusiasm. He felt embarrassed in his Chuunin vest and didn't like the odd bulk of it. He felt stupid. Asuma seemed to disagree because he had delightedly treated the team to barbequed meat on him.

"_Ohhhh_?" Ino and Chouji said as they sat down and heard the news.

"Even though you always lack the will to do anything you look a little more serious now," Ino said.

"It doesn't look good on you," Chouji laughed.

"Stop laughing," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Well for now lets have a toast to Shikamaru's promotion to Chuunin," Asuma announced.

"Ittadakimasu!" Chouji cried and promptly loaded meat onto his plate.

"Oi Chouji! Don't start eating the meat before we make the toast!" Ino scolded.

"Well it would be a waste if we burn them," Chouji said simply.

"There's plenty of meat so eat up," Asuma said.

"Yatta!" Chouji cried and ate with gusto.

"You'll end up in hospital again Chouji," Ino pointed out. "Don't you know how to enjoy your food more?"

"No problem, I know how to enjoy food even if I eat a lot," Chouji reassured. He grabbed the last piece.

"_Chouji_! That's the last piece I put on the grill!" Ino complained.

"The last bite," Chouji said seriously. "Is the final one and the one most suitable to be enjoyed the most. No matter what the cost I will not give it up," and with that he shoved it into his mouth.

"What are you trying to act so cool for?! Baka! That's why everyone makes fun of you, you _fa_---!"

"Ino, that is a taboo," Shikamaru interrupted. "And Chouji, eating isn't a battle. Why don't you relax while you're eating?"

'_A glutton, a foul-mouth, and a slacker… Will these three be okay in the future?'_ Asuma wondered. _'Especially…_'

"Chouji, all you do is eat. Train sometime!"

"Hai," Chouji replied sadly.

After their meal, Shikamaru went to the bathroom. He heard Ino and Chouji talking, so waited in the hallway for them to finish.

"Chouji, you have such a nice character, not caring about how much you eat," Ino said. "I'm having so much trouble dieting."

"Why are you dieting Ino?" Chouji asked.

"A girl wants to look good for the guy she likes," Ino said happily.

"But what if that person doesn't like thin girls?" Chouji asked.

"In the end they like girls that aren't fa… I mean, who are thin," Ino said, correcting herself mid-sentence. "The same goes for the opposite." She giggled. "Chouji, you should care more about your looks or no one will like you." She waved and walked away.

"Heh baka, she has no idea does she?" Shikamaru said, making himself known. "Guys don't like skinny girls as much as she thinks, the most preferred ones are well rounded girls and 'the same for the opposite' right? Ino would be twice as popular if she gained a little weight I'm sure." And Shikamaru pulled a bloated face making Chouji laugh. "Take Kari for example, she's thin for her speed yet she'd look much better if she gained a few pounds." Chouji found himself nodding and smiling.

"Shikamaru you're always so funny as well as smart. I've always known that you are a far greater person than Sasuke or that Neji guy Shikamaru."

"Hm, I've never thought about that. I'm just me," Shikamaru said simply.

"Well you are the only one besides Kari who became a Chuunin this Chuunin exam," Chouji pointed out.

"But if we had a fight maybe you'd be stronger, right?" Shikamaru asked. "If I had fought you, I might have given up as well."

"But sensei just said that all I do is eat and not improve…"

"I told you that I am me, and you are you. It's stupid to think about who's better at what." Shikamaru placed a hand on Chouji's shoulder and smiled. "Don't let what Asuma said bother you too much. All you need to do is live your life naturally and comfortably. I've got to go now, my dad said he'd pass on a new technique to me."

"Shikamaru, train hard," Chouji said with a smile.

"Aa." _'You're a nice guy, Chouji.'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"_You are weak. Why are you weak? Because you lack hatred."_

'What have I been doing with myself up until now?'

"You're back," Sasuke stated, casting his thoughts aside for now. An hour was enough time to think without pause. He'd found a shady tree and was sitting comfortably on a thick branch. He knew she'd find him, she always did. "What did they want?" She crouched in front of him, knowing he'd been thinking too much.

"I've been promoted to Chuunin," she said and saw him scowl slightly. She pressed her forehead against his before he could look away and knelt between his legs.

"You'll get yourself killed," he said bluntly. She smiled, glad that was what bothered him, and not that she had been promoted while he had not. She'd left her vest back at the apartment, not used to moving in it and managing to fall into a wall when she tried to jump it.

"I'm too stubborn," she said simply and he huffed, his breath cascading over her face.

"That's true, the amount of times you should have died yet didn't."

"Glad to hear you sound happy about that," she said leaning back. Her ears twitched and she stiffened as shuriken attached to wires shot around them. They suddenly tightened pulling them together and tying them against the tree. Sasuke looked up with a glare to see Kakashi holding the end of the wire. So that was why Kari hadn't attacked, she had sensed it was Kakashi. "Ne, what's with tying me up as well?" Kari mumbled through Sasuke's shirt. She was sure she had bruised her poor nose in the sudden collision with Sasuke's chest, it was all bone and muscle and therefore hard. She managed to turn herself around after some wiggling and elbowing Sasuke a few times.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sasuke asked his temper sparking, straining against the wires. Kakashi had managed to get some between them so Kari could easily be freed while still leaving Sasuke bound.

"If I don't do this you'll run away wont you? Since you're not the type who sits quietly and listens to lectures."

"No?" Kari said confused. Kakashi rose an eyebrow at her lightened mood. He'd expected her to remain depressed like the rest of the team for a while longer. Still, he wasn't going to complain while she was reasonably happy.

"I'm here to talk to Sasuke, Kari. But you may as well listen too," Kakashi said and she nodded falling silent getting the gist of it. Kakashi frowned slightly, noticing her happiness had already mostly drained away.

"Tch!"

"Sasuke…" Kakashi said. "Forget about revenge."

"Nani?" Sasuke hissed.

"Maa, I've seen a lot of people like you, and the fate of those who seek revenge is grim," Kakashi explained steadily eyes locked on Sasuke's. "It's tragic. You will end up suffering and hurting yourself even more. Even if you do succeed in getting revenge the only thing that remains is emptiness."

"Damare! What do you know?!" Sasuke shouted and Kari flinched slightly, her ears falling lower. "Don't lecture me as if you know what it's like!"

"Na, calm down."

"Then how about it, should I kill the most important person to you right now?" Sasuke asked with a wicked smirk. Kari's eyes widened and she turned her head to give him a horrified look out the corner of her eye. "That way you'll know that what you just said is way off the mark!"

"Well, I won't mind if you do. I no longer have anyone left important to me they've all been killed already, unless you count the girl sitting in front of you."

"Kashi," Kari murmured looking back up at him with sorrow. He simply smiled back at her, silently reassuring her.

"I've lived much longer than you; it was a bad time too. I know very well how it feels to lose important people," Kakashi said. Sasuke looked down his anger fading. "Maa, I'll just say that we're both unlucky people, that's a fact. But we're not completely out of luck. You and I have important friends now don't we?" His visible eye closed, crinkling into a smile.

'_Naruto, Sakura, Kari…'_

"You understand because you lost important people. You were given the power of Chidori because you made important friends." With a light tug, the wires loosened around their bodies. "That power isn't used against friends or for revenge. You should know what that power is for. Think about whether or not what I said is off or not. Hmm?" Kakashi looked down to see Kari's face pressed into his vest, arms tight around his waist.

"You're important to me too Kashi…" He wrapped an arm lazily around her shoulders, feeling a smile form under his mask.

"I have places to be. Congratulations on your promotion to Chuunin Kari." He fondly patted her on the head and she managed a smile. "Cheer up ne?"

"Be safe," she said releasing him and he jumped off, heading to wherever he needed to go for his mission.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Let's get going shall we?"

"That's the copy ninja Kakashi. It would be a bit difficult if a ninja like him was around, so lets wait a bit."

"Shit's like you guys can't do it, but I can."

"Hn! I don't know about that. If there are two there would be more than enough to win."

"Stop butting in, you piece of shit."

"Tayuya, women shouldn't be saying words like that."

"Urusai, fat ass!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sakura rested her head on the top of the balcony wall, looking out over the village. Her mind was a river flowing with memories, of the old days. Back when they were new Genin and Kari had only just started settling in. The way the boys would fight, she'd egg Sasuke on, Kari would cheer on Naruto and Kakashi would look over it all irritated. And in training and between missions they'd stop for lunch and talk and laugh, just enjoying each others company. And when their missions finished late, they'd watch the sun descend and the sky darken together.

Where had those times gone?

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Naruto was thinking along the same lines, sitting on a shop roof with Kita silently at his side. She was an extension of Kari and despite his troubled thoughts, he felt a slight comfort.

Back in Nami he and Sasuke were still rivals, even over stupid things like eating contests. Yet that was where they'd become friends with Kari as the catalyst, knocking Sasuke's ego a few times and sticking up for Naruto, helping him feel more confident and relaxed, enough to start to bond with Sasuke. And when they'd both managed to climb their trees, that sense of pride and contentment. They were happy together, proud of themselves while Kari watched on. They'd all had to hobble back to Tazuna's, with Kita leading the way.

Where had those times gone?

Picking up Kita, he jumped down and started walking down the street bathed by the light of sunset. He was almost home when he spotted Sakura waiting against the wall next to the stairs.

"Sakura-chan?"

"I need to tell you something. We'll make it a date, so walk with me for a bit."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

The hours he spent thinking, she didn't make a sound. She didn't move, try and make eye contact or anything. She just sat there silent, letting him think. He could sense she had become on edge, probably sensing ANBU doing their patrolling or something. Or maybe she was thinking too, thinking too much. He knew it was getting late and they should get back but he didn't want to. What would be waiting? Emptiness and letters from the hospital.

"Chikusho." How could he choose between his team, his friends and revenge. He knew now that no matter how much he had denied it till now, his team had managed to worm their way into his heart. "Chikusho!" Kari's body went rigid and her eyes snapped up to the moon. Following her gave he noticed four silhouettes jump in front of the orb. They landed in front of them surrounding them. Sasuke got to his feet as Kari shot to his side, Chakra prickling against his skin. She growled baring fangs, immediate distrust sparked by a familiar scent.


	69. Kiretsu

**A/N:** Sorry this chapters a little short, but that's where it felt right to end it. I actually like this chapter, despite... well read and see ;) -Evil laugh- Yes Sybil Corvax it is _them_! xD Thanks to cutiekyoto for her constructive criticism and Aiirin for her long review. Heck thank you ALL reviewers. You are my sky :)

**Claimer:** all un-Masashi Kishimoto material is mine.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or the lyrics used in this chapter.

* * *

**Kiretsu**

**_Cracks_**

_Sanity, trust,_

_They're like glass_

_Though resistant to many blows_

_It only takes one hard hit to shatter._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sakura walked ahead of Naruto, lost in thought. Kita was faithfully at Naruto's side, entertained with the colours the sky painted around the time the sun goes to sleep. They were fading now, and a deep blue was taking their place, ready to welcome the moon.

'_The curse that Orochimaru put on them during the Chuunin Exam… Kakashi-sensei says it's fine now, but…' _Sakura stopped and turned around. Naruto also came to a halt and looked up confused. She looked so worried and scared, and he couldn't understand why.

'_Why does it feel as if something bad is coming?'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Who are you guys?" Sasuke asked as Kari backed up closer to him her leg brushing against his.

"The four sounds," the one with six arms said with a smirk. He was darkly tanned, his dark hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail. An Oto hitai-ate was around his forehead. "I'm Kidoumaru of Toumon."

"Same, I'm Sakon of Seimon," another guy said. He had silver hair that that covered one eye that almost reached his shoulders, a sickly pale complexion and by the look of it, an odd taste in make up (judging by the green lipstick and purple eyeliner). What seemed to be another head was coming out of the back of his neck, the face hidden by a mop of silver hair.

"Same, I'm Jiroubou of Nanmon," stated the last male. He was large, in height and width with three stripes of orange hair.

"Same, I'm Tayuya of Hokumon," the only girl said harshly. Dark pink hair slightly covered her face and reached her mid-back. She wore a black hat with bandages around her forehead. She practically oozed bad attitude. All four wore outfits similar to what Orochimaru had worn in his grass-nin disguise during the Second Chuunin Exam.

They suddenly shot off, running around them at high speed. Kari stayed close to Sasuke, not daring to leave his side. Kidoumaru shot towards them and aimed a punch at Sasuke which grazed the Uchiha's arm. Sasuke pressed down on the six-armed mans back and while Kari kicked back the one named Sakon into the trunk of the tree, Tayuya landing next to him. Jiroubou came up behind Sasuke, who hooked his arm into Kidoumaru's bow and blocked Jiroubou's punch before throwing them both over his shoulder and into the other two. But when the smoke cleared, only four logs lay there. Following Kari's gaze, he noticed them standing on the building behind him.

"I'm in a bad mood right now," Sasuke said. "If you want to fight, I won't hold back."

"Heh, don't talk big, weakling," Sakon said. "Well come on, I'll play the '_do re mi fa so la ti do'_ for you, to break your ribs!" He said using his finger to beckon Sasuke. Sasuke shot forward, pushing Kari back in a way to say he would handle it. Kidoumaru went to step forward but Sakon beat him to it. "I'll do it!" Sasuke pulled out wire and blocked Sakon's kick, he wrapped the wire around his legs and smirked reeling it in and pulling him down on to the roof. _'He got both my legs with the strings…' _Sakon thought angrily, bringing his arm up to block Sasuke's kick. He grabbed hold of the Uchiha's ankle and then his follow up punch and kick, with both his arms being used to defend himself, Sasuke went to punch Sakon in the face. "Hm, let's hear some good sounds," Sakon said with a smirk. "Do!"

"N-nani?" Sasuke cried as blood rushed out of his mouth.

"Re!" Sasuke gasped as he was thrown back towards the tree trunk, Kari managing to catch him before he hit it. '_Where the hell did he attack from?'_ "Your bones have a low tone. Let's hear a higher pitched sound ne?" Sensing an attack coming from behind, Sasuke and Kari jumped up, avoiding Kidoumaru's kick. Sasuke was caught off guard when a spider web was spat at him, attaching itself to his arms and throwing him. Kari landed on a branch and tried to stop herself from freaking out.

'_No, no, no! Anything but spiders! Not spiders! Kari get a hold of yourself th-they're just spiders! Spiders can't hurt you it's nothing to be afraid of!'_ she thought hysterically.

She cursed her thoughts when Kidoumaru managed to spit out his spiders thread and attach it to Kari's side. She let out a choked cry and was slammed into the tree, the sticky substance binding her to the trunk.

"Arachnophobic?" Kidoumaru mocked, smirking as goosebumps sprouted on Kari's skin and her pupils dilated. Sasuke was rammed by Jiroubou and was sent flying towards Sakon.

"Next will be the 'mi fa so' combination," Sakon said and went to strike but Sasuke ducked and kicked him up into the air. He appeared above him and rammed the heel of his foot into Sakon's abdomen, quickly followed by his elbow and then his fist.

"Last!" Sasuke cried, spinning and kicking him into the roof. "Shi shi Rendan!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Ittadakimasu!" Naruto and Kita cried as a fresh ramen was placed in front of them.

"Sakura-chan, come on, eat up!" Naruto cried after he swallowed a mouthful of noodles. "The chashuu ramen here is the best dattebayou, ne Kita-chan?"

"Hai!" Kita cried as Teuchi broke some chopsticks and gathered some noodles to put into Kita's mouth. As Naruto was his best customer and usually brought Kita along, it had become a ritual of sorts that Teuchi or Ayame feed her when they weren't busy, so Naruto didn't have to all the time. They knew how to treat their customers well! Besides, Kita hated getting food all around her muzzle. Sakura just looked sadly at her food, not touching it.

"Don't worry, it's my treat this time," Naruto said happily "Ne Ojiichan?"

"Treating girls to ramen, you've really grown up Naruto," Teuchi said fondly.

"E-e-eh?! What are you talking about?! Sakura-chan and I have a very important matter to discuss and I treat Kari-chan now and again!" Naruto cried, blushing at what Teuchi was suggesting. "G-g-girlfriend…? It's nothing like that…" He blushed and looked round at Sakura, hoping for a blush but dreading a fist. To his surprise though, she wasn't even paying attention. "Sakura-chan?"

"Eh? Gomen Naruto I spaced out," Sakura apologised. "Looks delicious!"

"Saa, tell me about Sasuke and Kari-chan while we eat," Naruto said going to shove more ramen in his mouth only to pause at the sorrowful look on Sakura's face.

"Sasuke-kun… told me not to tell you. It's all Orochimaru's fault. Kakashi-sensei said they'd be fine and I want to believe that, but when they fought Gaara, it… again… Earlier when he fought you, Sasuke-kun had that same face again. That's why… I…"

"Orochimaru, huh?" Naruto asked putting his chopsticks down. Kita's ears perked. "I met him the other day."

"Where?" Sakura cried.

"While searching for Tsunade no Obaachan. He was up against Ero-sennin and Obaachan. He's very strong and very dangerous. And Kari-chan despises him; she reacted so violently just at the sight of him, at his name…" Naruto said, and Kita's ears lowered.

"That…"

"Daijoubu dattebayou! Sasuke would never accept that bastard's invitation, Kari-chan wouldn't let him!" Naruto said returning to his bowl and eating with gusto. "He doesn't need to that since he's really strong dattebayou. I guarantee it."

"Aa!" Sakura said with a smile, Naruto's words reassuring her.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"What would Orochimaru-sama want with weaklings like these?" Sakon scoffed, holding Sasuke up by his ankle. "Kimimaro would've been a better choice."

"Let him go," Kari hissed, feeling her canines lengthen in her mouth.

"Well, as long as you stay in this shitty village, you'll be no different from an average person. You won't get any stronger."

"I said let him go!" Kari cried, her chakra cutting her free from the web. She didn't get very far, Kidoumaru appearing behind her and easily gripping her arms and legs.

'_Nande? I felt I connected on every combo. Yet it seems like he didn't take any damage.'_ Sasuke thought.

"If you keep playing ninja games with your buddies, you'll just rot," Sakon said. Kari growled, eyes bleeding into a darker, brighter red as Kumouri smiled wickedly in her cage.

"_**You're getting angry aren't you ko? You want to shut them up, make them pay**__…"_

"Come with us," Tayuya said, landing in front of the Uchiha. "That way, Orochimaru-sama will give you power." Sasuke's curse mark burned and Kari felt the sting course through her body.

"It's pointless if we force you to come," Kidoumaru said, his two free hands settling on Kari's sides, trying to stop her thrashing. "You must decide."

"Orochimaru-sama sure gave us a troublesome job. So what's it gonna be?" Sakon asked impatiently, while Kari felt Kumouri's Chakra prickling under her skin. "You comin', or not?" Sasuke was roughly thrown into a wall and with a sharp kick Kari finally managed to free herself of Kidoumaru, sliding in front of Sasuke with wild crimson eyes. "Make it clear. I feel like killing these weaklings for being so hesitant!"

'_Sasuke no…'_ Kari thought as her curse mark burned, markings spreading down her left arm. _'I can't… don't… don't!'_

"Try it!" Sasuke growled his Sharingan activating. The tips of Kari's hair looked to be dipped in silver and the left side of her body burned. Kumouri was thrashing in their cage, despite Kitai's attempts to restrain her. Kokoro had gone into a sort of conscious comatose state, her eyes open but devoid of attention as the curse mark disrupted their Chakra.

"You're releasing the cursed seal?" Sakon asked. Sasuke shot forwards to attack but was easily thrown back. "Temee, you're not the only one Orochimaru likes," Sakon said lifting his hair to show the worm-like ink splatter appearance of his seal's markings. "You shouldn't be using your seals so carelessly. By the way, it seems like you can't seem to control your seals. If you stay in the released state for too long the seal will eventually consume your bodies. It seems like you're only in the first stage so the speed at which it spreads is slow. Once it completely takes over your bodies, you will lose yourselves… forever." Sasuke's markings receded, allowing Kari to force hers back too. She felt sore and drained, but her anger and need to protect Sasuke kept her up. "And you." Kari's eyes narrowed into a glare as he addressed her. "You're body rejects your seal, if you don't learn to control it you'll die within months, probably weeks."

"In return for gaining power through the cursed seal, you will be under Orochimaru-sama's control. We have no freedom. In order to gain something you must throw something away. What is your purpose? Is it to stay in this jolly village and lick each others wounds? And then forget everything… about Uchiha Itachi?" Tayuya asked.

"Don't forget your purpose. This village is nothing more than a shackle. You should just break such worthless bonds. That way… you will be able to gain an even greater power," Sakon said.

'_They're targeting Sasuke's revenge…'_ Kari thought while her growl increased, eyes blazing. The wind whipped around her as Chakra started to leak from her body, her teeth sharpening, fur going static. Her growling turned to snarls, the beast-like sound startling Sasuke. She felt her nails sharpen and curl around her fingertips as her muscles tightened.

"And you," Tayuya said while the sound four seemed to grow wary. "You have no control over that which lies within you. What is there to stop you from loosing control and destroying this peaceful little village? What's to stop you from butchering all those innocent little people?"

Jackpot.

Kari's eyes widened and her Chakra faded.

'_She… She wouldn't hurt anyone in this village! Sure her control was slipping a little but she had Kakashi and Naruto to help her… and Jiraiya and Tsunade!'_

"Those eyes before, you lusted for out blood didn't you ookami-ko?" Sakon asked, smirk back in place.

'_Blood… When… when I bit Itachi…'_

"_**It tasted wonderful didn't it?**__"_

"Orochimaru-sama can teach you control.

'_No, Orochimaru is the enemy! He did this to me and Sasuke! He did this!'_

"He won't turn his back on you if you become a monster."

'_He did this! He's the reason I'm like this! I'm not a monster!'_

But if he was the cause of the problem, of course he would know the solution?

'_NO!'_

"Don't forget your purpose!" Sakon cried and they jumped up towards the moon, disappearing and leaving nothing but leaves in the wind.

"Sasuke…" Kari said looking around at him. He ignored her, holding out his hand to catch a leaf, Itachi's face loomed at him and he crushed the leaf in his fist. "S-Sasuke…"

"Leave me alone," he muttered. Her ears shot down and her eyes widened in hurt.

"Sa-Sasuke…"

"_Get lost_!" he snapped, jumping to his feet and turning away from her.

"They're lying! You won't get power there he'll destroy you! It's all lies!" She cried desperately grabbing hold of the end of his shirt, but her hand was roughly slapped away. "Sasuke! You can't be considering it?! Sasuke they're lying!" she said pleadingly.

"It's no lie your losing control though is it?" he snapped harshly.

"That's—!"

"Just get out of my sight," he hissed and with that he took off, disappearing from sight. She slid to her knees trembling as her sight blurred with tears.

"Sasuke…" she whispered as fresh blood rolled down her pale cheek. It was silent, only the wind's caress was her answer. "I'm not a monster… I'm… I'm not!"

The silence unsettled her and she felt her heart tighten realising Sasuke wasn't coming back.

"I'm…. I'm not… I'm not a monster… "

_I'm not... Am I?_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Thank you!" Teuchi cried after Naruto had paid him. The blonde boy grinned, picking up Kita before rushing after Sakura.

"Aa! Sakura-chan I'll walk you back!" Naruto offered, noticing how it had gotten dark out quite early.

"It's okay, you don't have to," she said simply.

"Nande? Nande? Walking around at night is dangerous dattebayou!" Naruto cried and Kita nodded before yawning.

"It's still light, and the moon is bright. I'll be fine," Sakura reassured him.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked concerned.

"Naruto, arigatou, but I want to go back alone."

"You sure?" he asked uncertainly.

"I'll be fine! Make sure Kita-chan gets back safely."

"She's staying with me as it is dattebayou!" Naruto laughed. "Bye Sakura-chan!" he watched as she disappeared, smiling to himself before that smile weakened and then disappeared completely.

'_Sasuke… Can't you see what you're doing to Kari-chan and Sakura-chan?'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari sat with her head hidden, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her crying had subsided, but she was still shaking, rocking back and forth.

"I… I'm not a monster…"

Like a mantra she repeated it over and over.

"… I'm not a monster…"

"… I'm not a monster…"

"… I'm not a monster…"

She knew it was true, so why did she keep saying it?

"… I'm not a monster…"

"… Not a monster…"

"… Not a monster…"

'_Sasuke…'_

What would happen if he left the village? Her eyes snapped open.

What _would_ happen? People weren't allowed out the village were they? That was what missing nins were right? What happened to missing-nins? What about hunter-nins like Haku? What would they do to him if he left?!

She jumped down and started running. He would know… and he wouldn't ask too many questions…

She would just say she was curious that's all.

Kari ran faster her hand clutching her shirt over her heart. It was beating so fast from fear she thought it would burst through her ribs then and there. Tsunade's necklace bounced against her knuckles as she ran.

_They wouldn't __**kill**__ Sasuke would they…?_

She saw her destination ahead and picked up her pace. It was just a little further that was all. Just a little further…

"Oi, _OI_! You can't go in there!" a guard blocked her way and pushed her back, but she was already too stressed. She couldn't deal with this now. She had to know, and to know, she had to see him.

"Get out the way!" Kari cried and flooding Chakra into her fist, she caught the guard in the gut before he could react. He went flying back and the two guards to relieve him of his duty came running up, as well as his partner that had gone for a bathroom break.

"Oi!!" they cried and managed to grab both her arms, while the other hooked an arm around her waist, his other hand grabbing her tail. She struggled as if they were bringing a pot of burning water towards her, flailing and twisting desperate to break free.

"No! NO! Neji! _NEJI_!!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kari-neechan?" Hinata thought out loud. She could have sworn she heard her voice…

"Oneechan, Kari-chan's out the front fighting the guards and screaming for Neji," Hanabi said with a puzzled expression. Her confusion was doubled when Hinata whipped away from her without so much as an explanation. "Right… I'll just wait here shall I?"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Neji! Neji-niisan!" Hinata cried, rushing into the branch quarters. Neji was sharpening kunai in his room and looked up irritated when Hinata burst in.

"Hinata-sama wh—"

"Niisan! Kari-neechan's out the front calling for you!" Hinata cried and Neji raised an eyebrow, wondering why this fact made Hinata so frantic.

"So?" Neji asked. Hinata usually brought Kari with her when she wanted to see him. She'd come by early mornings to train before, but rarely at night.

"H-Hanabi said she was screaming a-and fight the guards!"

'_Why the hell didn't she say that to begin with?!'_

He wasted no time rushing out his door, Hinata quickly following behind. He rushed out towards the front gate, beginning to hear her cries.

"Kari!" he cried and her head snapped up and her struggles doubled.

"Neji!!"

"Let her go!" Neji shouted and after a nod from Hinata the guards dropped her, Neji rushing forward to steady her but not prepared for her to completely collapse. "Kari what's wrong? What happened?"

"She just barged in and demanded to see Neji-san," one of the guards said. "She knocked out the guard standing watch and we rushed to apprehend her.

"B-but surely y-you've seen her b-before?" Hinata asked.

"She could've been a spy, or a disguise jutsu. The main house's safety takes priority."

"Kari, Kari look at me," Neji said, lifting her upper body as her eyes seemed to glaze over, her breaths coming in short ragged pants. Blood slipped through her lips and her face was chalk white. She could feel the blood flooding out of her curse mark and the searing itch and burn down her left side. "Kari who did this to you?!"

"G-get…"

"Get what? Get who?" Neji asked desperately as her hand grasped his shirt.

"Tsu-tsunade… Kashi… Sa-Sasu… ke…" her hand fell limp at her side and her body went floppy. Neji placed his ear against her chest listening carefully.

"Kuso!" He cursed and hoisted her up, rushing out of the compound.

"Oniisan!" Hinata called after him, but he was already gone. "T-take care of Kari-neechan, Neji…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Hold on, you'll be ok Kari, you'll be ok!" Neji cried as he rushed towards the Hokage mansion. He had no idea where the Copy-ninja or the Uchiha would be and reasoned that she needed medical attention before anything else. As he ran, he almost collided with Naruto.

"Neji—K-Kari-chan?!"

"Find Uchiha and bring him to the Hokage!" Neji bellowed, not slowing his pace to explain. Resisting the urge to follow and check his best friend he, turned and ran. He'd find Sasuke, and he had better get some answers when he did.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Maa, I've just been on a mission," Kakashi sighed while Tsunade gave him a withering glare.

"You're a Jounin, stop whining. Besides this is urgent."

"It's always urgent, and it's usually something a Chuunin would probably be able to cope with and then you send Genin on missions more suited to my rank." He didn't mean to be disrespectful and snappy, but he hadn't even slept yet and he was already being thrown on another solo mission.

"I give them out as they come, Hatake! I can't help it if all the Jounin and ANBU are out on missions can I? It's not my fault Konoha was attacked!" Tsunade fumed. She really did choose the worst time to become Hokage; she needed some good sake right now.

"Aa, I'll get right to it," Kakashi sighed, but before he could poof away the door was slammed open. Tsunade stood up angrily about to scold whoever had just barged in, but her words died in her throat seeing the Hyuuga prodigy holding an unconscious, pale as death Kari.

"What in the world happened?! Never mind, lay her on the floor, you can tell me as I work," Tsunade instructed and Neji laid her down Kakashi kneeling next to her only to shift Kari up so her head was resting on the Jounin's lap while she muttered about 'breathing'. She placed a hand on Kari's sternum and her hand glowed green.

"She ran into the Hyuuga compound after knocking out a guard and supposedly started screaming for me. Three guards held her back and I was alerted by Hinata-sama. When they let go of her, her struggling stopped and she collapsed, asking for the both of you and the Uchiha," Neji explained.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. Neji nodded while he gripped her hand.

"Kuso," Tsunade hissed when blood started flooding out of Kari's mouth. "I'm missing something, what the hell am I missing?!"

"Hokage-sama…" Kakashi said and her brown eyes snapped to his. He untied Kari's hitai-ate, revealing her blood stained neck and shoulder. "Her body rejects _it_."

"I can't remove it," Tsunade said her hands pressing over the bleeding mark.

"What are you talking about?" Neji demanded but Kakashi shook his head, shooting the Hyuuga a stern look.

"We need to focus on Kari for now."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sasuke's hands were buried in his pockets as he trudged along the deserted street. His mind was a mess with thoughts, possibilities, consequences… He just felt so torn.

On one hand there was Itachi, his revenge, his family. For that he needed power.

On the other hand there was Naruto, Kari, Kakashi, Sakura and Kita (yes he admitted he had a bond somewhat with the little wolf). They gave him something else; they eased the emptiness and pain.

But they couldn't give him power.

But if he left and fulfilled his goal, he'd have nothing to return to.

Shimatta…

He knew Kari would never forgive him. She depended on him and wouldn't be able to heal from the wound of abandonment. If he left, it would kill her inside. Sakura would be heartbroken and Naruto… Naruto would hate him for what he did to the girls. Kakashi would be disappointed with him too.

But he couldn't let that temee of a brother walk around free. He had sins to pay for and Sasuke was the only one that could kill him. If he let go of revenge his soul would never be at peace.

Kari, Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto… Naruto?

"Sasuke!!" Naruto hollered as he ran full speed towards him, and the Uchiha was surprised to see he was angry. Had Kari told him?

"What?" Sasuke asked, ready to block should a fist come his way.

"Kari-chan's hurt! We need to get to Tsunade no Obaachan!" Naruto cried grabbing hold of his wrist and attempting to drag him.

"Hurt?" Sasuke asked puzzled.

"She looked in a bad way dattebayou! C'mon we have to hurry!"

'_Hurt? But she was fine when I left… Please don't tell me she hurt herself!'_

"Sasuke _hurry!_" Naruto cried in desperation and finally the Uchiha relented and followed after the knucklehead ninja.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"The bleeding is slowing," Tsunade said as Kakashi pulled the golden strands away from the blood. He pulled her bangs out of her burning face, stopping them sticking due to the sweat on her brow.

"We're here!" Naruto cried bursting in but stopped when he saw the state she was in. He'd taken at least half an hour to find Sasuke, so this must be serious if it was taking so long. The fact she was so unconscious and still unsettled him. "W-what happened?" Naruto asked, voicing Sasuke's thoughts. The green faded from Tsunade's hands and she sighed.

"Thanks for your help Neji, we'll take it from here," Tsunade said wiping her brow. Though he looked about to protest, his upbringing allowed him to force it back down.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." He released Kari's hand and stood exiting the room, but not before giving a long hard glare at the Uchiha who he deemed at fault. Once he closed the door behind him, Tsunade waited a moment before beginning to speak.

"Anything you want to tell me boys?"

"Neji said she'd asked for Sasuke, so I got him and brought him back here. I sent Kita-chan home first so I didn't worry her," Naruto explained. "Kari-chan!" he cried, rushing over when her eyes fluttered open but Tsunade shooed him back saying she needed space. Her eyes flitted to each person before sighing softly.

"Care to explain?" Tsunade asked, giving Kari a stern look. It wasn't unkind, merely concerned. Kari closed her eyes so she wouldn't look to Sasuke.

"I was training and the seal acted up when I used too much Chakra," Kari said slowly, clearly groggy. Tsunade's lips thinned, not believing her story.

"And Neji?"

"I wanted him to close my Chakra points in case I lost control."

"If he'd closed your tenketsu in the state you were in you could've died," Tsunade said.

"Better than loosing control…" Kari said and sat up smiling slightly. "Gomen for worrying you all."

"Kari-chan," Naruto said and she walked over to him placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine, I'm okay aren't I? Don't worry about me so much," she said gently and was worried to see tears build up in Naruto's eyes.

"I can't," he said choked. "Every time something bad happens it's always you that gets hurt!"

"Naru…"

"Why can't it be someone else for once?! Why can't I get hurt instead?! Why—?!" He was cut off when he was pulled into Kari's arms.

"Shh… When you get hurt, I get hurt too through the pain of bonds. Only mine becomes physical. Better that I get hurt than both of us hm?" she said, running her hands through his blonde locks while he buried his face into her shoulder, arms locking tightly around her waist.

"I don't want you to hurt anymore…"

"Pain is a part of life, as much as I wish it weren't, it's necessary in life," she said softly. "But friends make pain easier to deal with, so you ease my pain." She felt his tears hit her neck, hot and raw. "Please don't cry Naru…" she whispered as tears tickled her eyes.

"I can't…"

It seemed as though they'd forgotten the Hokage, their sensei and the Uchiha. Kari softly sang to him in an attempt to soothe him.

"_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,_

_You make me happy, when skies are grey,_

_You'll never know dear, how much I love you,_

_Please don't take my sunshine away…"_

Letting go of him she pulled Tsunade's necklace over her head and put it over Naruto's. She gently kissed his cheek and brushed his tears away, smiling softly at him.

"You look better when you smile Naruto."

With that she turned and walked out, Sasuke shooting Naruto a look before he followed shutting the door behind him.

"Will she be okay?" Naruto asked, looking around at the two adults.

"Kari's strong, Naruto," Tsunade replied, not giving a straight answer. It seemed enough for Naruto though because he managed to force a smile.

"Of course she is, she's my best friend. Kari-chan's going to be the right hand woman of the Hokage someday," Naruto said and left the room.

"Knowing him it'll be joint Hokage," Tsunade said with a weak smile. "Or maybe Hokage's wife."

"Tsunade-sama…"

"I'm sorry Kakashi," she said cutting him off and holding out a scroll. "I know you're worried to death over Kari, but I need you to be a shinobi and carry out this mission."

Kakashi accepted the scroll, his expression grim behind his mask.

"The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll return. Just don't rush and become careless. Kari would never forgive herself if you were hurt," Tsunade said reaching into her draw and pulling out a sake bottle. She certainly deserved it in her opinion.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

As soon as they arrived home and away from prying ears Sasuke took hold of her shoulders and forced her to face him.

"What _really_ happened?" he demanded. He was slightly disturbed at the way she suddenly seemed to shut off. Was she still upset by what he said?

"My body rejects the curse mark Sasuke." Her voice was flat. She'd been so caring with Naruto, pulling him into her arms and singing to him to comfort him. And this was what Sasuke got? The door to her soul slammed in his face.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he hissed and he caught her spark in her eyes.

"Oh I don't know Sasuke, let's think shall we?! You and Naruto try and _kill_ each other on the roof of a hospital and Sakura gets caught in the crossfire, you get jumped by four of Orochimaru's cronies and they tell you to leave the village that I'm supposedly going to destroy because I'm a _monster_, my body shuts down because of everything and now Naruto's terrified I'm going to be dead when he wakes up in the morning! I should be absolutely _peachy_!!" she shouted getting in his face as her eyes bled red, his Sharingan activating in retaliation.

"And all of that's _my_ fault?!"

"You're seriously considering it aren't you?! You're thinking of leaving us all behind while you go running to that snake in hopes he'll give you some nice free power! You think that's the way forward?! Sell yourself into slavery and debt to get forbidden jutsu that will wind up _killing_ you if he doesn't first?! How do you know he won't rip the Sharingan from your head and leave you to die in a ditch somewhere, huh?!!"

"I—!"

"No. You _don't_ know. You think you do; and that you can just take what he gives you and kill him if he bothers you! He's a _Sannin_ you baka! He could kill you in a few seconds flat! And don't bring up the Forest of Death because we both know he was holding back! He can do all kinds of horrible twisted things that could be worse than death! You think _this_ is what your clan wanted?! For you to go get yourself _killed_ and be some _experiment_?!"

"You know nothing about my family!" Sasuke seethed, Sharingan spinning dangerously.

"Maybe not, but I know _you_ Uchiha Sasuke, no matter how much you claim I don't!"

"You know _nothing_ about me!!"

"Really? So I don't know your jutsu, your movements, your strengths and weaknesses?! You don't think that I actually paid attention when you opened up to me a little or when you showed that maybe, yeah, you actually _do_ care about your team-mates and friends?! YOU THINK I DON'T CARE ABOUT _YOU_?!!"

She was crushed to his chest and let out a startled gasp. It was then she became aware of the stickiness on her cheeks. _'When did I start crying?'_

"I know you do," he whispered. He tightened his hold on her, gripping hair and clothes tightly in his hands. "I know you care…"

And that's when the sobs properly came. Her wails shook him to his bones as she buried her face in his chest gripping the back of his shirt in a death grip, knuckles white. Her whole body shook despite his tight hold as she cried.

No, this wasn't crying.

It was the edge of heartbreak and insanity.

"Onegai, don't leave me Sasuke! Don't leave us, please!" she begged her voice thick with tears. "We're your friends; we'll find a way… Even if we don't always show it we love you, you're a part of us…" He listened patiently to her broken ramblings. "You understand that don't you? You understand that we love you? That no matter how much of a monster I became I'd never intentionally hurt you?!"

"You're not a monster Kari…"

"I'm scared Sasuke…" she admitted crimson tears rolling relentlessly down her cheeks. "I'm so scared…"

"So am I Kari… So am I…"


	70. Sentakushi

**A/N:** I _hate_ this chapter -.- . I'm not sure why I hate it, but I do. And it's short, I was going to cut it off half way, but then it would just be pitiful xD. Thank you to all the reviewers and I'm so, so, so sorry to the people I made cry! *showers with cookies*

**Disclaimer:** Masashi-sempai owns the good stuff.

**Claimer:** I don't want to claim this chapter =.= But I will, because it's mine.

* * *

**Sentakushi**

_Choices_

_There's was a fork in the road and they each took different paths,_

_Neither waited for her and she was stuck with the question;_

_Should she follow her heart or listen to her head?_

_-_

_It only takes one wrong choice, to lead to a disaster._

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

It didn't take long for Kari to cry herself to sleep. After all the stress she'd been under it was a welcome relief, allowing her body to recharge and relax. He had held her for a while where they sat on the floor before picking her up and carrying her to the bed, pulling the covers over them.

She stirred slightly, but soon relaxed when he pulled her to him again. Sasuke didn't feel at all sleepy; merely tired with everything that was going on around him. Everything was spiralling downhill and Kari was being dragged down with him. He twisted his hands in her hair, a habit he'd somehow acquired. It was soothing, like repeatedly stroking a cat.

He took his time to look at her, really look at her and take everything in. She looked older, and not just by the few months in which he'd known her. She looked years older.

His hand left her hair so his fingers could brush her cheek, soft and smooth yet dry from the recent tears. The healthy pink flush seemed to have disappeared from her cheeks and she was loosing her baby fat a little too quickly. He felt the curve of her cheekbone to where it was stating to hollow underneath. She was so tiny the extra weight loss couldn't be good for her.

His eyes roamed her face, burning it to his memory. Long black eyelashes kissed her cheeks while she slept, her eye lids hiding her doe like eyes. Her small ski-slope nose and her full petal pink lips. Her blonde bangs had gotten a little long, falling slightly into her eyes, despite the fact she cut it, they weren't exactly neat and straight like the Hyuuga girl she adored, yet they still framed her face nicely. The rest of her hair had grown out to her waist, strong and shiny.

He took hold of one of her hands, running his thumb along her palm and the back of her hand. Her hands were soft and delicate, more fit for a lord's daughter than a shinobi. Her fingers were slim and elegant, her knuckles harshly sharp when clenched, and her palm was barely thicker than her tiny wrist.

She was pulled closer, back into his embrace while he ran a hand down her side. She was thinner, her waist had started to narrow and her hips were slightly wider yet she hadn't begun to put on the added weight to pad them with curves. Sasuke found himself frowning when his fingers ran down her ribs, able to feel the indent of each one, before he felt her hip, sharp and protruding with barely any meat at all.

'_What have I done to you…?'_

Of course, it wasn't all his fault. It was everything piling on top of her until she couldn't breathe. She'd lost weight due to stress and she became ill because she was careless with her safety compared to other peoples.

But admittedly, part of it _was_ his fault.

Even so, she was still beautiful to him. She was still Kari. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Gomen."

Silently, he detangled himself from her and slid out the bed. He picked up his bag and pulled it onto his shoulder, pulling the straps straight. Glancing at her, he noticed she hadn't stirred. He crossed the room to stand in front of his team picture, his eyes scanning each face, a happy Sakura, him and Naruto glaring at each other while Kakashi placed a hand on their heads with what he guessed was a pained smile and Kari stood beside Naruto looking as though she couldn't be happier.

'_Where have those times gone?'_ His hand reached out to touch the frame, before placing it face down.

'_Those times are over now."_

He walked slowly to the door, opening it carefully so it wouldn't creak too loudly. Before he left he looked back at her once more, just to remember her, the way she looked, the way she smelt, the way she felt…

And then he was gone.

Not a second later her eyes opened as tears broke free. Hers hands came to settle over her heart, gripping the material covering it.

So that was it. He'd made his choice.

_She wasn't a good enough reason to stay._

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

As soon as he stepped out the building, he felt a crippling internal blow to his heart. It tightened horribly, as though wires had been wrapped around it, and cut into the organ with every beat. An uncomfortable weight dropped into the pit of his stomach and a searing pain shot through his eyes and throat.

He took a breath to regain his composure and straightened, starting to walk. His steps felt so heavy and slow as he walked, feeling as though he were travelling through sludge in shackles, with weights strapped to his feet. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing and placing one foot in front of the other.

'_Don't look back and you'll be fine. Don't look back.'_

He knew if he looked back his determination would weaken and he'd run back to her. He struggled to force all thoughts out of her out of his head, but he just couldn't. Every time he tried to clear his mind, her face would pop up or her voice would whisper to him. He flinched as though he had been struck and shook his head violently.

'_No, don't think about her!'_

But how do you forget something of such importance?

Everything led back to her. Every sound, she would hear clearer, the dark made her uneasy, but she could see better then most, he had walked with her on this path for missions and could almost feel her skipping along side him, trying to hide her excitement. The academy, where she'd desperately wished she could attend but never had the chance to, and the swing, where Naruto had pushed her while they laughed like little children.

As he walked, he caught sight of a flash of colour.

_Sakura._

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

Naruto awoke at the sound of his window sliding open and the cool air dancing across his face. Usually he would have slept through it, but he was tense at the moment, making him uneasy. His eyes opened slightly and he sat up once he realised who it was.

"Gomen, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Kari-chan… Have you been crying?" Naruto asked, a little more alert at the crack in her voice.

"Iie," she said with a weak smile as more tears cascaded down her face. "As stupid as it sounds, I just really need someone to hold me right now." Her voice choked and her breath caught in a sob her shoulders quivering. "Stupid, ne?"

"Course not," he said softly, holding his hand out to her. She took it and he gently pulled her to him, bringing her onto his lap and enveloping her in a comforting hug. "What's wrong dattebayou?"

"Everything…" she said sniffling, her chest tight.

"That's not true, we're best friends and there's nothing wrong about that, ne?" he said and smiled when he head her choke on a small laugh.

"Hai, you're the only thing that seems to be right."

"And Kita-chan, but she's out for the count on the couch right now, dattebayou," Naruto said as he leant back. "Let's lay down."

"Naru…?"

"Hmm?" he replied sleepily, at the edge of his dreams. They were so close it was impossible to fit anything between them, both physically and mentally. She pressed her face into his warm chest, her eyes still raw from tears.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Not as much as I love you dattebayou." She smiled gently.

"And you'll never doubt that, or forget that?" she asked, more tears managing to find their way out.

"Never, ever. Even if the whole world tells me different. Even if you say you don't, I know I'm your best friend and I'm a precious person to you. And you'll never doubt me, ne?"

"Arigatou, kitsune-nii."

"Can you sing that rhyme from before? Then I promise I'll go to sleep," he said pressing his lips to her forehead. She sang it to him in Japanese this time, just to drag the rhyme out a little longer.

"_Anata ha watashino taiyou, watashino yuiitsuno taiyou,_

_Anata ha tsukuru watashiwo shiwasena, haiirono sorani shite iru,_

_Anata no aisuru wakara nai yo, dore dake watashiha anata no sewa,_

_Fukuyoshinai dekudasai shite kudasai, watashino taiyouno hanarete_."

As promised, by the end, he was sleeping like a baby. She gently kissed his forehead, managing a smile through her tears.

"Oyasuminasai, yokunemaru Taiyou-kun."

'_Goodnight, sleep well Sunshine.'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

Sasuke came to a stop, immediately making sure his barriers were up.

"What are you doing wandering around here at night?" he asked.

"Because in order get out of the village, you must take this road," Sakura said quietly.

"Go home and sleep," he said blankly, walking past her as though she wasn't even there.

"Doushite?" she whispered as a tear slid down her cheek. "Why won't you tell me anything? Why do you always stay silent? Why won't you say anything to me?

"Why do I have to tell you anything?" Sasuke said, drowning out her voice with that harsh remark. He stopped, his temper flaring slightly, but did not turn to face her tears. "It's none of your business. Stop concerning yourself about what I do."

"You've… always hated me, huh?" she smiled sadly. "Do you remember? The day we first became Genin, and when our three-member team was first chosen? The day you and I were here alone, you got mad at me, remember?"

"_Oh yeah, you know how he doesn't have parents, right? If you're alone your parents won't get mad at you. That's why he's so selfish."_

"_The solitude… You can't even compare it to when your parents get mad at you."_

"D-doushita?"

"You're annoying."

She smiled and looked up at his back expectantly.

"I don't remember."

"Makes sense, that's something that happened a while ago, even before Kari-chan came," Sakura said her tears dropping onto the ground in front of her. "But that's the day everything started… you and I, also Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. Then Kari-chan and Kita-chan came soon after."

She couldn't stop the memories flashing through her mind at a fast pace. The happier times, when they were beginning to bond.

"The six of us completed a number of missions together. They were tough and a lot of work… Demo, above all, it was fun!" She took a deep breath, seeing how he hadn't moved. "I know about your clan, but revenge… that won't make anyone happy. No one. Neither you, nor I." Clouds passed over the moon, making it darker. But she could still see him.

"Just as I thought. I'm different from you guys. I walk a different path than you guys. I tried to think that it was my path to do the things we've done up until now. The six of us did things together, but in the end my heart decided on revenge. That's my purpose in life. I can't become like you, Naruto…" Sasuke slightly hesitated before saying her name. "…or Kari."

"Are you going to choose to be alone again?! On that day you taught me solitude was painful! I understand that so well right now. I have a family, and I have friends, but if you're gone… To me… It'll be the same as being alone!" she sobbed, the stone beneath her feet damp from tears.

"From here on… A new path will open for all of us."

"I… I love you so much!" she cried clasping her hands in front of her.

_'We love you, even if we don't always show it!'_

"If you stay with me, I'll make sure you won't regret it! Every day will be fun. We'll definitely be happy. I'll do anything for you. So… Please! Stay here! I'll help you with your revenge. I'll do something! So please stay here… with me!" Sakura begged. The moon peeped out from behind the clouds and lighted their way once more. "If you can't stay, take me with you." Finally, he looked around.

"You really _are_ annoying." He turned and started walking.

"Don't leave!" she cried running after him. "If you do I'll scream--!" he appeared behind her and she fell silent.

"Sakura… arigatou."

She felt a strike to the back of her head and everything went black.

"Sasu...ke… kun…"

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

He picked her up and placed her down on the bench. He was grateful that she cared so much for him, yet couldn't feel the same way. She was a friend, nothing more. He sighed and looked at the crystalline tears still wet on her face. That was two girls he'd made cry their hearts out today.

He turned, prepared to leave when a wind kicked up, slamming into his side. He shielded his eyes with his hands and waited a moment for it to settle. Lowering his arm his expression hardened.

"Kari."

She didn't answer, standing side on, the wind teasing her golden locks. She appeared blank as though not realizing he was there. He took a step forward and she didn't react. He took slow hesitant steps forward, watching her warily. Sakura he could handle no matter how hysteric she got, Kari was a whole different matter. He stopped hen he was in line with her, waiting for her to do something. When she didn't he started walking forward again, only for a tight grip to find his wrist.

"Let go."

His voice was a mumble, not wanting to be soft so that she broke down again but not wanting to be harsh in case she snapped and attacked.

"I need to go. You said you know me, so you know I need to do this."

He was getting irritated with her lack of reply and managed to wrench his arm out of her grasp. He resisted the urge to rub it and stepped forward turning to face her. Any words he prepared died in his throat when they looked at each other. Her eyes were completely dull, a bitter smile on her face. Her cheeks were streaked with red and her eyes were bloodshot.

If he left, she would lose her mind.

"Kari," he said weakly stepping forward and extending his hand only for her to flinch away.

"No…" she mumbled and brought her arms up to hug herself.

"Kari, it's me, it's Sasuke," he said stepping closer as she inched away.

"You're lying, Sasuke promised he'd never leave me…" she whispered.

"Don't do this to me," he begged, reaching out to touch her but his hand was slapped away. "Kari, please…" She fell to her knees gripping her ears. He crouched beside her sick with worry. "What have I done to you?"

"You lied…"

"I'm sorry," he said desperately but she still flinched away. "I'm not doing this to hurt you, I need power to protect you."

"You can't protect me…"

In a quick movement he managed to pull her to him and rocked gently back and forth in an attempt to soothe her.

"I don't want to lose you," she said caving in and embracing him back.

"You won't," he said gently. He tilted her head up gently, wiping away her tears. "Come with me."

"N-nani?!"

"That way we'll still be together and no one here would blame you," he said, becoming more and more positive at the thought. She'd been invited as well hadn't she?

"I can't," she said.

"You can, and that way you can watch my back so you won't have to worry about me getting killed," he said, refusing to take no for an answer.

"But when Sakura asked…"

"We both know she'd be killed," he said grimly. "I know you're strong enough to survive and…"

"And?" she repeated puzzled.

"I don't want to be away from you."

"W-what do you mean?!" Kari squeaked feeling her face warm.

"I don't understand enough to elaborate, but I can't stand the thought of being away from you," he placed his forehead against hers. "Come with me Kari."

"I…" but she was cut off when his lips descended on hers. It wasn't a tease though, and there was no hint of a smirk. It was gentler, more hesitant… wait was she about to faint?! When his tongue slid into her mouth she eventually gave in, allowing him to kiss her despite her probably crimson face. Eventually, he allowed her air. "Sas-sasu…?!"

"Yeah, and I want to do that as well," he mumbled, furious that a slight blush surfaced on his face. Kari let her head thud against his chest.

Well didn't _this_ make things a million times more complicated. She glanced at what she could sill see of Sakura and felt horribly guilty. She had heard everything she'd said, including the confession and it tore at Kari's heart.

"Sasu…"

"Hm?" She'd started with that irritating nickname again so he hoped that was a good sign.

"I keep my promises."

Why did that sound bad? Was she going to say she'd promised Naruto she wouldn't leave the village without him or something?

"I said I'd never leave you alone, remember?"

Now this was Uchiha Sasuke. He didn't _do_ lovestruck grins of joy. But he did manage a reasonable smile that Kari found her heart flutter slightly to. Then again it was so adorable grown men would've felt a tickle in their hearts.

"So… So you'll come with me?"

"Someone has to look after your stupid Uchiha ass, don't they?" she said sniffling. His arms enveloped her into a hug Naruto or Lee would be proud of it was so tight.

"Arigatou…" he murmured. "Arigatou Kari… Arigatou…"

Damn right thank you. He owes her _**big**_-_**time**_. Crap, the tears are coming again…

"I know this is hard for you…"

_Actually, you have no idea._

"But I'll be there. It'll be okay," he promised and Kari nodded weakly as he stood, bringing her up with him. She separated from him and headed over to Sakura, laying the jacket from Kiba over her. "She's just knocked out," he reassured.

"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"She'll be fine."

She looked round at him, hesitation written all over her face. He held his out to her and after a moment she hesitantly reached for it, allowing him to take her hand and lace their fingers.

"Don't let go," he whispered to her.

"You either," she said thickly as tears brimmed in her eyes again. He squeezed her hand concerned by the tears but she just smiled weakly. "Gomen, but you'll just have to put up with it."

"As long as you're here, that's what matters," he said placing a soft kiss on her forehead. With a soft tug on her hand she started walking at his side, she looked back at Sakura, her eyes locking with the gleaming eyes in the darkness, sitting next to Sakura and gloss with sorrow.

'_Be strong Kita-ko, don't forget you mission.'_

'_Okaasan… I love you and I'll miss you very, very, very much,' _Kita thought back, her voice thick with tears.

Kari whimpered softly as her tears thickened. She was leaving her friends and Kita behind to protect him and it hurt more than words can ever say. Sasuke didn't say anything, just squeezed her hand and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

She couldn't turn back now, she'd made her choice.

_Gomenasai minna._

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

"We've been waiting, Sasuke-sama."

"What are you plotting now?" Sasuke asked while he felt Kari tense next to him, the prickle of angry chakra against his skin. "Kari," he warned and she fell silent.

"When you left the village, it was decided that you became our leader," they were carefully avoiding eye contact or mention of Kari, a wise move. "Please forgive our rudeness earlier." They were all bowing before them, Sakon being the one that spoke.

"Hn, I don't give a crap about that," Sasuke scoffed, walking past them and practically dragging Kari behind him. She was so stiff, ready to attack at any moment. He turned back to them as they stood. "Let's go."

_Gomenasai minna, gomenasai, gomenasai, gomenasai…_

He glanced at Kari for a moment and then looked back to the village they abandoned.

"It begins."

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

"It's four in the morning," Kotetsu whined as the sun lit the sky in celebration of its return. The clouds were still tickled pink it was so early. "Godaime really abuses her people." He and Itsumo were left struggling with armfuls of books at this early hour. "She could have got the documents she left behind herself." He suddenly stopped.

"Doushita?" Itsumo asked. They took a few steps forward to come level with a girl sleeping on a bench a puppy snuggled into her side and a jacket thrown over her.

"Oi, wake up. If you sleep here you'll catch a cold."

Sakura's eyes fluttered drowsily. What happened…?

"_Arigatou."_"Sasuke-kun!" she gasped sitting up quickly. Her eyes watered and she became aware of something around her. A black jacket that she'd seen Kari wear after she had been given it by Kiba.

'_Kari…chan?'_

"Sakura-chan, wakarinai de," Kita said beside her. "I'm sad too." Sakura brought the cub into her arms and her tears came heavier.

'_Kari-chan… She followed Sasuke-kun to protect him for Naruto and I…'_ Sakura choked on a sob. _'That mark made her so ill… she'll die…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

Tsunade was startled from her nap by a sharp knock. She quickly sat up, oblivious to the ink printed on her cheek and the drool down her chin. The door opened to reveal Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Ah, thank you," she said simply.

"AA! Godaime! You were sleeping just now, weren't you?!" Kotetsu cried. "While making us get these documents you were sleeping, weren't you?!"

"Ehehe…" she laughed sheepishly.

"More importantly, Hokage-sama, there's something we need to report," Izumo said, able to tell his partner was still seething.

"Nan da?"

"Nan da to?! Is this true?!" Tsunade cried as Kita jumped onto her desk sitting with her fluffy white tail curled underneath her.

"Hai."

"According to Haruno Sakura, there's no mistake."

'_I didn't think… He'd already make his move.'_ Tsunade thought.

"_I will get what I want, and this time I will completely crush Konoha."_

'_So you want Uchiha's ability. And that mark on Kari's neck… The Uchiha has the same one. You want her too… That twisted freak.'_

"Kita!" Tsunade said, turning to the depressed little wolf. One look in those heartbroken eyes and she already knew. "Kari… Kari went with him, didn't she?"

"Okaasan requests the mission to follow Uchiha Sasuke and observe him, Orochimaru and all of Orochimaru's associates. She wants to pretend to become his student while keeping an eye on him, to keep alert for any follow-up attacks on Konohagakure no sato. She wishes to make it perfectly clear that she is not betraying Konoha or Tsunade-sama, but cannot allow Uchiha Sasuke to go alone in fear that he shall lose his life," Kita said sadly. Tsunade sat down in her seat giving a moment for her thoughts to process. Unless she wanted Kari labelled a traitor, she'd have to approve.

"Izumo. Kotetsu. There's someone I want you to get for me."

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

"Late last night, Uchiha Sasuke left the village, and there is no mistake that he is heading for Oto no sato. Kari has followed in an attempt to protect him."

"Left? Why?" Shikamaru cried.

"Orochimaru lured him."

"Ch-ch-chotto matte yo! What does a dangerous guy like him want with Sasuke and Kari?"

"That's not important, we don't have any time to lose," Tsunade said sternly. "For now, I'm assigning your first mission as a Chuunin."

"Is it to bring Sasuke back?" Shikamaru asked. _'As long as there are no enemies it shouldn't be too troublesome, besides I'll have Kari as another Chuunin as back up when I arrive.'_

"Aa. However, Kari was heavily injured last night before Sasuke left, though I healed her, she should still be quite weak. This mission must be completed quickly, and there could be some trouble."

"Ne?"

"There is a high possibility that Orochimaru's subordinates are guiding Sasuke."

'_This has turned into a troublesome situation. But that guy… I always thought he was amazing at everything and someone to look up to. Kari's so innocent and full of life, how could she have been dragged down such a dark path?'_

"So for this mission I need a squad of four, compromised of Jounins or Chuunins," Shikamaru requested.

"I cannot give you that."

"Eh?! Nande?" Shikamaru cried.

"You should know. Besides the Jounins that must stay, most are away from the village on missions. In the next thirty minutes, gather as many exceptional Genins as you can, then set off on your mission. Take Kita with you," she gestured to Kita who immediately ran to Shikamaru's side. "She can sense Kari's aura and has reasonable skills. She might even be able to connect with Kari telepathically at some point. If Kari needs to tell you something, she can."

"It's troublesome, but I can't let it go because it's someone I know. Besides Kari's a friend. Maa, I'll do what I can."

"There's one person I'd like to recommend," Tsunade said softly.

* * *

_-----__**x**__----_

* * *

Shikamaru headed swiftly towards Naruto's apartment.

How could he tell the guy two of his friends were gone, one of them practically his conjoined twin. But Shikamaru did what he was told.

"NANI?!! You're kidding, right?!!"

"You're so loud in the morning," Shikamaru drawled. '_Why him?'_

'_Damn him… That's why Kari-chan came crying to me in the night. Now she's gone after him, to protect him. Kari-chan… after all you've been through, now this?!'_

"Chotto matte, I'll go change right away!" Naruto cried, throwing off his sleeping cap and rushing inside.

'_Hold on Ookami-nee, I'm coming Kari-chan!'_


	71. Kixyuujixyokatsudou

**A/N;** I'm SO sorry it took so long!! My social life kind of caught up on me *sweatdrops* my best friend who moved far away has come to stay with his nan so he can come visit us all. And yesterday, the powercuts! There was like 5, 6, 7 of them! (I can watch rated 18+ horror films yet get creeped out by powercuts. I know, I suck -.-) But I had fun playing with candles and matches at 11pm while my dad watched me like I was an idiot. x) Oh well. They were like FIRE. xD xD xD Me likes fire! _*Bricked*_

According to TV, English and Irish women are the heaviest drinkers in the world? Especially underage? Oops... ^^U

My reviews! I made some poor reviewers cry! Gomen, gomen, gomen! Hugs and cookies to you! Longest review so far goes to Airiin-chan xD Yay for you! I love you too!! xD The last chapter got the best reviews ever and I thought it wasnt that good! ;~; Thank you EVERYONE I loved every single review (don't I always? Nevermind I still loved them!)! Thank you so much! You make me incredibly happy! Thank you to;

xXWolfAngelXx, Madelline Cullen, chi komoriuta, xNocturneX, Sybil Corvax, Ailikarana, xcresentxmoonx, Azura Soul Reaver, xXxAiriinxXx, craizypet, shadow-ninja44, angfnf, 7thDwarf, GuitarGirl1418, and justanothergaarafangurl.

(In order to earliest to newest review).

And thank you to all that reviewed the earlier chapters!! :'D

_*Bricked for making the author note too long.*_

**Disclaimer**: I couldn't make Gaara-kun as cute as he is in the manga. Seriously, does no one else think he looks adorable at the moment??! Sadly he and all other Narutotians belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sempai.

**Claimer:** I own this story, as well as Kari, Kita and all non-Naruto material.

**Chapter dedicated to:** Kyoto-san (cutiekyoto) because she gave me three amazing pieces of fanart, advises me, motivates me and tells me to update until I do. And most of all, because she's a great friend on here. :)

* * *

**Kixyuujixyokatsudou**

**_Rescue Mission_**

_She's hardly a damsel in distress,_

_But she can't do this alone._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"So have you chosen other exceptional people besides me?" Naruto asked as he raced through the street beside Shikamaru, Kita on his other side.

"Aa." Shikamaru led them to a house and started knocking on the door. "Wake up, man."

"You said exceptional, didn't you?" Naruto asked.

"It can't be helped," Shikamaru sighed. He pulled out a bag of potato chips.

"Potato chips?" Naruto asked while Kita sniffed the bag.

"They're BBQ flavour," Shikamaru explained. "You help out too." And so the three of them began munching on the snacks. Shikamaru held the bag upside down and caught the last chip. "He's coming." Clad in pyjamas, Chouji stormed out, grabbing hold of the last chip.

"I won't let another soul have the last potato chip!" Chouji said sternly. Kita giggled while Naruto looked exasperated.

"I've teamed up with Chouji for quite a while. We work well together," Shikamaru explained.

"I understand that, but shouldn't you ask someone like Shino for a mission like this?!" Naruto screeched.

"So damn loud…" Shikamaru sighed. He stopped and looked round at the incoming best, heading for the last potato chip.

"Not good enough!" Chouji cried, ramming it into his mouth. Akamaru flopped down in disappointment.

"Shino isn't here because he's on a special mission with his dad," Kiba explained.

"Oi, don't tell me…" Naruto began.

"Okay, it's decided." Shikamaru said.

"Naaa?!" Naruto whined.

"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru cried happily.

With two new members and a nin dog, they head out to round up more people. Shikamaru quickly explained that Sasuke had left.

"I see, sounds like fun," Kiba said. "Looks like it was well worth getting up early for a walk."

"But Kari went with him to protect him."

"NANI?!" Kiba shrieked. "Why did Kari-chan get mixed up in this?!"

"She'll be there as back up when we arrive, though apparently she's weak from injuries so keep that in mind," Shikamaru said.

"Oi Shikamaru, what about others?" Naruto asked.

"I want to take my time to look around for more, but we're running out of time. If we can't find anyone before we reach the village gate, then this will be it," Shikamaru explained.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I heard your surgery was a success," Neji said to Lee as they stood outside taking in the fresh air.

"Aa."

"Is it okay for you to come out already?" Neji asked.

"I was told I would be able to do some light training soon," Lee replied.

"Sou ka, Kari will be happy to hear that." He looked down surprised, his sharp eyes catching something interesting. At the bottom of the steps stood Shikamaru, Naruto, Kita, Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru. Neji assisted Lee down the steps and they were told about the mission.

"Sou ka," Neji said. Lee glanced at him. Though his voice was relatively calm, the hardness in his eyes and the slight tightness in his jaw showed that he was upset.

"It's troublesome, but there's nothing bad about having more people," Shikamaru said. Lee looked down depressed.

'_At a time like this, I…'_ Lee thought.

"Lee, you do what you need to do," Neji said. "You know Kari will understand." Lee nodded and walked away from them to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

"Starting tomorrow, I will climb these stairs on my own."

"Lee."

"Daijoubu desu. Please go. Kari-hime needs you," Lee said with a smile.

"Gambatte Lee-kun!" Kita cried.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

They arrived at the gates and the guards swung them open.

"Time's up," Shikamaru stated. "At least we have five people."

"Well then!" Naruto cried. "Yosh! Minna, follow me dattebayou!" he cried, punching the air.

"Oi, Naruto. I'm the squad leader you know," Shikamaru pointed out. "It is troublesome though."

"Will it really be alright to let you lead us?" Naruto said sceptically. "You don't seem very reliable."

"Naruto-kun!" Kita scolded, puffing her cheeks out.

"So why are you acting like you're the boss, Naruto?" Kiba asked. "Still, I can't say I'm satisfied being ordered around by Shikamaru, who doesn't seem to be excited about doing this."

"Kiba-kun!" Kita scolded.

"But Shikamaru is a Chuunin now, and Kari-chan is already ahead and can't lead us," Chouji reasoned. "We must follow Shikamaru's orders. Being promoted to Chuunin means that the village head has acknowledged he is a capable leader."

"Hai!" Kita cried in agreement.

"Chotto matte, Kari-chan's a Chuunin?" Naruto said surprised.

"You didn't know?" Kiba asked, a smirk sliding onto his face. Naruto folded his arms and huffed.

"Well, let's get down to it. Tell us your strategies and plans," Neji prompted. "According to what you said, it's highly probable that our enemies could ambush us."

"Think of us as the pursuers, since this is a rescue mission. In other words, it will be easy for the enemy to ambush us. So right now, I want a formation that can react immediately to an enemy attack. If you ignore my orders and go off on your own, we will all die!"

Kiba winced.

"We will move in a single line formation. The most important position of forward scouting will be, you Kiba. You walk Akamaru all the time, so you know the terrain of the fire territory. Also, because you have a good sense of smell, not only can you track Sasuke and Kari, you can also detect booby traps by detecting the enemy's scent. The single line formation is weak against a frontal attack, but you have Akamaru to compensate for this, so it's more efficient to have you up front." Shikamaru explained to Kiba.

"Next is me, the squad leader. Being behind Kiba, I will be able to give orders based on the situations that unfold. Also, I can order the rest of you behind us, with hand signals." He pointed to his hand.

"Next is the centre, third position is Naruto and Kita. You have quick reactions, so you're able to cover the front and back right away. As the centre position you are the important back up man. You've also got Kage Bunshin. You also have Kita to aid you as she has basic skills, and she will also keep an eye on the rest of the squad while also using her senses to pick up anything Kiba might miss, like an attack from the side. She's also fast and small, so is an expert at sneak attacks." Naruto smirked and Kita nodded.

"Now, the fourth position is you, Chouji. You don't have much speed, but you pack the biggest wallop in the squad. Kiba, me and Naruto will be in front of you, and we will use you to finish off the enemy after the surprise attack. Meaning, you're the final blow."

"The last position is you, Neji. I'm going to have you handle the most difficult job as the rear lookout. With Byakugan, you can check to make sure there are no blind spots on the line." Shikamaru knelt down and opened a scroll.

"Listen up, and examine this carefully." He quickly started drawing. "Look at your appointed scouting area depicted in this drawing. Kiba will watch up front. I will also be looking out in front, but with a wider scope. Naruto is left. Kita is above and below and will stay on Naruto's shoulder. Chouji is right. Neji, you use your Byakugan for the entire rear area. Also, I want to know what our current battle strength is. Let me check all of your equipment right now. I'll keep what you have in mind. Any questions?"

'_With the members he got in such a short time, he thought of a perfect formation so quickly.'_ Lee thought in awe.

"If not, let me say one last thing. This is the most important thing. Sasuke isn't a close friend of mine. I don't even like him," Shikamaru said. "But he is the same as us, a shinobi from Konoha no sato. He is our comrade. That is why we will put our lives on the line to help Kari bring him back. This is the way of Konoha. It's damn troublesome, so even for me it's hard to want to do it, but I'm responsible for you all. If anything happens to any of you, well I'll be more scared of Kari's wrath than the Hokage to be honest. Troublesome women."

"Heh, now you sound like a Chuunin," Kiba said.

"I know Kari is important to most of you," Shikamaru said, glancing between Naruto, Neji and Kiba. "She's a good kid, I trust her judgement. When we reach them I don't know whether she'll join us or protect Sasuke. But I'm pretty sure she won't attack us with the intent to harm. If worst comes to worst, knock her out, but do not use any high level attacks. It's reported that she's weak from injury."

Naruto glared at the ground as the scene on the roof of the hospital flashed before his eyes. _And then seeing her laying there while Obaachan healed her. _He could still remember the feel of her curled close to him. She had been so scared…

"Okaasan is strong!" Kita piped up. "Stop being down, emotions are like colds and spread really quickly. Be happy at the thought we'll be helping Okaasan on her mission!"

"Kita-chan… Has Kari-chan contacted you at all?" Naruto asked. The cub faltered and looked down sadly.

"She only asked that we stay strong, Naruto-kun. That was last night," Kita replied. "And she also expressed that she loved us very much."

Naruto quickly swallowed his tears.

"Well then, as soon as we finish checking our equipment, we leave," Neji said, bringing them back to the mission. "Minna, take out your equipment."

"Kita-chan has a kunai folded in her hitai-ate!" Kita pointed out. They pulled off their pouches and opened them.

"_Sasuke wouldn't take that bastards invitation. He doesn't need to do that since he's really strong. I guarantee it."_

'_Chikusho! Nande, Sasuke?!'_

Kita climbed up onto his shoulder, her fur brushing against his cheek.

"Okaasan wouldn't want you to be sad, Naruto-kun…" Kita whispered to him.

"Yosh, let's go," Shikamaru said once the checks were complete.

"Matte!"

"Sakura-chan," Naruto and Kita said with surprise.

"I already heard about it from Hokage-sama. Sorry, but I can't take you on this mission," Shikamaru apologised. "Not even you were able to convince Sasuke, right?" Naruto's eyes widened. "So there's no choice but to use force to persuade him to come back with us. If Kari couldn't talk him around, no one could. Sakura. Your job is done."

"That means… Sakura-chan, did you talk to Sasuke?" Naruto cried. His eyes fell on the dark jacket she clutched tightly.

"I gave that to Kari-chan…" Kiba murmured, his brow furrowing in recognition. Tears ran down the kunoichi's cheeks as she tightened her grip on the jacket.

"Naruto… This is the only favour I will ever ask of you…" she sobbed, the dark fabric absorbing her tears. "Sasuke-kun… bring Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan back." Kita's ears lowered and she sniffled a little. "I couldn't convince him. I couldn't stop him. I'm sure the only ones who can stop him… the only ones who can save him… Naruto, you and Kari-chan! Demo, I don't want Kari-chan to have to suffer to protect him anymore…"

"Sakura-chan…" Kita said sadly. Naruto smiled sadly, but quickly forced some fake cheeriness.

"You really love him, huh?" Naruto asked. "I can understand very well the pain you are going through dattebayou…"

_At the academy, the day they were to get their teams and Jounin instructor, Naruto performed a henge transforming into Sasuke. He approached Sakura and took a seat next to her on a bench._

"_Sakura, I waned to ask you something."_

"Eh?"

"Naruto, what do you think of him?"

"_He's become accustomed to interfering with my love. He has fun watching me struggle. Naruto knows nothing about me. He's just annoying."_

"I know Kari-chan hurts too. She came to me last night not long before she must have left…" Naruto said softly, his expression becoming sad and gentle. "I've never seen such an expression of pain…" He smiled. "But I believe in her, and so should you Sakura-chan."

"Naruto… arigatou…" Sakura sobbed hugging the jacket close to her chest.

"I will bring Sasuke and Kari-chan back for sure!" Naruto said with a large smile, his thumb up confidently. "This is a promise of a lifetime, dattebayou!"

'_You always understood me. You always helped me. Naruto!'_

"Oi, oi, Naruto. You sure you're okay saying that? Kari-chan's pretty serious when it comes to promises!" Kiba said.

"Hmph! I don't go back on my words!" Naruto cried confidently. "That's my way of the ninja!"

"Mine too! Mine too!" Kita cried.

"Yosh! Let's get going, dattebayou!" Naruto cheered as he punched the air.

"We just lost some time, let's hurry," Shikamaru said.

"Hai!" Naruto cried as they turned, walking in a horizontal line out of the gates.

'_Kari-chan, you always try so hard to protect those you care about without once thinking of yourself. You don't have to do this alone Ookami-nee. I'm coming, dattebayou!'_

Sakura looked up, tears slightly clouding her vision as she watched their backs.

"Naruto-kun said it with the 'nice guy' pose," Lee said softly. "Everything is fine now. It will be alright. No doubt about it."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Kari had been silent most of their journey. Her tears had long since stopped, but the blood stains remained, dried to her cheeks. Her eyes were blank and the hand Sasuke held had gone cold, the hold loose. His coal eyes flicked back to her but she was staring at the grass seemingly in her own world.

"Around her is good, Sasuke-sama. We have left Konoha no sato," Sakon said as the sound four came to a stop. Kari's growl immediately sounded and she turned pressing her back against Sasuke's, red tinted eyes glancing between the four of them. Her grip had immediately tightened on his hand and her tension unsettled him slightly.

"Nan de?" Sasuke asked irritated feeling Kari's back muscles tense against his own.

"There is something important Orochimaru-sama ordered us to do," Sakon continued and Kari hissed, pupils thinning.

"So I'm asking, what is this about?" Sasuke stated, tugging on her hand. Her hissing eased but the threat was still there, plain in her ruby eyes. The leaves unsettled from their place in the trees as the wind whispered a warning. Orochimaru's subordinates chuckled darkly and Sasuke felt the static charge of Kari's Chakra flaring.

"You must both die once."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

They had gone into the single line formation, racing through the trees.

'_Sasuke…'_ Naruto thought worriedly. He felt an odd lurch in his chest as his heart skipped a beat. _'Kari-chan…'_ His hand touched his chest, where Tsunade's necklace lay hidden beneath his jacket. _'Stay strong ookami-nee.'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Die once?" Sasuke repeated, holding tight to her hand to stop her from unsheathing her katana. She was silent, but the tremors in her body worried him. His eyes narrowed as Sakon pulled out a container.

"This is a mind drug, you both need to take it."

'_**Did you hear that my ko? They're going to throw you back into my darkness…'**_ Kumouri's tone always seemed to be that sickening coo when speaking to her, but still it sent horrid shivers down her spine. Kari could feel her heart rate escalate quickly. _**'Do you want to go back into my world, hmm? Perhaps this time you'll see the true horrors of what haunts the souls tainted by darkness…'**_

"Mind drug?" Sasuke repeated. He could feel her back into him more as the fur on her tail went static. "What is that?"

'_**You don't like it when people mess with you mind do you?'**_

'_**Kumouri, please, leave the poor child be.'**_

'_**Silence kitsune!'**_ the dog snarled.

"Your seal levels are Stage One," Tayuya said. "That pill will forcefully awaken Stage Two."

"However, when you reach Stage Two, the speed the seal spreads will increase rapidly. If you're left like that you will die immediately. So in order to control Stage Two, a lot of time is needed to control it. That way, you'll be able to obtain power equal to ours," Sakon explained. "But… After it awakens, it will only take a few minutes for you both to die."

"What will happen after I die?" Sasuke asked and gripped Kari's hand at the flinch he felt from her.

"Don't worry, that's what we're here for," Sakon said beginning to walk forwards. Kari's Chakra flared sharply and he paused.

"Kari..." Sasuke warned. "Her body rejects the seal, what will happen to her?"

"Orochimaru-sama advised for her to take three at once to overpower her demonic Chakra. However, there's a high chance she won't make it," Sakon said, placing the pills in Sasuke's free hand. Sasuke felt his heart go cold. "With our barrier technique we will reduce the side effects. We can soften the eternal death into an apparent death."

"Can we trust your barrier technique?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke-sama. We are normally Orochimaru-sama's guards. Barrier or protective wall techniques, cursed seals and sealing techniques are our speciality," Kidoumaru said confidently. Kari shivered slightly remembering his arachnid characteristics.

'_I…'_ Sasuke thought as he pulled off the lid of the small jar. '_I can't die yet, no matter what…'_

"Sasuke," Kari mumbled and his attention immediately turned to her. "I've got a being of death bound to my soul, I won't let you die." She released his hand and he let four tiny pills slide into his palm.

"You four though…" she trailed off and a smirk came to her face.

"Here," Sasuke said, tipping three into her hand. "You have to take these all together."

'_**Don't you dare put those inside you!'**_

White hot pain shot through her, but she ignored it.

'_I have to… For Sasuke… For everyone… I have to protect him…'_

'_**NO!' **_Kumouri roared her chains crashing together.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, his brows furrowing in concern. "You might…"

"I won't die," she said her voice monotonous.

"Together," he said, grasping her free hand tightly. She looked at the three tiny pills in her palm and smiled slightly.

'_Somehow I know, this is gonna sting like a bitch.'_

"Sasu. You still owe me pocky you tori-atama," she said softly.

'_You had better live too baka,'_ Sasuke though with a weak smirk, seeing the hidden meaning immediately.

He squeezed her hand and they tilted their heads back, dropping the pills into their mouths.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Naruto's eyes widened when he felt a pang in his chest.

'_Kari-chan, what's happening to you? Why does it feel as though something bad will happen?'_

"Naruto-kun?" Kita whispered and his azure eye's immediately snapped to her. "Okaasan will be okay, right?"

"We're talking about Kari-chan here," Naruto said softly. Those baby blue eyes tugged at his heart and he managed a shaky smile. "Kari-chan will be Kari-chan."

"Hai, Okaasan will be okay because she won't want you to be worried or upset," Kita said with a nod.

'_I hope you're right Kita-chan…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Sasuke's eyes widened and he pulled her to him tightly, crushing her against his chest. She felt the vibrations of her knees hitting the ground, yet couldn't feel the impact. There was too much pain! Her hands grasped the back of his shirt as she felt her organs constrict and mouth fill with blood. Her eyes burned and her head span from the unexplainable pain. Their was blood coming out of her nose, ears and eyes and she felt her lungs close off, refusing to allow any more air.

"If you guys don't hurry up, they'll go crazy," Sakon said pulling out a scroll.

She couldn't tell if she was hot or cold but she couldn't stop shaking. Sasuke seemed to fall limp and she pulled him closer, his head on her shoulder and his arms now loose around her. One hand clutched his hair while the other tightened around his back. She was loosing her sense of touch as everything went black.

'_Sasuke… Naruto… Gomenasai.'_

Her shudders stopped and she became still. Jiroubou stepped forward and lifted them as Sakon summoned what seemed to be a barrel from the scroll. They were lowered into it.

"Get into position. Start!" Sakon cried as they all clapped their hands together before stretching their arms out, purple Chakra surrounding their hands. It formed into a dark cloud above the barrel, growing larger and larger. What seemed to be red lightning flashed across the cloud and a horrid beastlike sound seemed to echo all around them. Ignoring it, they thrust their hands down and the cloud spiralled into the barrel.

"Shikokumujin!" A lid slammed down on the top. Sakon pulled out some paper and bit his thumb, writing seals in blood. Once done he threw them at the barrel and clapped his hands together.

"Fuukoku Houin!" The seals stuck the lid down. "Yosh, the first part is finished."

"Do you think it was a good idea to let her have three pills?" Kidoumaru asked uncertain.

"They're Orochimaru-sama's orders," Sakon said simply, rolling up the scroll. "Seeing the way she reacted, the kid'll be lucky if she dies."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"I'm tired," a Jounin sighed, sitting on a tree root.

"I didn't think the missions would last this long," another agreed.

"Shh!" Genma said as he heard a noise. "I'll go check it out. Raidou, let's go."

"Hai."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

The Sound four started to walk again, Jiroubou carrying the barrel strapped to his back.

"Ugh, looks like things are going to become troublesome," Sakon grumbled coming to a stop.

"One?" Tayuya said. "No, two."

"Here they come!" Kidoumaru cried.

Two Konoha Jounin landed in front of them.

"You're Orochimaru's…!" Raidou cried, remembering them from the Chuunin finals.

"From your direction, looks like you guys are on your way back from Konoha no sato," Genma evaluated. His eyes roamed over to Jiroubou. "What's in the barrel?"

"Fighting against two Jounins… Might be a little tough," Kidoumaru said smirking as he activated his cursemark. The others did the same allowing the markings to cover their faces and half their bodies.

'_Every one of them has the cursed seal, huh?' _Genma thought.

"Nothing to say, eh?" Raidou asked. "We are completely different since that surprise attack."

"Urusai, trash. Just die," Tayuya said.

"Don't underestimate Konoha shinobi, you toys of Orochimaru."

A kunai appeared in Sakon's hand and he rushed forward, Genma heading towards him. He threw the kunai but it was deflected by the senbon Genma spat out of his mouth. With that, the battle began.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"They're both late," Shizune said worriedly, standing beside the last member of their group.

"What should we do, Shizune-san?"

"Let's go."

"Hai."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Akamaru whined.

"Shikamaru," Kiba said glancing back. Kita looked up sniffing the air.

"Doushita?" Shikamaru asked.

"Nearby… I smell blood," Kiba said looking forward.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"This is…"

Shizune's eyes widened, taking in the torn up trees, the wounded ground and her injured comrades lying limp, a variety of ninja tools sticking out of their bodies.

"Raidou! Genma!" Shizune cried racing over to them. She pressed her ear against Genma's chest listening carefully to his heart.

_Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud… thud… thud…_

"This is bad!" Shizune cried laying Genma on his back. She concentrated and her hands glowed green with healing Chakra.

"I can't believe these two lost…"

Once finished with Genma, Shizune rushed to Raidou.

'_I can only do emergency care here.'_

"Shizune-san. I'm going after them."

"No!"

"Sh-Shikashi…"

"Matte, Iwashi…" Genma murmured. "That technique isn't a ninja move… If you go after them alone, you'll die."

"Genma," Shizune said. "Don't talk."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Two different scents collided with the six of them, including Sasuke and Kari-chan's," Kiba explained as they raced forward. "The six of them are getting farther away from the other two. What should we do?"

"Yappari de, so there are people guiding them," Shikamaru said. '_This has become troublesome.'_

"Who cares? Let's just hurry up and go after Sasuke and Kari-chan, dattebayou!" Naruto said.

"Urusai yo, Naruto!" Kiba said. "Shikamaru is the only one to decide that, stop acting like the boss."

"Shikamaru?" Chouji prompted.

"If they smell like blood that means there was probably a battle. If we go there, we may find out some things. But we can't go in carelessly so we'll change to scouting position, and close in by walking in slowly," Shikamaru explained.

"If we go there, Sasuke and Kari will cross the border and be out of Fire territory," Neji pointed out.

"What are we going to do Shikamaru?!" Naruto cried.

"Yosh, let's go after Sasuke and Kari," Shikamaru decided.

"Yosha, that's more like it!" Naruto cried. Kita felt relieved, but couldn't help that heavy feeling of dread sitting in the pit of her stomach.

"However, if there was a battle it means that they're on alert. They will definitely be expecting pursuers. In other words, there is a high possibility we will encounter traps and ambushes. Listen; keep your eyes and ears open. We need to find them before we get ambushed first. Also, if you find anything suspicious, don't just dodge it, interpret it," Shikamaru instructed. "Kita, can you get any contact from Kari?"

The wolf concentrated but her ears lowered and she shook her head. "Iie."

"Yosha. Once we find them I'll beat them up with my new move dattebayou!" Naruto cried. But despite his confidence he felt unsettled. Kari never ignored Kita when she tried to contact her. Kita's confidence seemed to have dropped and she now seemed anxious because of this. Naruto shook his head and just reasoned she was probably upset, and didn't want to worry the cub.

'_Naruto is coming up with new moves every time I see him. Tch! Just when I thought I caught up to him. It must be from having Kari-chan as an official team-mate.'_ Kiba thought. Akamaru's nose twitched and he whined.

"Oi! The enemy's scent is all over the place!" Kiba cried in alarm.

"Minna, stop!" Shikamaru shouted. They all landed on a branch.

"Up!" Kita pointed out.

"Explosive seals," Neji confirmed. "There are five total, the formation is a barrier seal."

"Barrier seal?" Chouji repeated.

"It's a form of a trap Ninjutsu," Shikamaru explained. "Seal traps are activated when the enemy is inside the surrounded area. It's a high class Ninjutsu; it was in a book my dad made me read."

"Tch! We'll have to go round it," Kiba said.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Lee looked up at the high set of stairs in front of him.

"_Lee, you do what you need to do."_

Oh how he wanted to go with them! He wanted to help his apprentice, his comrades. He wanted to be of use… Placing his crutch against the wall, he decided to start working on his promise. Grabbing hold of the stair rail he went to stand on the first step.

"Lee! You can't do that yet!"

"Godaime-sama," Lee said looking around to see Tsunade.

"I know that you're a reckless one, but you just got out of surgery. What are you planning to do, rushing it so much?" She turned and picked up his crutch.

"I want to train as soon as possible…" Lee said softly, his hand shaking. "So that… So that…"

"Making your body stronger isn't the only form of training. Don't you agree?" Tsunade asked. "Ninja are fighters who are able to get through any kind of situation. I understand how you feel, but think of this as another form of training."

"Training?"

"If you push yourself too much and injure yourself again…" she pulled a bottle out of her coat.

"What is this?" Lee asked.

"It's a medicine I mixed up," Tsunade said smiling. "Drink this and get better Lee."

"Okay!" he cried saluting.

"Now, let's go."

"Hai!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Damn this path is full of traps," Kiba sighed stepping over the wires.

"Aa, but the enemy must not have much time, you can detect these traps fairly easily."

"Oi, oi, Naruto. There are wires at your feet, don't get caught by them," Kiba warned. Seeing this as a good training opportunity, Kita was on the floor to avoid the traps herself, stepping carefully over each wire.

"Wakata dattebayou," Naruto grumbled about to step on a wire.

"Matte, Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted and Naruto felt his body freeze mid-step.

"Kage mane no jutsu…" Shikamaru said, holding Chouji's scarf to keep himself balanced. "Made it just in time…" Kita jumped up Neji's back and landed on top of the Hyuuga's head.

"Oh! Kita-chan can see the wire!" Kita cried.

"Naruto! I told you to be careful!" Kiba scolded as Shikamaru managed to get Naruto to safety.

"One of the wires is easy to see from the sunlight," Shikamaru pointed out. "But the other one is camouflaged in green."

"It's difficult to see with the naked eye. It's a double trap," Neji stated.

"It seems like they're in a hurry, but it's a rather well made trap. Meaning…"

"They're resting. They must be injured." Neji finished. "Or is it a trap? Byakugan!" he activated his Byakugan and suddenly everything was blue and white. He extended his sight and finally spotted them. "I've found them."

"Yosha, Yosha! We will bring Sasuke and Kari-chan back for sure!" Naruto cried.

"Naruto. Sorry, but I'll be showing _my _new move this time," Kiba said.

"Me too," Chouji added.

"Don't rush it," Shikamaru said. "Once my strategy is prepared, we will make contact with our target!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

The four sound ninja's breathed heavily, leaning against trees. Tayuya chose to sit on the barrel instead.

"Tch, we're in a hurry but we have to rest," Sakon scoffed.

"It couldn't be helped," Tayuya said. "If we fight in Stage Two, we consume a lot of energy."

"What's bad is that we can't use our bodies for a while," Jiroubou said.

"It couldn't be helped, fighting against two Jounins," Kidoumaru added. "If we held back, we would have lost."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Kiba. for that, don't have your timing off on the smoke bomb," Shikamaru said.

"Aa."

"Now then, let's split up," Shikamaru said.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

They moved closer, getting within around twenty feet of the enemy.

"Looks like they haven't noticed yet," Shikamaru murmured, peering between the leaves of a bush. "Huh? I don't see Sasuke or Kari."

"Looks like they're in that barrel," Neji said, his Byakugan activated.

"Both of them?" Shikamaru asked.

"Aa. Demo, Kari doesn't particularly like being forced into enclosed spaces," Neji said, his expression becoming slightly tighter. She always did fight back more viciously when she was backed into a corner.

"Are they dead?" Shikamaru asked.

"There's a barrier around the barrel. I can't see through it," Neji said sharpening his Byakugan. "Since they want Sasuke and Kari, they wouldn't kill them."

"That's true."

"However, it unsettles me that she's in the barrel to begin with and even more so that it isn't being obliterated from the inside. She should have sensed our Chakra and tried to send us a sign of some sort."

"You think she's hurt?" Shikamaru asked.

"I doubt she's conscious."

Shikamaru gasped when a kunai flew directly at them, exploding tags attached to the handle. The jumped away but the explosion was too large. They skidded forward, stopping a foot or so away from the enemy sound ninja.

"What's this? I just tried throwing a knife around and found two bugs instead of a snake," Sakon mocked.

"Hold on. Wait!"Shikamaru cried jumping to his feet and holding his hands out in front of him. "We didn't come here to fight. We just came to negotiate."

"Tch, then what are these?!" Kidoumaru cried pulling Shikamaru, Naruto and Chouji out by a string. Kiba smirked, a smoke bomb held tightly in his hand. He threw it to the ground covering them in violet smoke. "And what's the meaning of this smoke bomb? There's no way you can get away from me. These strings are thinner, yet stronger than wires, so you can barely see them. My strings are laid all round the area."

"K'so," Kiba hissed as the three of them laid on their backs.

"Ite-e, ite-e, ite-e…" Naruto whined.

"The two wire traps were set like that on purpose," Shikamaru said in surprise. "So it was a simple trap, you got me. Heh, I didn't think you had someone with such a technique." But then he realised. '_Yappari. They didn't catch Kita…'_

"I'll get you guys… Nan de? My body…" Kidoumaru said.

"Nice, dattebayou! Kiba, Shikamaru!" Naruto cried. "Kage mane no jutsu, successful!" Shikamaru's shadow had managed to catch all four of theirs.

"But I have this attack. Thanks for letting everything go according to my plan." Shikamaru smirked.

"You got me," Sakon said simply. "But I still have this technique."

From her position in the trees Kita's eyes widened. '_The thing on his back is gone!'_ "Shikamaru! Behind!" she cried in alarm, her ears picking up the attack.

"Nani?" Shikamaru cried, turning and getting three shuriken in his arm. Having given away her position, Kita joined the Konoha nin, no longer safe with the enemy in the forest that no doubt knew where she was. Te orange-haired oto giant smirked when his shadow was released.

"Doton Kekkai." He slammed his hands into the ground and the earth shattered, like an earthquake heading straight for them. "Doro Doumo!" The mud circled and surrounding them, quickly becoming taller and setting into a dome, trapping them in place.

"K'so…" Shikamaru cursed.

"Where are we?" Neji asked.

"We're inside that big guys barrier," Shikamaru replied.

"Ne, ne, I don't like it in here," Kita said pressing her front paws against the wall.

"I got these kids," Jiroubou said simply as Sakon returned to normal. "Let me recover some."

"Hmph! Once you've finished eating, catch up with us," Sakon said.

"We'll go on ahead," Kidoumaru said as he picked up the barrel. "Here we go!"

"Hurry it up, then catch up," Sakon said looking back while Kidoumaru and Tayuya started walking ahead.

"K'so! Let us out! Chikusho!!" Naruto shouted, pounding on the mud wall.

"Urusai, Naruto," Kiba said irritated.

"From observation alone, it's a wall made of soil," Neji said.

"It's one of their techniques," Shikamaru agreed. "There's most likely some kind of trick to it."

"Heh. I don't know what it is, but all we have to do is break through the wall, right?" Kiba asked.

"Making moves carelessly is dangerous, but it seems like if we don't do anything it will be even more dangerous," Shikamaru said.

"Tsuuga!" Kiba cried jumping up and beginning to spin, ramming into the mud wall and drilling into it. He jumped down, only to see the dent he had made fill in as though it was never there. "Oi…" Kiba said pointing at the wall.

"I saw it."

"LET US OUT!!" Naruto shrieked while Kiba whined and started clawing at the wall panting.

"Ne, Kita-chan doesn't feel so good…" Kita said as she continued to claw at the wall.

"So it really isn't just an ordinary wall made of soil," Neji stated. "Byakugan!" His eyes focused. "Th-this is…"

"What is it?"

"What's wrong?"

"This is bad," Neji said looking at his hands. "Our Chakra is being sucked out."

"I didn't think they would just leave us trapped inside the barrier, but I didn't think they'd be sucking out our Chakra," Kiba said.

"Oh, hell no! Hurry up and let us out!!" Naruto shouted.

'_I'm consuming quite a bit of Chakra…'_ Jiroubou thought with a smirk. _'Thank you for the meal.'_

Inside the dome everyone had sunk to either backsides or knees, no longer having the strength to stand. Kita seemed to be doing worst of all, her breathing laboured as she sprawled out, unable to even sit up.

"I feel like I'm weakening dattebayou…" Naruto said pulling Kita up into his lap.

"Things don't look good if this continues Shikamaru…" Neji informed the leader. "Kita could be dead within half an hour at most."

'_I was careless to get us caught before finding out the enemy's abilities. On top of that in here…'_ Shikamaru thought.

"K'so, it can't be helped. I'll make an air hole before all my Chakra is gone," Kiba said. "Akamaru!" Akamaru stood and yipped as Kiba held out a food pill to him. "Here's a hyourou again." Akamaru's fur immediately bristled and turned red as a deep growl came from him. Kiba smirked swallowing a food pill of his own. "Akamaru! Mimic technique!" '_And I'll use my beast technique!'_ Akamaru transformed into Kiba as Kiba became more wild. "Gatsuuga!!" The two of them span rapidly, smacking into the walls like drills.

"Yosh! Good, Kiba!" Naruto cried.

"It's useless," Jiroubou scoffed.

Finally they stopped, Akamaru returning to normal. All the dents that Kiba and Akamaru had created smoothed over as if they were never there.

"K'so, all the damage I caused is being repaired," Kiba panted while Shikamaru finished tying a bandage around his wounded arm. "Same with the ground. We won't last ten minutes at this rate. We'll lose all our Chakra."

Naruto tried to form a Rasengan, but it was too weak and wouldn't form. _'In this place where Chakra is being sucked out and is difficult to control, there's no way I can use Rasengan. Maybe if Kari-chan was here I could, but…'_

"Kuso!" Naruto shouted. Neji had taken over looking after Kita for the moment, using soft nudges to keep her awake.

"Oi, listen to me," Shikamaru ordered. "I want to speak to your leader. We won't pursue Sasuke or Kari anymore. So let us out."

"Oi…" Kiba said.

"Shikamaru? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Begging for your life? How interesting," Jiroubou chuckled. "However, you guys are my meal. There's no way I'd let you guys out."

"Then just one is enough. Just let me out," Shikamaru said simply. "This fight… Is too troublesome."

"Temee! Do you have any idea what you're saying?!" Kiba cried.

"Urusai, Kiba. Be quiet," Shikamaru commanded without turning to look at him.

"Nan da to?!"

"Fighting amongst yourselves?" Jiroubou asked with a deep laugh. "Looks like you're the leader. Yet you're the only one to beg for your life. When humans are placed in a dangerous position their true nature is revealed. Fools like you don't deserve to have responsibility for watching out for the lives of your squad. What a fine piece of shit you are."

"_Let me say one thing. This is the most important thing."_ Chouji remembered gritting his teeth.

"You would abandon Sasuke and Kari and sell out your comrades?Is that how Konoha's Chuunin are?"

"_Sasuke is the same of us, a ninja from Konohagakure no sato. He is our comrade. That is why we will put our lives on the line to help Kari bring him back. This is the way of Konoha."_

"People like you should die. I'm not going to let you out."

"Shikamaru! I trusted you! I've lost my faith in you now! Step outside!" Naruto cried.

"We can't baka, that's why we're arguing," Kiba said matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean 'baka'?!"

"It's just the truth, baka!"

"You said 'baka' again!" Naruto cried grabbing Kiba into a headlock.

"Don't… Please don't… fight…" Kita panted.

"Minna, listen to Kita-chan and shut up for a bit!" Chouji said angrily.

"Chouji?" Naruto said surprised, releasing Kiba and looking around at the usually good-natured boy. Shikamaru sat, his hands forming the familiar circle as he began to think.

"Now he's speechless, dattebayou," Naruto scoffed. "Sheesh. What is he thinking?" Chouji opened a bag of chips and began rapidly stuffing the snacks in his mouth. "Oi! Why are you eating snacks right now?!"

"When Chouji gets pissed he starts eating like crazy. Sheesh, he's also useless," Kiba said.

"Stop it…" Kita pleaded.

"It can't be helped, I've got to use Kage Bunshin now," Naruto said.

"Don't," Neji interrupted. "The wall is too heavily shielded by the enemy's Chakra. Even if you damage it a little, the wall will be repaired immediately. Meaning, we must have an explosive Taijutsu attack in order to break through the wall in one shot. Otherwise there's no point in trying."

"An explosive attack that's more damaging than mine would be Chouji's," Kiba replied. "But like that…"

"K'so. What should we do? What would Kari-chan do?" Naruto asked.

"Kari would go on a frenzy and attempt to break through the wall with her 'Meiken' style attacks as Gai-sensei likes to call it. Called Meiken because it was apparently her 'destiny' to create such a style and 'dansuken' did not sound 'youthful' enough. She would attack the whole perimeter constantly and eventually would probably pass out from overexertion," Neji stated.

_(A/N; I never explained the meaning of 'Meiken'! Mei means life, destiny in this case. Gai was secretly linking it to Neji too, what with the young Hyuuga's destiny talks. Neji wanted to call it Hayaiken 'fast fist/quick fist' or Keiken 'Strong fist' but Gai, of course, youthfully won.)_

"Neji. Gomen, but with the last of your Chakra, can you carefully observe the wall behind you and Chouji." Shikamaru asked.

"Shikamaru! Urusai!" Naruto said.

"Yamero! Okaasan won't want you to fight!" Kita shouted.

"Naruto! You still don't get it?!" Chouji cried angrily. "Remember what Shikamaru said when he gathered us!"

"_It's damn troublesome, so even for me it's hard to want to do it, but I'm responsible for you all."_

"Chouji. From here on, don't speak too loudly," Shikamaru instructed as he got to his feet. "Kiba, could you hit the wall behind Neji and Chouji again?"

"Mm," he agreed. "I don't know what you want but I'll go wild again! Tsuuga!" he cried jumping up and drilling into the wall.

"Heh, no matter how much you try it's useless," Jiroubou said. Kiba jumped down and Neji scanned the wall with it's Byakugan.

"Sou ka. There!" Neji said.

"Neji, throw your kunai as a marker," Shikamaru instructed. "Chouji, are you ready?"

"Okay. Any time," Chouji said confidently.

"Yosh. Let's get this going, then," Shikamaru said.

"Ne, what's going on?" Naruto asked picking Kita up and setting her on his shoulder.

"As I said earlier, Chakra is on every surface of this wall. But even for such a wall, there is a possibility that there is a low concentration of Chakra somewhere. That's what Shikamaru guessed," Neji explained.

"How? How can you know that?" Naruto asked confused.

"'Tis logic Naruto-kun," Kita said simply.

"Remember what happened earlier? When Kiba and Akamaru attacked the surface of the wall, there were fast repairing areas and slow repairing areas and Shikamaru noticed them." Neji threw his kunai into a slower repairing area. "So, he thought that slower repairing spots meant there was a lower concentration of Chakra there. Then Shikamaru spoke to the enemy, in order to confirm his location on the outside. Why? Because he assumed the wall furthest away from the enemy is the place with the lowest concentration of Chakra. And he wanted to confirm that. Isn't that right?"

Shikamaru smirked in confirmation.

'_I see. In order to trick the enemy he had to trick his comrades first. Damn… I didn't notice such a plan behind all that talk.'_ Kiba thought to himself.

'_But that means Chouji noticed the plan and ate like crazy to recover his Chakra.'_ Naruto realised.

'_So this means that these two haven't been teaming up together for so long for nothing.'_ Kiba thought.

"I'm counting on you, Chouji," Shikamaru said.

"Baika no jutsu!" Chouji cried, his body expanding. "Yosh! Here I go!" His arms, legs and head disappeared creating a perfect sphere. "Nikudan Sensha!" He cried spinning into the wall. "Roll, roll roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!!" He kept pushing and pushing. "Roll roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, ROLL!!!" he cried as he burst through the mud barrier.

"What?!" Jiroubou cried.

They wasted no time jumping out, Kita jumping on Chouji's shoulder and rubbing her head against his cheek happily praising him.

"Chouji." Shikamaru said as the mud barrier caved in. "You really are the best."

Chouji grinned. _  
_


	72. Chou Oyubi Kumo

**A/N:** First off, I'm really sorry about the wait. I've had barely any time on the computer due to my social life, GCSE results and parties. Worse, it's likely to get worse with my return to school on Thursday. After all I'm a college kid now. I think my computers reaching it's last days too. Here's Chouji's fight. GO CHOUJI!

* * *

_**Chou Oyubi Kumo**_

_**Butterfly and Spider**_

_It was their chance to prove themselves,_

_To those who doubted them,_

_For those who always believed in them._

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"You guys were able to escape my barrier," Jiroubou stated.

"The only one here is he," Shikamaru observed. "Looks like the rest of them went on ahead."

"Aa. They're not nearby anymore," Neji confirmed, scanning the area with his Byakugan.

"Tch. Just when we thought we'd caught up," Shikamaru said. Jiroubou clapped mockingly.

"Well done, minna. For trash, that is."

"Nani?!" Naruto cried.

"Who are you calling trash?!" Kiba cried. Both boys rushed forward and Kita sighed. "Now that we're out, he's ours!"

"Ore wa… I'll get him!"

"Matte! Both of you!" Neji shouted. The boys skidded to a stop and looked back at the Hyuuga. "Fighting him here would be dangerous."

"We got out of the barrier! We can take him!" Kiba insisted. He quickly focused his Chakra. "Tsuuga!" He began spinning and shot towards Jiroubou, who swatted him away as though he were a mere fly.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried a clone appearing at his side as he charged forward. "Take this!"

"Too slow!" Jiroubou cried smacking Naruto in the chest with a knife-hand and head butting the clone out of existence. "You are all my meal!"

"Chikusho!" Kiba hissed.

"Shoulder charge!" Jiroubou cried ramming his shoulder into Kiba. "Knee strike!" he cried, catching Naruto before he could create another Bunshin. "You guys aren't even good enough to be appetizers." He pressed his hands together in a seal.

"Be careful. Something troublesome will come out again," Shikamaru warned. Jiroubou slammed his hand onto the ground. Making the ground shatter and Naruto lose his footing.

"Doton kekkei doro doumo!"

"Baika no jutsu!" Chouji cried jumping forward. "Nikudan sensha!"

"Go Chouji-kun!" Kita cheered from Neji's shoulder. Chouji expanded and rapidly spun on the spot, kicking up dust. When the dust cleared, they had all disappeared.

"Che. Useless."

The distraction had allowed the Genin to meet behind a bush to hurriedly discuss a plan.

"We don't have much time, we have to split up into two groups," Shikamaru said.

"Nande dattebayou?" Naruto asked, holding Kita in his lap.

"I see," Neji sad, focusing his Byakugan and looking at Jiroubou. They were far enough away to be hidden, but too close to be safe. "Even if it's five against one, he's not an enemy we can defeat quickly after we've lost so much Chakra. The more time wasted here, the more likely Sasuke and Kari will cross the border. If that happens… then there's nothing we can do… So you're saying to split up into two groups, one group to stop him and one group to pursue Sasuke and Kari, right?"

It was clear, though the Hyuuga was doing his best to hide it, that he was sick with concern for Kari. The thought of losing her was almost too much for him to bear.

"Aa. You will be the second-in-command, Neji," Shikamaru confirmed. Loosing patience, Jiroubou grinned and slammed his hand into the ground causing the dirt to crack and shatter, trees loosing their footing and falling to their sides. Naruto gasped and jumped out the way, Kita following as they avoided the heavy trunk.

"Heh. Found you."

"Neji, take Kita, Kiba and Chouji and pursue Sasuke and Kari," Shikamaru said.

"Wakatta."

"Naruto and I will do something about him." Shikamaru formed a hand seal.

"Are you going to use that Kage Shimari thing again?" Jiroubou mocked. "Keh, what a worthless technique. It's easy to know how to deal with it after I see it once."

"And who fell for that street performance earlier?" Shikamaru asked. His shadow extended from the front but stopped a foot away as he also extended his shadow through the shadows of trees to approach the enemy from behind. A second before he could catch him, Jiroubou once again punched the ground, hiding him from sight. Neji immediately reactivated his Byakugan.

"He disappeared?" the Hyuuga said confused. Kiba's nose twitched, searching for his scent.

"Behind!" he cried in warning. Sure enough, there he was behind them lifting up an absolutely huge piece of dirt that made the large guy look like a mere ant.

"Doton Doryou Dango!"

"No freaking way!" Naruto screeched. He threw the huge rugby ball of mud at them which they luckily managed to avoid. Again Jiroubou disappeared, but they could feel the earth groaning in warning.

"Careful, there's another one coming," Shikamaru said warily. He didn't expect a hand to shoot out the ground underneath him and latch onto his ankle. The next thing he knew he was hanging upside down.

"Heh, you're the squad leader right? It must be tough on the underlings to have such a stupid leader." Chouji's eyes narrowed in anger. "I'll take care of this stupid squad leader!" With that Jiroubou span Shikamaru over his head before flinging him towards a tree.

"Baika no jutsu, Nikudan Sensha!" Chouji cried. He managed to rush in front of the tree in time to completely cushion Shikamaru's fall.

"Than you, Chouji," Shikamaru cried, bouncing off Chouji.

"Oh? You wasted my generosity," Jiroubou said as Chouji deflated back to his normal size. "If the leader is stupid, the subordinates are trash, huh? Well, for the subordinates under this gloomy, theatre-loving guy, I'll kill you before you can suffer anymore."

"K'so… K'so! You're asking for it!" Naruto cried. "I'll be the one to…"

"Fight you!" Chouji interrupted. He stood up, eyes ablaze with anger. "I will fight him!"

"Chouji," Shikamaru said surprised.

"What are you talking about?!" Naruto cried. "He's not someone you can take on alone, dattebayou!"

"I will fight him!" Chouji repeated.

"Chouji… Omae…" Naruto said. Jiroubou smirked.

"Shikamaru, give these soldier pills to everyone," Chouji said, holding out a bag to his friend.

"Chouji… Don't tell me you're going to…"

"Yes. I have _that_ ready to use," Chouji said with a smile.

"But that's…" Shikamaru began but Chouji walked past him.

"Chouji-kun is very brave…" Kita said, she had found respect for the large boy during the Chuunin exams but this… this made her respect him on a whole new level. His friendship with Shikamaru, it reminded her of Okaasan's aura. Protectiveness, affection, trust and respect.

"Damn trash. I won't let you do what you want!" Jiroubou cried rushing forward.

"Here he comes!" Naruto cried.

"I'll finish you all right here!"

"Go, minna!" Chouji cried standing in front of them pulling out a case of three large pills.

'_Three coloured pills? They're not soldier pills, what are they?'_ Jiroubou wondered.

'_First, the green spinach pill,'_ Chouji thought swallowing the green pill.

"Move it, trash!" Jiroubou hollered, but his charge was halted when Chouji grabbed him.

'_Impossible! He stopped me?'_

"Shikamaru. Take everyone and go now!" Chouji cried.

"Chouji…"

"What was the purpose of this squad? If we lose Sasuke and Kari-chan now, we will become what he has said… A stupid squad leader and a bunch of trash!"

"You better catch up afterward Chouji," Shikamaru said.

"Gambatte, Chouji-kun!" Kita said.

"Aa. Minna, go!"

"Yosh, let's go everyone," Shikamaru instructed.

"Aa!"

They all headed into the forest Shikamaru trying his best to ignore the twist of worry in his gut.

'_Chouji…'_

"Heh. I'll just finish you quickly, then take care of your friends," Jiroubou said.

"It won't go that easy!" Chouji cried pushing forwards even harder, sending Jiroubou back as the larger guy struggled to push back.

"Nani?!" He finally managed to slow Chouji and smirked but was caught off guard when Chouji lifted him above his head.

"I will…" Chouji threw him forwards. "Hold you back!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"This is Chouji's parting gift, eat up," Shikamaru said throwing the bag to Naruto.

"Aa. I'll take one, Chouji," Naruto swallowed a pill and then gave one to Kita, noticing she was still tired from the mud dome. "Kiba!" he cried before throwing the bag to the Inuzuka.

"Sankyuu," Kiba said with a smirk.

"Shikamaru. The pill Chouji took seemed like some sort of trump card," Neji said. "Is there any chance of him winning?"

"He said that, right?" Kiba asked, giving a pill to Akamaru.

"For this mission, he brought the top secret ills of the Akimichi clan. When you take them, you gain an explosive burst of power. They're green, yellow and red-coloured pills. In every one of those pills there is an extremely huge amount of energy," Shikamaru explained.

"Sou ka, sou ka, that's why he was so confident!" Naruto cried in understanding.

'_But pills with that much power will always have side-effects,'_ Shikamaru thought.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Chouji panted heavily warily watching Jiroubou who lay crumpled at the bottom of the tree Chouji had thrown him against. Chouji flinched from pain.

'_K'so. I only took the spinach pill and it hurts so much already.'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_If possible, finish the fight with just the green pill,' _Shikamaru thought anxiously. _'Whatever you do, don't take the red one. Chouji…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_I will finish this right now!'_ Chouji thought grabbing a string with multiple kunai attached. He tied it around himself a few times.

"Baika no jutsu!" he cried, his body inflating. Jiroubou sat up lazy, feeling a bit disorientated. "Nikudan hari sensha!" Chouji cried spinning, the kunai like spikes protruding from his body. He shot forward but Jiroubou jumped out the way, leaving the tree to suffer Chouji's wrath.

'_So he's using the daggers as spikes in order to increase both the rotation speed and the destructive force.'_ Jiroubou thought as Chouji headed back towards him. He slammed his palms against the ground.

"Doton doroku gaeshi!" A wall of mud rose in front of Jiroubou and he stood calmly. Unfortunately, he had underestimated Chouji, who simply drilled straight through the wall. "Nani!?" With no other defence, the oto shinobi had to try and push Chouji back with his mere hands. He managed to stop him, but the kunai had caught him in the left thigh and his gut, drawing blood.

'_Did I get him?'_ Chouji thought hopefully.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Akamaru whined softly.

"Aa, I just thought that too," Kiba agreed.

"What is Akamaru saying dattebayou?" Naruto asked.

"You know that Akamaru can sense an enemy's powers through smell. He's really worried about whether those pills can really defeat him," Kiba said.

"That's true. If you think about it rationally, that big guy's power is unknown. The possibility of Chouji defeating him on his own could be zero," Neji said. "Demo, that's what a battle is all about."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Chouji's eyes widened when he noticed fiery markings travelling up Jiroubou's skin. They were like wires made of triangles and soon cooled to black.

"You really get on my nerves, trash!" Jiroubou jumped back and then shot forward again to attack. "Crushing fist!" His hand slammed into Chouji's gut with enough force to cancel out his Baika no jutsu and send him flying back. The string of kunai clattered to the ground behind him as he landed, thankfully not piercing him. "Heh! Did you know? There's one piece of trash in every group. Everyone makes fun of him. When the opportunity arises, the trash is the first to be left behind." Chouji slowly sat up. "I'm talking about you."

He knew his words stung. Chouji tried hard to ignore it, but…

"_Chouji, all you ever do is eat. You should train a little."_

"_You know, that's why everyone makes fun of you. Sheesh."_

"_You said someone exceptional, didn't you? Shouldn't you ask someone like Shino instead?"_

"_Damn. He's useless too."_

'_It's true… No matter how much I try in the shadows. Boku wa…'_

"Looks like I was right," Jiroubou said cockily. "Heh, Konoha is seriously lacking men with talent. They actually placed a piece of trash like you in a rescue team. I'll end this now!"

He shot forward and Chouji brought his arms in front of him in a defensive stance as he dodged the punches. One got round his block and caught him in the jaw.

"Knee strike! Shoulder charge!" He cried out with each blow and felt the ground beneath him as he slid back. "You were trash to the very end. You only seemed appealing at the very beginning. A typical type of trash." Chouji looked up to see him standing in front of him. "Trash like you weren't meant to come to a place like this. You should blame your stupid leader."

'_Shikamaru…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Like Neji said, that's what a battle is. This mission was never a game. Lives are on the line," Shikamaru said seriously.

"_I just really need someone to hold me right now, stupid ne?"_

'_Kari-chan… You've been hurting a long time. Every time something bad ends something worse happens to you.'_

"Oi, Shikamaru."

"I had imagined a worst case scenario where everyone is separated and must fight alone. And right now, if we're not prepared to fight and win in a one-on-one situation, we won't reach Sasuke and Kari," Shikamaru said. He paused for a moment. "Chouji is a good guy, but he lacks self confidence. He thinks he's the weakest in our group."

"But it's true that he's weak, everyone knows that," Kiba said. "That's probably why he stayed behind to try and help us."

"Hn. Yappari ne," Shikamaru said with a smirk.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_Demo…'_ Chouji thought going to get up but knocked back down when a fist hit his jaw.

"_I've teamed up with Chouji for quite a while. We work well together."_

'_Demo, Shikamaru…'_

Jiroubou's knee struck him under his chin, sending him onto his back.

"Heh," the sound nin scoffed. Two blue butterflies fluttered over Chouji's chest, as though urging him to get up.

"_But if we fight you may be stronger, right? If I fought you I might've given up. But you are you."_

'_Demo… Shikamaru has always…'_

He forced himself up and the butterflies left. Chouji reached into his pouch.

'_Shikamaru has always trusted me!'_

"_Chouji. Are you ready?"_

Chouji pulled out the second pill, this one a mustard yellow.

'_He believed that I am truly strong!'_

Chouji's Chakra flared, spinning around him in coils of blue, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

'_That's why he counted on me to fight this guy alone!'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Just as I thought. Everyone thinks that way, huh?" Shikamaru said.

"Kita-chan doesn't!" Kita said adamantly. "And neither does Okaasan!"

"But I know, more than Neji, me, or anyone else here… He's strong. I believe that," Shikamaru said confidently. Kita nodded in agreement.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Oh? Great Chakra," Jiroubou commented.

"Here I go, fatass!" Chouji cried.

"How dare you call me that!" Jiroubou roared and charged forward.

"Bubun Baika no jutsu!" Chouji cried. "Arm!" Chouji's right arm increased in size before slamming into Jiroubou, knocking him back. "Bubun Baika no jutsu! Leg!" He lifted his left leg and went to slam it into the enemies gut but Jiroubou moved in the nick of time. "Bubun Baika no jutsu! Arm!" Moving quickly, Chouji managed to slam his enlarged hand over Jiroubou, pinning him to the ground. Jiroubou looked up growling and slowly began to stand up, lifting the hand and in turn lifting Chouji along with it.

"Don't mess with me, trash!" he span and threw Chouji into the air over the tops of the trees.

"Take this!" Chouji cried, slamming his hands together in a seal. "Chou baika no jutsu!" Chouji's body enlarged until he was the size of a giant. Withall his weight and the force of gravity, Chouji's large body hit the ground, crushing Jiroubou underneath him.

'_I did it, Shikamaru…'_

"N-nani?!" Chouji cried, feeling his massive body being lifted.

"I can't believe I had to go to stage two against this guy," Jiroubou grumbled. "Rising impact palm!" Chouji gasped as he suddenly shot upwards. His jutsu cancelled and he returned to his normal size. He landed hard and winced as pain coursed through his spine and the muscles of his back. Looking up he was surprised to see that Jiroubou had changed in appearance.

'_What's with that appearance?'_

His skin had turned a reddish brown, pulled tight over the bulging muscles of his arms. Grotesque bumps covered both shoulders and his forehead and his hair had thickened and lengthened to reach his back. His eyes had gone black, the irises gold. He looked nothing short of a monster.

"Now that I'm like this, it's over. No one stands a chance against my Stage Two. It gives me more than ten times my original strength," he walked towards Chouji as the Genin struggled to try and move.

'_I can't move because of the pain. I didn't think the side effects of the curry pill were so rough…'_ Chouji thought.

"Because a piece of trash weakling like you came out to fight, you end up like this!" Jiroubou cried, kicking Chouji up into the air ad thrusting his palm into Chouji's gut. The boy flew back, landing on his sore back. "Playing ninja games suits guys like you."

Chouji panted heavily his eyes closed, when a memory came to him, flashing like a movie beneath his closed lids.

---

"_All those who want to play ninja, touch this finger!"_

_Cries of 'Yeah!' were heard as the group of kids all latched onto the boys hand, wanting to join in the game._

"_Matte!" Chouji cried rushing towards them._

"_Janken, janken, pon!" the children cried three choosing rock and three choosing scissors._

"_Crap!" the ones who chose scissors cried and quickly ran._

"_Ichi, ni, san…" _

_"Matte!" Chouji cried trying to keep up with the faster boy. But he quickly disappeared from sight. Chouji looked around but couldn't see him anywhere._

"_Ninety-nine, one hundred!"_

_Chouji finally found the boy hiding behind trash and was about to ask to hide there too but…_

"_I said no!"_

"_Ite-e," Chouji said when he felt three thuds on his back. He'd had cardboard shuriken thrown at him._

"_Found ya!"_

"_You two better give up!"_

"_Tch!" the boy scoffed glaring at Chouji's back._

"_We finally caught them all!" _

_"Of course, the team Chouji's on always looses!"_

_"Gomen…" Chouji said sadly._

_---_

"Heh!" Jiroubou cried closing his hand around Chouji's throat. "I need quite a lot of Chakra for Stage Two, so I will consume the rest of your Chakra." Jiroubou tongue traced his bottom lip. "Well then, let's eat." Chouji felt a slight drain of energy. "Heh, I can't absorb any more. Damn trash. I can't consume you at all!" He lifted Chouji off the ground by his throat. He was thrown o the ground and felt the knot of his hitai-ate come undone, the headband falling to the ground beside him.

Chouji noticed a bag of chips at his side and tried to reach for them, desperate to regain some Chakra but Jiroubou stamped on his hand.

"I said I haven't had enough!" Jiroubou picked up the bag and looked inside. "What's this? Just one last bite?" he complained. "Just this when I haven't had enough?" He ate it nonetheless. "You were just a pawn, ready to be tossed away like trash. Die pig, who's always left out by everyone."

---

"_We're not going to have you play ninja with us." _

_"Doushite?" Chouji asked sadly._

"_Because if you play, that team will lose."_

"_You're too slow." _

_"But if you do that, the numbers won't match," an eight year old Shikamaru pointed out. "Shougi is fun because the right number of pieces are in place."_

_Chouji felt a smile light his face. He wasn't sure if the boy was intending to stick up for him or not, but it meant a lot to him that the boy was helping him out._

"_It's better to not have a worthless piece from the start."_

"_Right, right!"_

_Chouji's face fell._

"_We'll be low on numbers so you can't complain. Let's go."_

"_If you guys are ok, that's fine."_

"_Then it's settled." _

"Now we can win!"

"_Okay, where should we hide?"_

_Realising they weren't going to let him join; Chouji walked away his heart heavy with pangs of loneliness. He tried hard, he really did… he just wasn't that fast. He stopped when a movement caught his eye. A butterfly was caught in a spider's web. Without hesitation Chouji gently freed the beautiful insect and let it fly away. Shikamaru watched surprised by the boys kind actions._

_-_

"_And they say that the Akimichi family is full of slow fatties. Everyone says that," Chouji was sitting on his father on a rooftop and was explaining why he wasn't with the other children._

"_Sou ka. But you know Chouji…" Chouji's father said and Chouji looked up. "You're kinder than anyone. I'm sure that some day you'll find a friend who sees that in you. Then, you will treat him well and become friends who can trust each other."_

_Chouji felt a smile spread across his face at the thought. 'Will I ever find such a friend?'_

_-_

"Don't worry, you're not the only one I'll consume. After I kill you, I'll take care of the other cold-hearted dirty trash who treated you like a pawn to be tossed away," Jiroubou promised.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"We made a promise," Shikamaru said to himself pulling out a kunai and beginning to carve into a tree. They were taking a quick break.

"_You better catch up afterwards, Chouji."_

"_Aa!"_

"He will defeat the enemy. He will definitely catch up to us," Shikamaru said confidently.

"Aa!" Naruto agreed.

"Heh. That's right, he can do it if he wants to," Kiba said and Akamaru barked in agreement. Kita nodded, proud they finally believed in Chouji.

"Yosh, also…"

"Me too!" Kiba said following Naruto. Neji smirked as Kiba and Naruto pulled out kunais and began carving into the same tree Shikamaru was. Even Kita joined in, though still struggled with kanji. Neji eventually decided to help her.

"Listen everyone, we're going to get Sasuke and Kari before Chouji catches up with us," Shikamaru said jumping up to continue.

"Matte yo!" Kiba cried, not wanting to be left behind.

"Yosha! Here we go!" Naruto cried punching the air wit one hand while he held Kita in the other.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"He's late, that Jiroubou," Sakon commented.

"He's a gluttonous, dirty fatass. He'll probably consume the Chakra all the way to the bone," Tayuya scoffed.

"I want to switch pretty soon," Kidoumaru said, tired of carrying the barrel.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Here, I'll give this back," Jiroubou said, throwing the screwed up empty chip packet at Chouji letting it bounce off the boys forehead. "Well, if I don't hurry up I won't catch up. I guess I'll end this now."

'_The only pill left is the red pepper one. But if I take that, I will definitely… die.'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_You better not die Chouji.'_ Shikamaru thought as he carved another arrow later on before changing direction. _'Ever since that day, we always did things together…'_

_---_

_Shikamaru walked along thinking when a blue butterfly floated in front of his nose. With nothing better to do he decided to follow it, it was heading in the same direction he was anyway. It led him to a roof top and he was surprised to see Chouji and his father sitting there._

_  
"You," Shikamaru said with a smile._

"_You're the boy from earlier," Chouji said in recognition. "What about the ninja game?" _

_"It was too troublesome so I got out of it," Shikamaru said simply walking closer to where they were sitting. "Also, that's my special seat."_

"_Special seat?" Chouji repeated._

"_I like to lay on my back and look at the clouds on a beautiful day like this." _

_"You came to look at the clouds?" Chouji asked._

"_Can I sit there?" Shikamaru asked with a smile. Chouji moved closer to his father to make room for Shikamaru. Sure enough, he laid down and looked up at the sky. "This place is the best; I can see the clouds clearly." _

_"Aa…"_

_"You too. Why don't you lay on your back and look at the clouds with me?" Shikamaru offered._

"_Okay! Chouji said happily. "I brought some snacks, you want some?"_

"_Sounds good, sankyuu," Shikamaru said accepting some chips. "Looking at the clouds while eating chips… That's great."_

"_Mm!" Chouji agreed._

"_I'm Shikamaru from the Nara family. What's your name?" Shikamaru asked._

"_Chouji. I'm from the Akimichi family. Akimichi Chouji," Chouji replied enthusiastically._

"_Chouji, eh? I think we could get along," Shikamaru said with a smile._

_"Me too."_

_---_

'_We're going to do things together from now on too,' _Shikamaru promised. _'Chouji…'_

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

'_Shikamaru… Gomen… I can't catch up…'_

"This is the end," Jiroubou stated lifting his arm.

'_But this guy…'_ Chouji pulled out the last red pill. _'Must be defeated, even if it costs me my life!'_

"It's too late to do anything now! Pressure palm!" However when Jiroubou struck, he only met the earth. Blue butterflies appeared and Jiroubou waved one away from his face. Chouji's Chakra increased, shaping into butterfly wings behind his back.

'_W-what is that?'_ Jiroubou wondered. "However… Boulder strike!" But his fist was caught with ease.

"It's useless. I'm a hundred times stronger than before!" Chouji said. Pushing Jiroubou's fist away he elbowed him in the gut. Jiroubou flew back and Chouji appeared in front of him with speed he never had before. "They say the grudge of overeating is dreadful. But that strike was the grudge for eating my last chip."

'_Impossible, his Chakra is completely changing his appearance.'_ Jiroubou thought as Chouji's fat was being converted into Chakra.

"And this is for…" he punched Jiroubou in the jaw sending him further back. "Making fun of me by calling me a pawn to be tossed away and a fatass. But what I can't forgive the most is…" Chouji walked forward, closer to the enemy.

"_It must be tough on the underlings to have such a stupid leader." _

"Well, for the trash under this gloomy, theatre-loving guy, I'll kill you before you can suffer anymore."

_  
"You should blame your stupid leader."_

"…You making fun of my best friend!" Chouji cried his expression pure anger. "That's worse than eating someone else's lat bite of an expensive meal… That's worse than calling me a fatass…" Chouji's Chakra flared. "And it can't be forgiven!" Chouji stood on Jiroubou's hand when it twitched and concentrated his Chakra into his left hand.

'_This is bad!'_

"This last strike is heavier than life!"

"Matte! Don't rush it!" Jiroubou pleaded, but his plea fell on deaf ears and Chouji struck him right in the stomach causing the earth to crack and mud to fly. Even softened by Jiroubou's large body, the punch still left a large crater in the ground. The curse mark receded and Jiroubou returned to normal, eyes rolled to the back of his head. Chouji panted and felt the pain begin to take hold of his body.

'_I won… I actually won…'_ Chouji thought smiling weakly. He managed to get up and preached for his hitai-ate. He was surprised to see large grey paws standing beside it and once he had grabbed the cloth he straightened and saw it was a grey wolf. Its golden eyes were completely calm, intelligent but seemed to not wish any harm. It turned it's back on him and swished its tail, knocking into his free hand. It stared at him until he grasped the soft fur and the wolf began leading him.

'_Is it a summon…?'_ he wondered. It didn't seem wild. It led him further into the forest and he collapsed against a tree the pain becoming too much. The wolf stared at him patiently, though didn't seem concerned. A butterfly floated next to him and he pushed himself to follow it the wolf pulling him along gently. His chest hurt and his vision was blurring. He took deep breaths and struggled forward. He became aware of the wolf's tail slipping through his fingers and stopped trying to catch his breath.

"_But you know Chouji… You're kinder than anyone. I'm sure that some day you'll find a friend who sees that in you. Then, you will treat him well and become friends who can trust each other."_

He felt a tear slide down his cheek as he looked at the words carved into the trunk.

"_Hurry up and come!" "_Heh, that must be Naruto."

_"We're all waiting!" _"Kiba."

"_We believe in you!" _"The writing is shaky, Kita-chan."

_An arrow, showing the way. _"Shikamaru…"

"Otou-chan, I made lots of friends…"

"He was right to believe in you, ne?"

"Huh?" Chouji looked round confused. "Kari-chan?"

"More or less," she said with a soft smile. She was hazy with a golden glow, almost like a ghost. He gasped in pain and fell against the trunk his friends had carved into. Kari's face saddened and she knelt in front of him butterflies dancing around them. "Chouji-kun, you are a very brave person." she said gently her hand moving to touch his. He felt no pressure only the sensation of warmth, like the sun warming a patch of ground in the forest. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

He felt her lips brush his forehead lighter than the brush of a butterfly wing.

"It is those who are strong of heart, that are the strongest," she said gently. As his vision faded he smiled once more though his joyful tears still streamed.

'_Hai Kari-chan. Just like you.'_

His world went black and his grip loosened on his hitai-ate, letting it fall to the ground. He let go, and no longer felt anymore pain.

The butterflies floated by, flying through where Kari's ghost had once been.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Shikamaru and Kita simultaneously gasped as a butterfly passed.

"Doushita?" Naruto asked, sensing the tension.

"Nothing…" Shikamaru said softly. Kita nodded in agreement. Akamaru sniffed the air and barked.

"They're close," Kiba confirmed.

"Demo, I can't sense Okaasan properly," Kita said her face scrunching slightly. She hoped it was just her inexperience, but felt her belly squirm anxiously. Neji's eyes narrowed slightly and he activated his Byakugan.

"That's strange, I haven't seen a single trap," Neji said. "Shikamaru. What do you think of this?"

"They're underestimating us," Shikamaru replied. "The only person they think is catching up to them is that big guy. They wouldn't set traps for their comrade."

"What? Taking us lightly, huh?" Naruto growled. Kita sighed softly, still trying to find her mothers aura. It was hazy, as though something was interfering. Well Neji did say she was in the barrel. It must be an odd barrel.

"I think you're right. Indeed, we've been completely underestimated," Neji agreed. "However, this is our chance."

"Aa, we will take them by surprise."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Jiroubou is late," Sakon stated.

"Iie, he's here," Kidoumaru said as Jiroubou's form appeared behind, keeping up with their pace.

"Sheesh. What took you so long?" Sakon asked.

"Sorry. It took time to suck up the chakra of those pieces of trash," Jiroubou replied.

"You fatass, don't waste time," Tayuya said. "Hurry up and carry the barrel. That's your job. You piece of shit."

"Aa."

"What's with you Jiroubou? You're too obedient today," Sakon said suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Jiroubou asked.

"I can't hand the barrel over to you…" Kidoumaru said stopping. He threw the barrel to Tayuya. "Since you're not Jiroubou!" 'Jiroubou' growled. "Leave this to me. Sakon. Tayuya. You guys go on ahead." They both continued leaving Kidoumaru behind. Jiroubou went to strike Kidoumaru but his arm was caught. "Jiroubou always warns Tayuya about her foul mouth."

"Heh. Sou ka," Shikamaru said, letting go of the henge. His kick was also caught.

"Ninpou kumo shibari!" Kidoumaru cried spitting out a spider web and pinning Shikamaru to a tree. He smirked but didn't expect to see Naruto clones coming at him from behind.

"Damn you!" one of the clones hollered. Kidoumaru chuckled and jumped of the tree falling backwards. He spat spiders thread into his hands and began moulding it.

"Ninpou kumo soukai!" he said, and a huge spiders web spread out, sticking itself to the trees. It caught all the clones sticking them down.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru cried.

'_Now! Kiba! Akamaru! If he's in the air he shouldn't be able to make any moves, dattebayou.'_

"Gatsuuga!" Looking around, Kidoumaru saw Kiba and Akamaru (who was in a Kiba henge) spinning towards him. But with a simple tug, he used his thread to pull himself out the way, landing safely on a branch. "I won't let you get away!" Kiba cried as he and Akamaru landed.

"That's my line," Kidoumaru chuckled. "Look at your feet." Looking down, Kiba saw he was standing on the sticky thread.

"Temee! It's too early to think that you've caught us!"

"Hn. Whatever."

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

"Sheesh. What was that fatass doing? That shit," Tayuya cursed.

"I guess it was a mistake to leave the weakest among us," Sakon said.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

Neji went to strike from behind but Kidoumaru dropped, causing Neji to miss. Kidoumaru landed on a branch and began to mould more thread. Neji gaped when a web shot out like a net, preparing to catch him.

"Neji!" Naruto cried in alarm.

"Nani?!" Kiba cried shocked.

'_Tch. Even with me, Naruto, Kiba and Neji attacking at once, it still didn't work,_' Shikamaru thought as Neji struggled in the web. Akamaru's henge dropped and the puppy whined.

"I'll make a cocoon around you here," Kidoumaru said, covering Neji's body in thread in a matter of seconds.

"Kuso," Naruto hissed, grabbing a kunai. He tried to cut through the web but it wouldn't work. "Chikusho! Chikusho! What's with this web? I can't cut it."

"It's useless. My web can't be severed even if two elephants pull on it," Kidoumaru said laughing. "Kage Bunshin eh? How interesting."

'_The web is starting to absorb me,'_ Neji thought. _'This attachment is probably made with something mixed with the special strength in his body and Chakra. Furthermore, even after he releases it from his hand, there's still a lot of Chakra flowing. The Chakra is constantly flowing. Impossible! His technique level far surpasses reality. Calm down. I need to calm down. Kari needs me. My Chakra…'_

Finally Kidoumaru stopped chewing and reached to his mouth.

"Ninpou kumo nenkin," he said pulling out a gold substance and stretching it between his mouth and six hands.

'_The colour of the web is different than before. What is he going to do?'_ Shikamaru wondered. Separating it from his mouth the gold substance began to change. _'Its hardening.'_

"Heh. Since you're the first one I'll put a show on for you. We're going to play a little game called 'Let's figure out which one of you is the real one'."

"Nan da to?" Naruto hissed.

"First will be the one at the very end." He threw the hardened web and it struck the target in the back.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru cried. But luckily, it turned out to be a clone.

"Heh. So that was a Bunshin. Then next will be this one!" He hit his next target in the gut which again turned to smoke. "You're a lucky one. Next will be two at once. Now there's a fifty percent chance!" Both turned to smoke and Kidoumaru laughed. "You have very good luck! But this time it's one or the other!" The last clone was destroyed. "Tch. So you made it to the end. Maa, it was fun while it lasted. Now, it's game over. Die!" Naruto was hit. "That's the first one finished!" But then he turned to smoke. "Nani?"

The real Naruto wet to punch from behind but was deflected.

'_I see. He let his replications get caught and hid himself in order to find an opportunity to attack. I didn't think trash could plan that far ahead in such a situation.'_

"You're pretty good," Kidoumaru said. "But…" he had Naruto caught by a thread around his wrist. "If you have no more ideas it's time to die!" With a yank Naruto was pulled towards him but Neji appeared and cut the thread with his hand.

"Naruto! Thanks for buying some time," Neji said catching the boy before setting him down.

"Neji!" Naruto cried and Kita landed next to him having tried to free Neji herself from outside the cocoon.

"Omae… How?" Kidoumaru growled. Neji freed the others and they all landed together.

"That which is made from Chakra, can be destroyed by putting Chakra into it. It's pointless against my Jyuuken."

'_His technique… Only I can deal with him,'_ Kidoumaru thought with a smirk.

"Go. I'll fight him," Neji said to the others.

"Neji-kun!" Kita cried jumping onto his shoulder worriedly. Akamaru whined and took some shaky steps back.

"Akamaru?" Kiba asked bending down. Akamaru jumped into Kiba's coat. "Doushita? Looks like he's stronger than the fatass… By a lot."

"You calculated that we had to fight one on one in order to move on. You said that, right?" Neji asked.

"Aa. That's exactly right," Shikamaru agreed.

"Besides if we stop here we can't catch up to Sasuke and help Kari," Neji said. "Chouji hasn't come back yet. We're here because we're on a mission to bring Sasuke back. But that's not all. What we're pursuing and trying to protect is the bond as a ninja from Konohagakure no sato. Do you remember what Iruka said at Sandaime's funeral?"

"_Iruka-sensei, why do people risk their lives for others?"_

"_When one person dies… he disappears… along with his past, current lifestyle and his future. Many people die in missions and wars. They die easily, and in surprisingly simple ways. Hayate was one of them. Those who die have goals and dreams. But everyone has something important as those… Parents, siblings, friends, lovers… People who are important to you. The bond to people important to you, ever since birth and the string that binds them becomes thicker and stronger as time goes by. It's beyond reason. Those bound to you by that string will do that. Because it's important…"_

"Listen. Sasuke is being brought to Orochimaru's place. We can't allow someone from our village to go to him. Never!" His fists clenched. It was Orochimaru who'd been behind Kari's suffering. It was he that made her so ill and weak. "Also…" he turned to look at Naruto and smiled.

"Naruto. Your eyes are alike to Kari's, they are better than mine." He turned his back on them. "Right now, Sasuke is in darkness. Kari is struggling to hold onto him while she slips in herself. Hurry up and go. Kari needs your help."

"You… You really care about Kari-chan," Naruto said picking Kita up. "Kari-chan always did have a way of choosing good friends."

"I'll catch up later," Neji said.

"Yosh, let's go," Shikamaru said.

"You better catch up with Chouji," Kiba said.

"Hai!" Kita cried.

"Aa." They jumped off continuing after the two remaining enemies.

'_Neji. For Kari-chan more than anything, you better catch up.'_

* * *


	73. Kumo

**A/N**: An UPDATE! Yes, I ignored my responsibilities to essay writing and instead finished this (exceedingly poorly). NEJIII. He has his adorable moments. I would like to enthusiatically thank all my reviewers and apologise excessively for taking FAR too long to update due to exams and coursework. *Points to stack of work* See what I must do? No. Its like a SKYSCRAPER. Neverending. Apologies for the hyperbole and long words.

The edit's started up, check it out if you like. A vast improvement from before but could be a lot better. I've FINALISED the plot and some slight changes will appear in the edit that the sequel will follow (A/N's will tell you of this at the end.)

**Dedication:** Rika Hayashi for her beautiful fanart, and of course CutieKyoto for her support and simply because I luff her.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto I would be rich, there would be Kari present in the manga, Hinata would be a pimp, the Akatsuki would be of a suitable age so I could love them without weirdness and I would know the secret behind Kakashi's mask. Also, there would be much Kakashi and Gaara whoring, because I adore them xD

**Warning:** This chapter was written on sleep deprivation, a lot of junkfood, and an extremely lazy teenager who was SUPPOSED to be doing coursework. Expect element of crapness. Also. SPIDERS. Ughhhh. Possible spider bashing. Formatting is messed up. Apologies, hates me.

* * *

**Kumo**

**Incy Wincy Spider**

_Incy wincy spider climbed up the water spout_

_Down came the rain and washed the spider out_

_Up came the sun and dried up all the rain_

_And incy wincy spider climbed up the spout again_

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

Kidoumaru quickly spat a web at Neji, the younger ninja immediately activating his bloodline eyes. The sharpened points shot past him, aimed at Naruto, Shikamaru and Kiba.

"It's coming!" Naruto cried in warning. Kita's eyes widened and she swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Neji's hands glowed bright with Chakra and with a quick slicing movement; he was free of the sticky prison.

"This guy's pretty good," Kidoumaru mused with a smirk. Neji had managed to cut through the web heading towards the others too, stopping the attack.

"Neji!" Naruto cried with a relieved smile.

"He escaped," Shikamaru said, mirroring Naruto's expression. Kita released the breath she'd been holding.

'_Not yet, I'm not going to let them get away that easily,'_ Kidoumaru thought.

"I am not going to let you get past me," Neji declared, the wind tickling his face. Kidoumaru spat a web net at him, but the attack was easily cut to shreds. "It's no use."

"It's ok then. It looks like you are the strongest of the group," Kidoumaru stated. "Geez, my playfulness is coming out. We have to play the game slowly or it'll be a waste." Neji slid into a Hyuuga stance, spreading his legs slightly and placing his arm in front of him, his palm facing Kidoumaru. "First, I will play for three minutes, then I will kill you." Neji narrowed his eyes, observing his enemies Chakra.

Kidoumaru chewed for a moment and then spat out numerous web nets at Neji. The Hyuuga quickly avoided them, dodging and then using the tree to pull himself out of the way. He then cut through them, slicing them with his chakra while Kidoumaru kept pelting him with webs. He was suddenly caught in the stomach, three nets binding him to a tree, two more getting his arms.

"Caught you," Kidoumaru said smugly. "Your skill at using Chakra is quite high and you have sharp eyes. You form the Chakra into a needle at the end of your hand and cut through the thread at its weakest point. I see. I heard about this from Orochimaru-sama. This is Jyuuken, eh? That Kari-chan merges with her own fighting style. But if you can't use your hands you can't cut the thread." Neji smirked. "Once you know how to win the game, it suddenly becomes boring. It's only the first minute and I've already become bored with you."

Kidoumaru's cheeks bulged as he started chewing. Neji tried to pull his arms but found he couldn't move them. Relaxing he closed his eyes.

"Kumo nenkin!" Kidoumaru cried, spitting a hard golden substance out of his mouth. Neji concentrated Chakra and his eyes shot open as he released Chakra from several tenketsu. The web immediately was cut apart, freeing him. He jumped up just in time to avoid the sharp point of Kidoumaru's attack. Landing on the golden spear he ran towards the spider-nin. '_How did he…?!' _Neji landed in front of his enemy and slid into stance.

"I will tell you a secret. It's not only my hands. I can control all my Chakra pores. And by the way… Game over," Neji said. "Jyuukenhou; Hakke Rokujyuu Hanshou!"

"Nani?!"

"Hakke nishou!" Neji cried delivering the first two strikes, "Four strikes! Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes! Sixty-four strikes!!" Neji cried sending his enemy through the trunk of a tree and hurtling down into the forest floor. Neji landed and narrowed his eyes, peering through the smoke. '_Whats going on? Golden skin?'_ The protective golden layer crumbled off Kidoumaru like dried mud. '_Made from the same substance he formed in his mouth,'_ Neji analysed.

"Heh, that was dangerous," Kidoumaru said with a smirk. "I heard that if one takes a direct hit from Jyuuken, their Chakra network could be damaged which prevents them using Chakra. It was a very close call."

"Are you a monster?" Neji demanded. "Looks like its not only from your mouth."

"Heh. My Kumo Nenkin is a metal which instantly hardens when it comes out. It also doesn't let any Chakra pass through. And also this not only can come out of my mouth, but also from my body's sweat glands."

'_Attacking his pressure points won't work. Is that how it is?'_ Neji wondered.

'_My spider web bind won't work. I also can't engage in close combat because of his Jyuuken. In other words… I have to attack at range.'_ Neji's eyes widened when Kidoumaru suddenly and silently moved into the trees. '_No sound. It will be instantaneous.'_ Kidoumaru thought with a piece of web attached to his finger. The wed came loose and a kunai shot from above almost piercing the top of Neji's head. The Hyuuga swiftly dodged but gasped when he noticed something off about the kunai. _'Game over!'_

'_This kunai is fake!'_ Neji realised, he looked around to see a barrage of Kidoumaru's kunai heading straight for him, slipping into a defensive stance he began to spin "Hakkeshou Kaiten!" Kidoumaru's eyes widened in shock as each and every one of his kunai were deflected by Neji's Chakra.

'_Does he… have eyes in the back of his head? Also that defence… He used Chakra to repel a physical attack.' _Kidoumaru quickly slipped to the branch below him as Neji flung a kunai where his head had been moments before. _'Can he see me? What in the world is he?'_

"I now you're there" Neji called calmly into the surrounding trees. "Come out!"

''_Those eyes… look like they don't just see the flow of Chakra. What an incredible user of techniques.'_ Kidoumaru thought with a smirk.

'_I have a disadvantage in ranged combat. It's one of Kari's weaknesses. I must bring this to close combat.'_

"Very well," Kidoumaru relented, jumping down from his hiding position. Web wound around his ankles and sticking it to the tree. Looking up Neji noticed tattoo like markings spreading across his skin. "I will admit that the degree of difficulty for this game is a little high. I will be serious now." Neji sharpened his Byakugan.

'_He's like a completely different person from before. His Chakra activity is overwhelming.'_ Neji thought, analysing the increased Chakra flowing through his system. '_Also, that pattern… Kari.'_ His eyes narrowed slightly recognising them as similar to Kari's and Sasuke's markings in the forest of death. If he remembered correctly it highly increased the strength but left a sufficient amount of physical damage. And in Kari's case, emotional trauma. He'd have to be careful.

'_That move. He was able to dodge my attack from behind and find out where I was hiding. In other words, he has a high range of vision and is able to see through objects. On top of that, that jutsu… then…'_ Kidoumaru bit his thumb and quickly completed a sequence of hand seals. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" The smoke quickly cleared to reveal a huge tarantula.

Neji felt his heart clench slightly. _'Kari's afraid of spiders.'_ In a training session she had come across one that couldn't have been larger than half the size of a standard shuriken. The term 'freaking out' could not even begin to describe her reaction.

* * *

_-----__**x**__-----_

* * *

_Neji's eyes darted back and forth through the trees. Kari was incredibly stealthy and without his Byakugan it was proving increasingly difficult to catch sight of her. She was silent, swift and light. A mere shadow dancing upon branches. He strained his eyes glancing through the leaves trying to catch a glimpse of her when he was startled by a high pitched scream. He jumped his muscles tightening and his Byakugan activating on impulse when he was throttled to the ground with Kari clinging to him like a little monkey._

"_N-n-n-n-n-neji!!" he squeaked, clutching him with teary eyes, face chalk white. Neji, expecting her to claim a deadly army of ferocious ninja were seconds away was irritated to find the next word to be. "K-k-k-k-k-KUMO!!"_

"_Spider?" he repeated dumbfounded, his muscles relaxing and his Byakugan deactivating. "What's so bad about that?"_

"_Its legs! It's all creepy and crawly and unnnnn!!" Kari shivered her tail fur going on end as though statically charged._

_Neji snorted._

"_It's not funny!" she wailed. "Neji!!"_

_His chuckles were unstoppable, every time he tried to stop them, they threatened to burst into roars of laughter. Neji had an image to uphold and rolling on the floor cackling like a baboon did not fit well with him. It was funnier than when she was nervous of heights. A tree is harmless! Of course he didn't know her as well then, so it wasn't quite as hilarious as this._

"_I'll check it's gone with my Byakugan okay?" he said with smirk. She nodded, face pressed into his chest as she curled up into a ball on his lap. His Byakugan confirmed the spider had run away when Kari squealed. It was an idiotic fear to have as a shinobi, but it was rather adorable to see this strong kunoichi afraid of something so tiny. "Am I forgiven for laughing now?" She stubbornly shook her head. He wrapped his arms around the shivering mess of a kunoichi and smirked deciding training was over._

"_Stop it! I can feel your chest vibrate as you try not to laugh!"_

_And he had the chuckles all over again._

* * *

_-----x----- _

* * *

That memory reminded him of what he was fighting for. Kari. Her happiness. Her safety. And for her to return to Konoha to be with him and all the other rookies she'd come to love.

"Your ability… I will find a complete strategy against it!" The spider excreted a thick white substance. _'If he prevents physical attacks with that spin by releasing a large amount of Chakra, then I just have to stop that Chakra spin!' _He pulled a kunai in his style out of his mouth. He darted across and cut the white yellow substance which proved to be a sack filled with spiders.

'_Kari's worst nightmare.'_ Neji couldn't help but think. They rained down on him clicking their jaws together as they fell. _'I can see why she despises them.'_ They were rather creepy. Bringing his concentration back onto the match he quickly span into another Kaiten before the first spider could touch him. They were each at least as big as his hand. He propelled dozens away but they continued to fall.

'_He's beginning to stop!' _Kidoumaru thought with triumph. "Die!" he shouted flinging a kunai at Neji's back. Neji hurriedly focused his Byakugan and was able to deflect the kunai with a burst of Chakra. _'Tch. He released Chakra at the least moment to deflect the kunai.'_

'_So he tried to stop the Kaiten with a Chakra web.'_ Neji thought, aware of the strings of web draped over him. _'Koitsu… I have to cut this once.' _With a quick jerk and a spark of Chakra he cut himself free. _'If I can't use Kaiten then I will have to dodge every single one.'_

'_This kid fights with a close combat style Taijutsu. As long as I keep my distance I won't have a problem. I'll just stay back and observe you carefully.'_ Releasing the web from his fingers he released more kunai traps, showering Neji from all sides. Focusing on his Byakugan he jumped up, managing to avoid them. A second attack shot towards him whilst he was in the air, he deflected one with his hand and then bent to avoid the rest, letting them shoot past his body. As he landed, he heard the cry of oncoming spiders and got into a Hyuuga stance. "Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" They were bigger this time, each around the size of a football and increased in numbers, coming in hundreds. His chakra filled palms cut through arachnid after arachnid. _'There are so many!'_ He thought desperately, feeling the strain on his muscles as he tried to move quicker and avoid them all. As the second wave came he shifted his stance "Hakke Hyaku Nijuu Hachi Shou!" He increased his speed and the strength of his attacks as they came down endlessly, his arms a wave of blurred movement.

'_Hayai! His number of strikes doubled. If I take a direct hit from that I'm finished!'_ Kidoumaru thought shocked. _'If that's how you want it, then I will fight you with even greater numbers!'_

'_There are too many of them! I won't make it!'_ Neji thought as another torrent of eight legged horrors were unleashed on him. He tried to spin but the web hindered his movement. _'Yappari, I can't use Kaiten.' _He quickly ducked seeing an onslaught of kunai from behind but flinched in pain as the flesh of his shoulder was deeply cut.

'_Looks like his field of vision is 360 degrees. He also uses a combination of abilities, seeing through and seeing at a distance in order to deal with an enemy's attacks. In addition to his 360 degree field of vision, he has an amazingly wide view of the area. If I can calculate his view based upon his reaction from earlier, he was able to completely perceive all the kunai that came within about a fifty metre radius of him. However, there's a kunai that he was unable to dodge. Then…'_ With a simple slip of thread from his fingers, spiders rained down on Neji again.

"Hakke Rokujuu…" Neji gasped s blood shot between his teeth as a kunai embedded itself into his back.

"Sou ka," Kidoumaru said with a smirk. "Now there will be more!" With a flick of his wrists he sent kunai speeding at Neji from all around. The Hyuuga desperately tried to dodge weapons and block spiders. His hair came loose, cut from his tie. _'This time two will hit him.' _Two caught Neji in the back below his shoulder blades. He fell to his knees before falling to his front. Kidoumaru's laughter rang out through the clearing. "I have found the complete strategy against you! It seems that defensive move you use is to compensate for that weakness. Sumari, your combination of techniques isn't perfect!"

Neji rose to his feet flinching with the pain running down the nerves of his back and right arm.

"Why so eager? This game is over! Oi oi, are you going to continue trying hard even though it's useless?

Neji's legs trembled as he breathed through his pain.

'_I'm doing this for her. I can't lose…'_

"Trash characters like you in a game always end up losing! You can't beat me!"

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

"_N-not yet…"_

"Lee… You just never give up," Tenten sighed. "There's no way you can win. Neji is different from you. He's a genius."

"_A genius? What is a genius?! Even if I don't have the talent, I will work hard to surpass a genius!"_

"_It's useless Lee," Neji said simply. "No matter how hard you work you can't beat me. This is decided._

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

"_Hinata-sama, you truly are the Head family's spoiled child. People can't change!"_

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

"_This match… Your fate has been decided ever since I became your opponent!"_

"We don't know unless we try!" Naruto said stubbornly.

* * *

_-----__**x**__----- _

* * *

'_This will be your end' _Kidoumaru thought, fingering the thread with glee. The large mother spider roared, descending from its web and heading towards Neji. The Hyuuga looked up with a stony expression. He didn't move a muscle as the gigantic spider landed on him.

"Jyuuken!" he cried, his palm thrusting into the spiders gut, it's body swelling until it burst into web.

'_Trash character number one; crushing complete.'_

Neji gasped as he saw kunai heading towards him in all directions as thick web hovered in the air around him. Neji fell to the ground, the total kunai in his back being brought up to six.

'_Well, it was fun for a shitty game.'_ Kidoumaru mused. His smug air fell when Neji rose to his feet, panting heavily. _'Che, so he was able to barely avoid them hitting his vital spots.'_ Kidoumaru thought with an angry smirk as his curse mark spread. _'Besides, he won't die so easily from a kunai thrown from fifty metres away. Sou ka, so you're going to let me enjoy this a little more. Then here is my thanks.' _Kidoumaru thought as he transformed the golden substance flowing from his mouth in preparation to make another weapon, a spear with a bow for deadly accuracy. "Die!" Kidoumaru cried, releasing the spear directly at Neji's blind spot, it shot at high speed gleaming with deadly sharpness. There was a satisfying explosion of dust. "Heh. It's over."

But he was wrong. The smoke cleared to reveal Neji had dodged.

'_That was just barely… That one was dangerous,' _Neji thought through ragged breaths. _'But I was able to make it miss slightly. There's no doubt about it, he has figured out the secret of the Byakugan.'_

'_Nani?!' What is going on? How? How did it miss by fifteen centimetres above his vital spot?!'_

Neji flinched as he felt blood rush from the wound in his other shoulder. He was lucky, he knew it was aimed for his heart. Blood streaked down his arm and he fell to the floor.

'_Sou ka. That Chakra. He must cover his whole body with it constantly. And with such wide space, no wonder he was able to perceive the arrow and move it slightly with his Chakra. But constantly releasing that Chakra is like dying. If he didn't do that he couldn't have dodged it. In other words, there's no doubt about it. It's just as I concluded. He couldn't see the arrow at all!'_

'_He doesn't make any useless attacks… So by doing so he is able to take in a lot of information… And he was able to figure out the weakness of these eyes. He's good.'_ Neji thought as he tried to raise himself to his hands and knees. Finally he managed to stand. _'Out of all the enemies I have fought, he is the strongest.'_

'_His field of vision is 360 degrees. Also, he is able to completely perceive an attack within a 50 metre radius. But there was a kunai he could not dodge for some reason. Why couldn't he dodge it? Because he couldn't see it. Even with his combination of abilities, there is a slight blind spot. He is unable to see or react to any kunai that gets into his blind spot. That's why he uses that defensive move, to deal with any attack that gets into his blind spot. And I was able to analyze and completely catch his moves. There is a very small blind spot behind his first thoracic vertebra.'_

Kidoumaru's eyes widened as Neji suddenly ran pulling kunai from his back as he went.

'_It's true that if he moves around getting a bead on the blind spot would be difficult. But that doesn't work on me.' _He pulled another golden spear from his mouth. _'Jyuuken is useless unless you get close to me. But you have no time to get close to me. How will you run now? You can move all you want. You will die no matter what.'_

Neji stopped his back landing against a tree trunk.

'_Looks like you're low on Chakra. Trash characters like you in a game always end up losing!'_

Swallowing his pain, Neji darted towards another tree, trying to keep moving.

'_It's useless.'_

He released his arrow, the web attached to the end guiding it making it deadly accurate. It struck at high speed, Neji's hitai-ate sent flying from his forehead. Blood dripped from the thread as Neji stood behind a tree. The arrow had cut clean through the bark like a bullet. Neji had been lucky, he had managed to move out the way just in time. A sharp sting hit his cheek where he had been cut.

'_The string… Sou ka. With the string…'_ Neji collapsed to his knees.

'_This time the course changed because of the tree'_ Kidoumaru thought in irritation, breaking the string from his mouth. He jumped back on to another tree, startling the birds that had been resting further along the branch. _'This time I'll add more spin to it. This time even if it hits a tree it won't go off course.'_ He thought spitting out another spear like arrow with a drill like end. _'Then like I did before, I will use the string containing Chakra and control the arrow until it's fifty metres behind him. I'll get a bead on a moving target and then I'll drive the arrow to his blind spot with pinpoint accuracy. Will you still stand?'_

'_He's strong…'_ Neji thought as he panted with exhaustion, forcing himself to his feet. _'He's much stronger than me. I don't have much Chakra left. I won't be able to dodge the next attack. Kari… Is this it?'_

"_I will win!" Naruto declared with determination he'd rarely come across before._

'_Naruto. What would you do?'_

"_Ne, I admire you Neji-sempai," Kari said simply. "Take your ego down a few notches, add some optimism and affection, and you'd be pretty damn perfect."_

Neji staggered forward a soft smile on his face. "That's enough. I can't dodge it anyway." The wind tickled his weary face as though trying to be reassuring.

'_He's stopped moving. Has he given up? But I will still do this very carefully. Percentage of hitting the target: 120 percent. Destruction level: Super maximum!'_ A mere brush from his fingers and the arrow hurtled forward at high speed.

Neji heard the whistle of wind as it shot towards him and at the last second turned taking a direct blow to the stomach. Blood spattered on the ground until Neji crashed into a tree, the arrow shooting through it and into the ground, the string pinning him there. He smiled through the pain and with a glowing palm grasped the string.

"Jyuuken!"

His Chakra travelled through the string directly into Kidoumaru.

'_What? He still… But that attack should have got him for sure!'_ Kidoumaru thought as he fell back.

"_That which is made of Chakra is pointless against Jyuuken."_

'_Jyuuken. Sou ka. He sent his last bit of Chakra into the string before dying.'_

'_Eight birds. I couldn't see the other one again.'_ Neji thought watching as the birds scattered into the sky, his Byakugan fading. He coughed. _'He…'_

* * *

"_I told you I'm not good at giving up. A trait myself and Kari-chan have in common."_

"_Why do you keep trying to go against your fate?"_

"_Because you called me a loser! If you think it's impossible then you don't have to do anything! When I become Hokage I will change the Hyuuga!"_

'_That was your best ninja technique. I was careless.'_

"_Bunshin no jutsu was my worst ninja technique. How you're not able to change… Stop whining about those worthless things. You're different from me. You're not a loser."_

* * *

Neji closed his eyes and grit his teeth and he saw, he felt Kari in his arms as she suffered through the pain of what Naruto told him was a curse. So similar to the one place on his forehead. She was following Sasuke to the one who put that curse on her. Her Chakra conflicted with the Chakra of the curse, he had seen it with his Byakugan as her organs would strain and her face would pale. How she'd discreetly flinch with pain then say it was nothing. He hadn't miss the worry in the Hokage's and Kakashi's face when she was hurt. The strongest medic of their time couldn't stop Kari's pain. He wouldn't let her kill herself to protect that Uchiha. Not if he could do something about it!

His Byakugan activated and he cut through the string and ran forwards.

'_I can't lose! Even if he's an enemy much stronger than me… Even if my body were to rot… I can't lose! I have a reason not to lose!'_

"_Neji." She smiled blushing awkwardly through her embarrassment. Her smile turned into a grin as she pulled him into a tight embrace._

'_For Kari!!'_

'_Some of my internal organs have been damaged. But I can still move somewhat.' _Kidoumaru used his string to swing and avoid further injury. _'I'm having a really hard time this time. I played too much.'_ Kidoumaru's eyes widened in horror when Neji appeared before him, slamming his Jyuuken into Kidoumaru's torso, breaking the string and sending him to the forest floor. '_I can't produce Chakra!' Kidoumaru's cursed seal receded, leaving him back in his normal form._

"How?! You should have died instantly! How can you be alive?"

"I can't dodge it anyway, so I prepared myself to get hit on purpose. And I'm more familiar with my weakness than anyone. My Byakugan has a blind spot. If I know you'll be attacking there I would relieve Chakra in that spot and perceive the attack. It's not that difficult to move so that you miss by a few centimetres. I'd still be severely damaged, but I wouldn't die instantly." Neji replied, his back to his enemy.

"Heh, so you got hit on purpose. You know you will die too. How can you go so far?" Kidoumaru demanded.

"You are the strongest enemy I have ever fought. But I have a reason why I can't lose. One of the strongest people I have ever fought told me this. '_You are different from me. You are not a loser.'_ That's what he said. I had always been called a genius. That's why I can't lose. I have to do this for those who believe I am a genius who gives into fate. And for the only one… that thought of me as an arrogant, rude, over-confident jerk, and was the only one to ever call me stupid."

"_Destiny foretold it? Well destiny is supposedly a sure thing but you can't possibly tell what twists someone's path will take. What if it was someone's destiny to change? Sometimes I doubt you're 'genius' Neji-sempai. You glance too quickly and don't look enough. Your destiny could surprise you. Don't decide what your destiny until your last moment, and for certainty, let the impact of your life after it has marked the world be what fate foretold. Surely your destiny depends on the choices you make? So stop this destiny-talk and help me train so I can be better prepared and make better decisions ne?"_

"The only one who made me feel like I truly mattered…"

Kari's face flashed in his mind and he reprimanded himself for being sentimental in front of an enemy.

"Hn. A trash characters fate is to lose right away. That's what you said right? Look at this situation! Fate isn't something that can be decided by anybody!"

"Heh. You think so? You're about to die too."

Neji fell to his knees and reached out, grasping hold of his hitai-ate.

"_Neji you must live on. You are the one most blessed by the Hyuuga's talent."_"I will not die that easily."

"Keh! You can act strong but you can't stop the flow. Sasuke-sama went to Otogakure of his own free will and Kari-sama followed without complaint."

_Sasuke is inside darkness and he's dragging Kari down with him._

"Iie!" Neji managed with a smirk.

"_Naruto. You have better eyes than I do."_

"There are people who can rescue Sasuke and save him from darkness."

He hadn't missed how Kari's entire soul seemed to light up when she was with Naruto. There was such a fierce spark in her eyes when he was there, it was always present, but usually dimmed. He was her light, her strength. He wouldn't lie; the intense bond between them had pulled strings of jealousy in his heart. But at the same time, he couldn't deny the beauty and innocence of their pure, seemingly unbreakable bond. This morning, and when Naruto had burst in after Kari's collapse. Naruto's expression was hopeful as it always was, but their was such a deep underlying pain as she suffered, as though he felt every sting, every burn.

With Naruto's light, Kari's inner light would relight. Together, they would chase the shadows of darkness from Sasuke.

"Heh. Sasuke-sama and Kari-sama belong to Orochimaru-sama. No matter who it is, no one can--"

"He can save them!" Neji interrupted. This man didn't understand Naruto and Kari's bond, it could never be broken. Never. If Sasuke had taken her with him he clearly had a bond with her too. Naruto and Sasuke were best friends, and they both cared fro Kari. They would find a way.

'_Because, Naruto… Kari… You saved me from darkness.'_

"Your final joke?" Kidoumaru scoffed but choked on blood and rolled to his side in agony. _'I say that. But I haven't taken it this far since I fought Kimimaro. Chikusho…'_

Neji rolled to his side in agony as Kidoumaru's heart failed and deaths arms greedily embraced him. It was warm here, patches of sunlight heating the ground and lighting it, as though it were toughed by heaven.

As it were, his eyes focused on what he could swear was Kari's form kneeling beside him.

"K-Kari?" His Byakugan flickered on and he made out the flame of Chakra. Like a clone, yet it was different.

"Maybe you should be called Neji-baka, ne?" she said softly as he felt her move his head into her lap. It was warm and comfortable and seemed to chase away the majority of his pain. His hand rose up to touch her cheek and he felt the soft tingle of pure Chakra. He felt the moistness of her cheek and brushed the tear away.

"Are you hurt?" he murmured the edged of her blurring slightly.

"No Neji, seeing you like this doesn't affect me at all," she mumbled nasally. He smiled softly at the biting sarcasm, seeing the concern and sorrow underneath.

"You felt everything, didn't you?"

"Every kunai, every arrow."

"Kuso…" he whispered as he felt his eyes sting with tears. "Gomen… Gomenasai."

"Baka, what do you have to apologise for? You finally swallowed that infuriating pride, flipped destiny the finger and found determination and the true meaning of fighting for those important to you," he could feel her Chakra radiate with pride. "Your Otousan's pride would overshadow mine with ease."

"You always know the right things to say," Neji said feeling the last of his strength drain away. "Are we to die here?"

"Most certainly not." Kari huffed.

"Kari, though my eyes are not as good as yours in these matters, I can see how broken you are," he said his fingers sliding to her neck, to the mark Kakashi had mentioned to Tsunade. "Because of this?"

"I'm not broken, just a little cracked is all," she mumbled. "It'll be okay though, won't it? But…" She bit her lower lip to stop him trembling.

"You can't bear to see us hurt…" he finished.

"You're gonna be okay though right? Promise?" he had always found an annoyance yet endearing quality in her childish innocence. Yet now he could see it was also heartbreaking. How could he honestly declare how slim his chances of survival were? She was so hurt already.

"Of course."

"Good. Because you're too important to me to die," she said. His hand found hers and he gripped it.

"And you'll come back?"

"As soon as they can change Sasuke's mind," it was meant to sound cheerful and confident, but the agonising doubt and the pain from him leaving left tremors in her voice. "I'm sorry Neji, I'm so, so sorry…"

"Hush, don't cry," he whispered. The clone faded out like a ghost, the Chakra weakening rapidly. It became solid again, though he knew she had little time left. "Be strong for me Kari-chan."

"And you for me," she said with a smile her hair tickling his cheek as she placed a kiss on his lips. He felt his aching heart flutter and his face warm. He felt a need to tell her something, but the words were just out of his grasp. "I have to go now."

"I know," Neji said, his throat feeling raw and tight even though shadows were beginning to creep from the corner of his eyes. But he needed to tell her something.

"Be safe for me to come back to…" she whispered her hand tracing the line of his jaw. And then she was gone, lost within the breeze as though she had never been there.

Memories flickered behind his eyelids. His first meeting with Hinata, his father suffering under the cursed seal, moments with his team, meeting Kari and training her as his apprentice, the Chuunin exams when he met Uchiha Sasuke, the forest of death, his match with Hinata, ending when he critically struck Kari's heart when she intervened, his match with Naruto, Hiashi's apology, Sandaime's death, with the Hyuuga, preparing for this mission…

'Minna, I'll leave the rest for you guys… Save Kari for me…'

He smiled softly in realisation his face relaxing.

'That's what I wanted to say. I wanted to say "Aishitteru."'

A feather floated from the sky into his palm, but he never saw nor did he feel it. For he had already allowed the darkness to overcome him.


	74. Important Author Note

**AUTHOR NOTE;**

Hello, -_dodges large sharp objects_-

This story has currently been left as I'm devoting myself to the **edit** instead. I will not delete this version as all the reviews, favourites, alerts, hits - they all mean so **incredibly** much to me and I feel deleting it all would be not only rude but a waste.

So to clear things up, it is highly unlikely I will return to this story. I will continue with the edit until the point at which I finished here and then continue the story on the edited version.

In the meantime, please read the edited version to see any changes to the plot and such. Currently, the Wave Arc has just been completed.

Thank you for everything with Eien no Shasai, I hope I can continue to have your support and write enjoyable chapters for you in the future.

Thank you for reading,

Much Love,

Ookami Tsubasawa :)


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